State laws have varying provisions regarding whistleblower complaints. Still, auditing agencies encourage any citizen to file a whistleblower complaint about unjust activities.
They might include corruption, unethical actions, state law violations, mismanagement, waste of funds, abuse by personnel in authority and public safety risks caused by the negligence of a government agency or large state contractor.
These auditors could receive whistleblower complaints, but they evaluate and filter them before initiating investigations. Sometimes, they might reject complaints or divert them to more relevant state agencies, depending on the circumstances.
The state’s auditing agency could do so if the complaint meets one or more of the following conditions:
- There are other ways to resolve the complaint.
- A different agency could investigate the complaint more efficiently.
- The agency deemed the complaint as not made in good faith.
- It is not a priority compared to other complaints based on its impact on the public good.
- The complaint lacks timeliness and is no longer justifiable for further investigation.
- The agency could appropriately tackle the complaint in regular or scheduled audits.
After referring the complaint to another state agency, the auditing group will monitor it until resolution.
What complaints do state auditors usually reject?
State auditors receive a plethora of whistleblower complaints, but they can only investigate them based on their details. Typically, they reject the following complaints:
- Allegations involving federal and local government entities
- Issues involving nongovernment entities who are not contractors with the state
If a complaint falls under these categories, the state auditors might reject it or refer it to a different department or agency. Additionally, it could only undergo further investigation if its resolution could significantly benefit the public.