A legal assistant for the Social Security Administration (SSA) says that he lost his job after he dutifully followed the federal code of ethics which requires government employees like himself to disclose any fraud, corruption, waste, or, abuse to authorities. Another woman, who had held a management position at the SSA, has been removed from that position and placed on administrative leave after alleging that corruption and cover-ups were taking place at the Madison, Wisconsin ODAR facility. A third woman, who had been working as a legal assistant at the same facility, has testified in an office sexual harassment investigation that she has been denied reasonable accommodations for her ongoing health concerns that are related to workplace stress. These are just three of the employees at the Madison, Wisconsin ODAR facility who have been disciplined in one way or another after exposing fraud, waste, and abuse within the Social Security Administration. This discipline, which amounts to defiance of the Congressional mandate, is continuing to occur despite the fact that it obviously violates the provisions of whistleblower protection legislation.
Federal employees have a right to provide information to Congress, and they are obligated by a federal code of ethics to disclose inappropriate activities that they see to authorities. Federal employees are also protected by the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, which was signed into law by President Obama back in 2012. The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is supposed to provide support to whistleblowers who are encountering inappropriate responses from their employers. Unfortunately, whistleblowers from the SSA have not had much luck in getting that help, and they claim that the OSC has not answered the questions that they have approached them with and that they have not been treated kindly by OSC personnel.
The SSA’s Office of the Inspector General is supposedly investigating a situation at the Madison ODAR facility involving an administrative law judge who is accused of sexually harassing employees, among other things. However, the SSA is said to have repeatedly ignored requests for information by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
This rash of problems for whistleblower within the SSA is, unfortunately, not a new issue. In 2003, the SSA refused to comply with repeated demands from Congress regarding an audit involving evidence destruction and case delays. The SSA did eventually comply by providing the incriminating report, but those events did nothing to build Congress’s trust in the SSA.
Barrett Law PLLC: Protecting Mississippi Whistleblowers
If you witnessed violations of federal law in your workplace, the Mississippi Whistleblower Attorney at Barrett Law PLLC could help you file a whistleblower lawsuit. Our experienced attorneys understand the complexities of whistleblower lawsuits, including those that are related to federal employees. Our attorneys can help you understand the whistleblower case process and pursue resolution of your whistleblower protection matter. Call the experienced whistleblower protection attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today at 1 (800) 707-9577 to schedule a free, initial consultation.