State Employee Whistleblower Program
Through the Whistleblower Program, employees of state agencies in Washington can report state employees who violate state laws or rules.
Your identity is kept confidential.
We recommend everyone read our Whistleblower FAQ before proceeding with the reporting of a whistleblower complaint.
Download Whistleblower Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) »
Download Whistleblower materials to post in your workplace (PDF) »
Read the Whistleblower Act for more information about the program.
For a complaint to qualify for the Whistleblower Program:
- You must be a current employee of a Washington state agency.
- The alleged violation must have occurred within the last 12 months.
- We cannot investigate complaints involving personnel matters such as grievances, appointments, promotions, reprimands, suspensions, dismissals, harassment and discrimination.
How to file a whistleblower complaint
You may file a complaint using our online form, return a filled out printable form, or submit the form by email to whistleblower@sao.wa.gov.
Download SAO's Whistleblower Complaint form (PDF) »
Printed forms must be sent to the Washington State Auditor's Office at:
Washington State Auditor's Office
ATTN: State Employee Whistleblower Program
P.O. Box 40031
Olympia, WA 98504-0031
Who determines whether to investigate an allegation?
We encourage all state employees intending to file a whistleblower complaint to do so directly to the State Auditor's Office (SAO), which has sole authority to determine whether to investigate the allegation.
Other than SAO, certain public officials or designees can receive Whistleblower allegations, including:
- The employee's agency head, director, president or equivalent in the agency;
- An appropriate number of individuals designated by the agency head;
- The Attorney General's designee; or
- The Executive Ethics Board
RCW 42.40.040(1)(a) states that those public officials must report assertions of improper governmental action to our office within 15 calendar days after the complaint was received. When a public official or designee is uncertain whether an employee filed a whistleblower complaint, we recommend they work to gain clarification in writing from the employee.
State Agency Whistleblower Designees
The State Auditor's Office maintains a spreadsheet with the current whistleblower designees at Washington's state agencies. The list includes each contact's name and position and, if available, an email address and phone number.
For more questions concerning the Whistleblower Program, please contact a Whistleblower employee or relevant designee:
Jeana Gillis – Whistleblower Coordinator
Phone: 564-999-0918
Email: jeana.gillis@sao.wa.gov
What if the alleged improper action was committed by an SAO employee?
If you wish to file an assertion of improper governmental action concerning SAO, you may do so with the State Attorney General's Office, per state law. Please mark any Whistleblower correspondence “Confidential,” and mail to:
Nicholas Ulrich
Section Chief – Torts, Spokane
Washington Attorney General’s Office
1116 W. Riverside, Suite 100
Spokane, WA 99201
Phone: 509-456-6390
Email: Nicholas.Ulrich@atg.wa.gov
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