If you believe that you have been retaliated against for making a protected disclosure, you can submit a whistleblower reprisal complaint to the OPM OIG. You cannot file an allegation of whistleblower retaliation confidentially or anonymously, as it may be necessary for the OIG to coordinate with your agency concerning the allegations.
If you know of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, or a substantial and specific danger to public safety or health involving Office of Personnel Management (OPM) programs and operations, you may report it to the OPM Office of the Inspector General (OIG) using the OIG Hotline or the OIG Whistleblower Reprisal Complaint Form. You may also consult the website of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC). General information in summarized in the OSC publications entitled “Whistleblowing,” “Whistleblower Retaliation,” and “Prohibited Personnel Practices.”
Whistleblowers play a critical role in keeping our Government honest, efficient, and accountable. Whistleblower disclosures can save lives as well as billions of taxpayer dollars. OPM employees, contractors, subcontractors, and grantees are protected from retaliation for making a “protected disclosure.” A disclosure is protected if it is based on a reasonable belief that wrongdoing has occurred and if the disclosure is made to a person or entity that is authorized to receive it.
Pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, the OPM OIG has designated a Whistleblower Protection Coordinator to educate OPM employees about prohibitions against retaliation for “blowing the whistle,” employees’ rights and remedies for any alleged retaliation for making a protected disclosure, and whistleblower protection training. OPM employees may contact the Whistleblower Protection Coordinator at OPMOIGWhistleblower@opm.gov.
Please note that the OIG Whistleblower Protection Coordinator and OPM OIG staff are prohibited from acting as a legal representative, agent, or advocate for any individual. This website is intended to provide basic information only, and it is not intended to be a substitute for legal counsel. Information and legal rights and remedies may change without notice on this website.