The Office of Special Counsel has reported a significant rise in complaints of whistleblower retaliation brought there in its role as the investigator and prosecutor of prohibited personnel practices in the federal workplace.
The OSC reported that in 2014 it received more than 5,000 cases, a record, including on other topics such as agency failure to enforce reemployment rights for employees returning from active military duty. The number of “PPP” cases also hit a record of nearly 3,400, with a growing proportion of those being reprisal complaints filed by VA employees who came forward with disclosures, or helped active investigations, related to that department’s patient scheduling and care scandal.
OSC said it has documented retaliation and gained “corrective action” for employees not just at the VA but also notably in agencies including TSA, Energy, Army, Commerce and Interior–some 177 cases in all, up 185 percent over six years ago. In some cases that included disciplinary actions against the responsible management officials.
OSC is projecting a total of more than 6,000 complaints received in 2015, up by 60 percent over the average of the prior 10 years, and what it called a “daunting challenge” to the agency of just above 100 employees. One result is that the backlog of pending cases has risen to 1,400, double the amount of 2008.
“In FY 2015 and beyond, OSC will continue to work with the VA to provide expedited relief to employees, hold managers accountable for retaliation, and respond to whistleblower concerns about ongoing threats to patient care,” it said.
