Praising Whistleblowers on the 237th Anniversary of America’s First Whistleblower Law
August 3, 2015 — In a recent statement, Senator Chuck Grassley marked the 237th anniversary of the first whistleblower law with praise for the False Claims Act (FCA) and the whistleblowers (also called “relators”) who have made it so successful.
As explained by the Department of Justice, which is charged with investigating whistleblower complaints under the FCA,
The False Claims Act is the government’s primary civil remedy to redress false claims for government funds and property under government contracts, including national security and defense contracts, as well as under government programs as varied as Medicare, veterans’ benefits, federally insured loans and mortgages, transportation and research grants, agricultural supports, school lunches and disaster assistance.
Under the False Claims Act, whistleblowers with knowledge of fraud, waste, or abuse affecting the public fisc may file a lawsuit on behalf of the United States; may litigate the action; and may share in the funds recovered for the United States.
The FCA may not be the oldest whistleblower law, but it is the most successful: False Claims Act cases have returned almost $23 billion to the federal fisc since 2009, and in 2014 alone, almost $6 billion was recovered by the government under the Act. As noted by Senator Grassley, this success is in large part attributable to whistleblowers who have been empowered to come forward, protected from retaliation, and rewarded for their assistance thanks to the amendments he authored in 1986 and 2009. With this in mind, Senator Grassley urged his colleagues to strengthen, not weaken, relators’ rights, and to “stay vigilant” on behalf of whistleblowers.
Report Fraud Against the Government
If you have knowledge of fraud being committed against the government and you are ready to blow the whistle, contact us by email, or call our attorneys at 800.226.9880 to learn how we can help you through the process.
Waters & Kraus is a national plaintiffs’ firm that seeks to right the wrongs done to honest, hardworking people, including taxpayers who foot the bill for fraud against the government. This article was contributed by Caitlyn Silhan one of the qui tam attorneys in the firm’s Dallas office.
