No, the OIG cannot give whistleblower protection. In order to preserve your rights and to obtain a legal determination that you are a whistleblower who has been harmed as the result of a prohibited personnel practice, you must follow the mandates of the D.C. Code, which require that you seek relief and damages through a civil action filed in D.C. Superior Court, or pursue any administrative remedy through the District of Columbia Office of Employee Appeals or arbitration. The OIG has no statutory authority to adjudicate a claim seeking to invoke whistleblower protections.

Pursuant to any claim that you file, if you provided information to the OIG, the OIG will be able to confirm the date and nature of the disclosure made to this Office, and the results of an investigation conducted, if any, in accordance with the requisite legal or administrative proceeding, or arbitration.

While one can avail himself or herself of the process to obtain Whistleblower Protection, the OIG also strongly encourages individuals to always file complaints with the OIG, because as indicated above, the OIG can take immediate action to attempt to curtail or stop the retaliatory conduct.