Covarrubias v. Social Security Administration

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In Brief

The Merit Systems Protections Board opined that the language of the Whistleblower Protection Act should be interpreted broadly to prohibit various unmentioned forms of harassment and discrimination.

What Happened in Court

In a decision which recognizes that recognizes the Whistleblower Protection Act’s broad purpose of protecting whistleblowers and encouraging them to come forward, t he Merit Systems Protections Board observed that “The legislative history of the 1994 amendment to the WPA indicates that the term ‘any other significant change in duties, responsibilities, or working conditions’ should be interpreted broadly, to include “any harassment or discrimination that could have a chilling effect on whistleblowing or otherwise undermine the merit system.”