Findings of Whistleblower Retaliation by CDC Central America Regional HIV Program Management Official

The Special Investigations Branch (SIB) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Inspector General (OIG), conducted an investigation in response to allegations brought forth by a complainant at the Central America Regional HIV Program with the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG).[1] The complainant alleged in an OIG Hotline submission that, while working for UVG under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) grant, the complainant’s immediate supervisor and responsible management official (RMO), Director of the Center for Health Studies, along with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employees, terminated the complainant for disclosing that Federal grant laws and regulations, as well as local employment laws, are being repeatedly violated by UVG and CDC. End of
Translation Specifically, investigators found that the complainant made written and oral protected disclosures to the subjects alleging grant fraud, gross mismanagement, waste of funds, and an abuse of authority within the PEPFAR program. OIG investigators found that the Director of the Center for Health Studies terminated the complainant’s employment in retaliation for making protected disclosures. The OIG investigative report included recommendations for appropriate action and was provided to the Secretary of HHS, which may seek to implement alternative or additional actions as deemed appropriate.

[1] This region is composed of Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Panama.