Whistleblower Protection Coordinator
Whistleblower disclosures by HHS employees can save lives as well as billions of taxpayer dollars. They play a critical role in keeping our Government honest, efficient, and accountable. Recognizing that whistleblowers root out waste, fraud, and abuse and protect public health and safety, Federal laws strongly encourage employees to disclose wrongdoing. Federal laws also protect whistleblowers from retaliation. Pursuant to the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, established a Whistleblower Ombudsman in the OIG to educate Department employees about prohibitions on retaliation for whistleblowing, as well as employees' rights and remedies if anyone retaliates against them for making a protected disclosure (i.e., "Whistleblowing"). The name of the Ombudsman was changed to the "Whistleblower Protection Coordinator" under the Whistleblower Protection Coordination Act of 2018 to better reflect the roles and responsibilities of the position.
Employees can contact the Coordinator at Whistleblower.Coordinator@oig.hhs.gov. Employees should know that the Coordinator is not permitted to act as a legal representative or advocate for employees or former employees, but can help explain the employees' options.
Additional Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Whistleblower Protection Information Brochure
- Notice to the HHS Contractors, Subcontractors, Grantees, Subgrantees or Personal Services Contractors
- To file a complaint with the OIG alleging waste, fraud or abuse, please submit the complaint through the OIG Hotline.
- You can also file a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel.
- Whistleblower Retaliation Investigative Summaries
- HHS-OIG Whistleblower Overview Virtual Learning Session