Individuals who have evidence that their employer has committed fraud against the federal government can file a whistleblower lawsuit on behalf of the United States and earn up to 30 percent of whatever the lawsuit is able to recover.

Whistleblowers have strong protection under the False Claims Act and can file a qui tam lawsuit if they know their employer has conspired to conceal or avoid paying money or transmitting property to the U.S. government.

Filing a qui tam lawsuit is a complicated process and for that reason those choosing to go after potential violators often hire a whistleblower attorney to help them navigate through the process.

How to File a Whistleblower Lawsuit

After contacting a whistleblower lawyer, the potential qui tam lawsuit is reviewed and if it is determined that you have a case, the lawsuit will be sent directly to the Justice Department for review.

The federal government then has 60 days to determine whether the allegations are valid before deciding if they would like to join the qui tam lawsuit.

If the government decides they don’t want to join the whistleblower’s case, the plaintiff is welcome to continue pursuing legal action on his or her own. However, qui tam lawsuits are generally more successful if the government joins the complaint.

During the investigation process, the identity of the whistleblower is keep confidential.

Whistleblower Financial Reward

Whistleblowers are not only protected by law but are also encouraged to file qui tam lawsuits by receiving a portion of what the government is able to recover.

Companies found in violation of the False Claims Act are responsible to pay three times the dollar amount that the government has been defrauded of. They also face civil penalties between $5,000 and $10,000 for each false claim.

Those who file qui tam lawsuits will receive between 15 and 30 percent of the final judgement or settlement. However, they must file an actual whistleblower lawsuit in order to receive financial reward. Those individuals who simply inform the government of violations would not receive any payout.

Whistleblower Protections

While whistleblower attorneys and the court try to conceal the identity of the whistleblower, if for some reason the employer finds out who has filed the qui tam lawsuit the employee is protected by law.

Under the False Claims Act, if an employee is fired, harassed or demoted because they filed a qui tam lawsuit, the employee is entitled to double back pay, reinstatement to their position and compensation for attorney fees and litigation costs.

Typical Government Fraud

In general, whistleblowers are individuals who witness their employers commit government contractor fraud, health insurance fraud and Medicare fraud.

Medicare fraud may be committed by doctors, nursing homes and hospitals. It occurs when a business bills the government for supplies and services that were never given to the Medicare patient.

Healthcare fraud is similar to medicare fraud, it occurs when a doctor bills for spending more time with a patient than he or she actually did or when a lab claims they performed tests or x-rays that were never performed.

Government contractor fraud occurs when defense, security and environmental contractors overcharge the government for performing work or charge the government for services that were never performed.

Whistleblower attorneys are actively seeking employees who may have evidence of fraud committed against the federal government.