The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 was signed into law on November 27, 2012. The Act strengthens protection for federal employees who report waste, fraud, and abuse in government operations.
There are 14 prohibited personnel practices, including reprisal for whistleblowing, which are identified in law at 5 United States Code, Section 2302(b). A full list of the prohibited personnel practices is available at the bottom of this page under “Other Resources.”
Whistleblowing means disclosing information that you reasonably believe is evidence of:
- a violation of any law, rule or regulation,
- gross mismanagement,
- a gross waste of funds,
- an abuse of authority, or
- a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.
The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 was signed into law on November 27, 2012. The Act strengthens protection for federal employees who report waste, fraud, and abuse in government operations. It is a prohibited personnel practice for an agency to take, threaten to take, propose, or not take a personnel action because of whistleblowing activities. You are protected if you make such a disclosure to the Office of Special Counsel, Treasury Office of the Inspector General, Office of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, or Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program. You are also protected if you make such a disclosure to other individuals or organizations, provided that the disclosure is not specifically prohibited by law and the information does not have to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs. If you have a concern about whether a disclosure is protected, you should contact the appropriate office listed below.
Individuals who believe they have been improperly retaliated against for their whistleblowing activities may contact the following offices:
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Department of the Treasury Office of Inspector General (OIG) |
Hotline: 1-800-359-3898 or hotline@oig.treas.gov
Treasury OIG Whistleblower Protection Ombudsman: 202-927-3973 or OIGCounsel@oig.treas.gov
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Treasury Inspector General for the Tax Administration (TIGTA) for whistleblowing activities related to the Internal Revenue Service |
Hotline: 1-800-366-4484 or online at www.treasury.gov/tigta
TIGTA Whistleblower Protection Ombudsman: WhistleblowerProtection@tigta.treas.gov
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Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) for whistleblowing activities related to the Troubled Asset Relief Program |
Hotline: 1-877-SIG-2009 or online at www.sigtarp.gov
SIGTARP Whistleblower Protection Ombudsman: 202-927-1019 or SIGTARP-GC@treasury.gov
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Office of Special Counsel (OSC) – OSC is an independent agency that provides a secure channel for disclosing wrongdoing and also receives and resolves complaints of Prohibited Personnel Practices in federal agencies. |
Information about OSC may be found at www.osc.gov.
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Other Resources
CHCO Whistleblower Protection Notice
OSC Publication: Know Your Rights When Reporting Wrongs
OSC Publication: Your Rights as a Federal Employee
Prohibited Personnel Practices
Department of the Treasury OIG Article on Whistleblower Protectioner