Notice to Employees of Whistleblower Protections
Public Laws (Pub. L. 114-261, 110-181, 110-417, 112-239) provide and enhance protections for employees of federal contractors and grantees. As a recipient of Federal grants, the University of Akron is subject to these law and the corresponding Statutes (41 U.S.C. § 4712; 10 U.S.C. § 4701). These Statutes provide that employees of federal contractors, subcontractors, grantees, or subgrantees may not be discharged, demoted, or otherwise discriminated against as a reprisal for "whistleblowing." In addition, whistleblower protections cannot be waived by any agreement, policy, form, or condition of employment. Whistleblowing is the process or reporting any evidence of the following:
- Gross mismanagement of a federal contract or grant;
- A gross waste of federal funds;
- An abuse of authority relating to a federal contract or grant:
- A substantial and specific danger to public health or safety; or
- A violation of law, rule, or regulation related to a federal contract or grant (including the competition for, or negotiation of, a contract or grant.
You cannot be dismissed, demoted or discriminated against for good-faith reporting of such issues, if disclosed to the following:
- A Member of Congress, or a representative of a Congressional committee;
- An Inspector General;
- The Government Accountability Office;
- A federal employee responsible for contract or grant oversight or management at the relevant agency (in this case, HHS);
- An official from the Department of Justice, or other law enforcement agency;
- A court or grand jury; or,
- A management official or other employee of the contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or sub-grantee who has the responsibility to investigate, discover or address misconduct.
A person who believes they have been subjected to reprisal for a protected action may submit a complaint to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the federal agency that issued the grant or contract (in this case, HHS). Complaints must be filed no more than three years after the date on which the alleged reprisal took place. Procedures for submitting fraud, waste, abuse, and whistleblower complaints are generally accessible on agency Office of Inspector General Hotline or Whistleblower Internet sites. A reporting tool to identify and link directly to the OIG with jurisdiction over the complaint is available at Oversight.gov. More information about protected disclosures may be accessed on the appropriate OIG website:
Please also note that, as State employees, the University of Akron employees are also protected by Ohio State Law regarding Whistle Blowing, O.R.C. § 4113.52. Also, see University of Akron Policy 3359-11-17, Conflict of interest, conflict of commitment, scholarly misconduct, and ethical conduct – polices and procedures, for information on officials with the responsibility for investigating, discovering, or addressing issues described above. University of Akron anonymous reporting is available here.