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GAO-23-106111 1 (2023-05-03)

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                      U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE
441 G St. N.W.
Washington, DC  20548



May  3, 2023


The Honorable  Mariannette J. Miller-Meeks
Chairwoman
Subcommittee  on Health
Committee  on Veterans' Affairs
House  of Representatives

The Honorable Jen  Kiggans
Chairwoman
The Honorable  Frank J. Mrvan
Ranking Member
Subcommittee  on Oversight and Investigations
Committee  on Veterans' Affairs
House  of Representatives

The Honorable Tracey Mann
House  of Representatives

The Honorable Chris Pappas
House  of Representatives



VA  Whistleblowers: Resolution  Process for Retaliation Claims

Federal employee whistleblowers can potentially help protect the government from fraud, waste,
and abuse by reporting allegations of wrongdoing, such as a violation of law, abuse of authority,
or gross mismanagement.  However, these whistleblowers may risk reprisal from their agencies
for their disclosures, such as demotion, reassignment, or termination. The Civil Service Reform
Act of 1978 provided protections for whistleblower disclosures and created the Office of Special
Counsel (OSC), now  an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency. OSC is
responsible for investigating prohibited personnel practices (PPP), including complaints of
whistleblower retaliation.

The Department  of Veterans Affairs (VA) is one of the largest federal agencies, with around
400,000 employees  across hundreds of medical facilities, clinics, and benefits offices. In
addition to protections under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, VA employees who make a
whistleblower disclosure are also protected under the Department of Veterans Affairs
Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017. This law established the Office of
Accountability and Whistleblower Protection (OAWP). OAWP's functions include investigating
allegations of misconduct against senior agency officials and receiving and referring
whistleblower disclosures. Additionally, the VA has implemented administrative reforms in
response to claims and reports of inadequate whistleblower protections within the agency over
the last few years.


GAO-23-106111: VA Whistleblower Retaliation


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