Whistleblower FAQs

Who may file complaints with the APA?

Every state office, department, division, bureau, board, and commission of state government.
Employees of state government including elected constitutional officers, appointed state officials, state civil service employees, and quasi-public agency employees.
Certain private entities such as businesses and nonprofit organizations, or their employees, etc., only if they are considered a large state contractor. By statute, a large state contractor is defined as an entity that has entered into a contract with a state or quasi-public agency valued at five million dollars or more, or received funding under Title 32 of the Connecticut General Statutes.

Municipal government agencies and employees, city and school district employees and officials.
Federal government agencies and employees, including federal officials.
Private entities such as businesses and nonprofit organizations, or their employees, if they do not meet the definition of a large state contractor.

Allegations of corruption, unethical practices, violations of state or federal laws or regulations, mismanagement, gross waste of public funds, abuse of authority, or danger to public safety

Do I have to sign my name?

You may file a complaint without providing our office with your name or contact information; however, we may not be able to investigate your complaint properly if we cannot communicate with you to confirm the information you have provided or to obtain additional information. If you identify yourself to our office, we will not reveal your identity to anyone else without your permission, unless we or the Attorney General determines that such disclosure is unavoidable.
There is a space on the complaint form for your name and contact information, but it is not required.

We will evaluate your complaint to determine whether it has sufficient merit to warrant further review. If we determine it has merit, we will conduct a confidential review. We will not report to you or anyone else about the progress of the investigation other than to convey whether we have referred it to the Attorney General.
We will contact you if we need additional information.
State statute requires our office to report the results of our investigation to the office of the Attorney General. The Attorney General may decide to concur with our review or continue the investigation.
The investigation and its outcome generally remain confidential. Our office often includes findings and recommendations related to the results of our review in our audit reports.

The Auditors of Public Accounts is a reporting entity. Any improper activity that is substantiated will be reported to the proper authority, which will vary based on the specific findings.
The Auditors of Public Accounts does not have enforcement powers and cannot order a department or official to take any action.

Our office will not commence an investigation of your complaint unless we determine it has sufficient merit. You should, therefore, include a clear statement of what you believe is the improper activity, why you believe it is improper, who was involved, and what evidence we may examine to validate your allegation.

Your complaint should include, but not be limited to:

You can file your complaint anonymously. However, we suggest that you include your name or other contact information, so we can reach you to gather additional information necessary to conduct a thorough investigation. In addition, the law provides remedies for individuals subjected to retaliation for filing a whistleblower complaint. The identity of a person making a complaint is strictly confidential under state law and will not be released without the consent of the complainant, unless such disclosure is unavoidable.
You should note each allegation separately and support it with specific information.
Supplying detailed information contributes to a thorough and efficient investigation. You should address questions of who, when, where, what, how, and how much.