Colorado Whistleblower Protections
Government Employees
Other Whistleblower Laws
Statutes protecting whistleblowers who report fraud against government
Colorado Medicaid False Claims Act
Citation
§ 25.5-4-306
Parties Protected By Statute
Employees
Protected Actions Under Statute
Lawful actions in furtherance of an action under the Colorado Medicaid False Claims Act and lawful actions in an effort to stop a violation of the Colorado Medicaid False Claims Act.
Specific Remedies Authorized By Statute
(7)(b)(I)
(A) If the relator is an employee, reinstatement with the same seniority status the relator would have had but for the discrimination, twice the amount of back pay, and interest on the back pay; and
(B) Compensation for any special damages sustained as a result of the discrimination or retaliation, including litigation costs and reasonable attorney fees.
General-purpose statutes protecting whistleblowers
Protections for State Employees
Similar to the federal False Claims Act, the Virginia Fraud Against Tax Payers Act permits individuals with knowledge of fraud to pursue a qui tam action and it protects employees, contractors, and agents who engage in efforts to stop fraud from retaliation.
Citation
Parties Protected By Statute
(3) “Employee” means any person employed by a state agency.
(4) “State agency” means any board, commission, department, division, section, or other agency of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of state government.
Protected Actions Under Statute
- (2) “Disclosure of information” means the written provision of evidence to any person, or the testimony before any committee of the general assembly, regarding any action, policy, regulation, practice, or procedure, including, but not limited to, the waste of public funds, abuse of authority, or mismanagement of any state agency.
- (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, no appointing authority or supervisor shall initiate or administer any disciplinary action against an employee on account of the employee’s disclosure of information. This section shall not apply to:
- (a) An employee who discloses information that he knows to be false or who discloses information with disregard for the truth or falsity thereof;
- (b) An employee who discloses information from public records which are closed to public inspection pursuant to section 24-72-204;
- (c) An employee who discloses information which is confidential under any other provision of law.
- (2) It shall be the obligation of an employee who wishes to disclose information under the protection of this article to make a good faith effort to provide to his supervisor or appointing authority or member of the general assembly the information to be disclosed prior to the time of its disclosure.
Specific Remedies Authorized By Statute
Any employee not in the state personnel system, or any employee in the state personnel system who filed a complaint under section 24-50.5-104(1) but the state personnel board determined after review or hearing that no violation of section 24-50.5-103 occurred, may bring a civil action in the district court alleging a violation of section 24-50.5-103. If the employee prevails, the employee may recover damages, together with court costs, and the court may order such other relief as it deems appropriate.
(1) “Disciplinary action” means any direct or indirect form of discipline or penalty, including, but not limited to, dismissal, demotion, transfer, reassignment, suspension, corrective action, reprimand, admonishment, unsatisfactory or below standard performance evaluation, reduction in force, or withholding of work, or the threat of any such discipline or penalty.