According to DOD IG officials, servicemembers who report alleged reprisal for whistleblowing activities to the DOD IG have the following benefits that servicemembers who report to a service or local IG do not:
The reprisal complaint is handled through a formal statutory process. 1034 because the military services had not issued implementing regulations. Whistleblowers Can Challenge Reprisals That Occurred Before the Whistleblower Act

The BCMR system provides a mechanism for servicemembers to challenge reprisals that occurred before 10 U.S.C. 1034 was enacted in 1988. Although servicemembers are required to request corrections to their records within 3 years after they discover reprisals, the Boards are authorized to waive the time limit if the case has merit. 1034 and section 546, we recommend that the Secretary of Defense revise DOD Directive 7050.6 to require that (1) the military service and local IGs refer allegations of reprisal against whistleblowers to the DOD IG if an initial screening indicates that an allegation may have substantial merit and (2) the DOD IG use the same procedures for referred cases of reprisal allegations as it uses for cases it investigates or delegates for investigation and approve all resulting reports; direct the service secretaries to expeditiously develop and implement regulations establishing clear and specific procedures related to whistleblower reprisals, including mental health evaluations, as required by DOD directives; instruct the service secretaries and the DOD IG to develop strategies to ensure that servicemembers are informed of their rights, the extent of protection afforded, and the proper filing procedures relating to reprisal allegations for whistleblowing; and instruct the BCMRs to establish a code and/or a subcode within the BCMRs’ index system for identifying cases and decisions involving whistleblower reprisal and involuntary mental health referrals and evaluations, as administratively required. 2. 3. 4. Comments From the Department of Defense

The first copy of each GAO report and testimony is free.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the reprisal protection given to military whistleblowers, focusing on whether: (1) the system provides effective means for the investigation and disposition of alleged whistleblower reprisals; and (2) service members have a mechanism to challenge alleged reprisals that occurred before enactment of the whistleblower act.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) only those whistleblowers who report alleged reprisals to the Department of Defense (DOD) Inspector General (IG) are protected under the act; (2) service members who report alleged reprisals to a service or local IG are not fully protected; (3) few service members have reported the use of mental health evaluations as reprisals for whistleblowing; (4) the services have not issued required regulations to ensure that whistleblowers are protected from reprisal; (5) the services have not adequately informed service members of the proper procedures for filing allegations of reprisals, particularly to DOD IG; and (6) a service member who was subject to reprisal prior to the whistleblower act can seek relief from the Board for the Correction of Military Records (BCMR) if the request is made within 3 years after the member discovers the error or the Board determines that the case has merit.