                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

FRAUD AND ABUSE WHISTLE BLOWER REWARD FUND (§ 2.2-3014)

A. From such funds as may be authorized by the General Assembly, there is hereby
created in the state treasury a special nonreverting fund to be known as the
Fraud and Abuse Whistle Blower Reward Fund, hereafter referred to as &#8220;the
Fund.&#8221; The Fund shall be established on the books of the Comptroller and
shall be administered by the State Inspector General. All moneys recovered by
the State Inspector General as the result of whistle blower activity and alerts
originating with the Office of the State Inspector General shall be deposited in
the Fund. Interest earned on moneys in the Fund shall remain in the Fund and be
credited to it. Except as provided in subsection B, any moneys remaining in the
Fund, including interest thereon, at the end of each fiscal year shall not
revert to the general fund but shall remain in the Fund. Moneys in the Fund
shall be used solely to (i) provide monetary rewards to persons who have
disclosed information of wrongdoing or abuse under this chapter and the
disclosure results in a recovery of at least $5,000 or (ii) support the
administration of the Fund, defray Fund advertising costs, or subsidize the
operation of the Fraud, Waste and Abuse Hotline (previously known as the State
Employee Fraud, Waste and Abuse Hotline).

B. By the end of each calendar quarter and upon authorization of the State
Inspector General, 85 percent of all sums recovered shall be remitted to the
institutions or governmental agencies on whose behalf the recovery was secured
by the State Inspector General unless otherwise directed by a court of law. Each
such institution or governmental agency on whose behalf the recovery was secured
by the State Inspector General shall receive an amount equal to 85 percent of
the actual amount recovered by the State Inspector General on its behalf.

C. The amount of the reward shall be up to 10 percent of the actual sums
recovered by the Commonwealth as a result of the disclosure of the wrongdoing or
abuse. Regardless of the sums recovered, at no time shall the amount of any
reward, even if less than 10 percent, exceed the balance of the Fund. Reward
disbursements from the Fund shall be made by the State Treasurer on warrants
issued by the Comptroller upon written request signed by the State Inspector
General. In the event that multiple whistle blowers contemporaneously report the
same qualifying incident or occurrence of wrongdoing or abuse, the State
Inspector General in his sole discretion may split the reward of up to 10
percent among the multiple whistle blowers. The decision of the State Inspector
General regarding the allocation of the rewards shall be final and binding on
all parties and shall not be appealable.

D. Five percent of all sums recovered shall be retained in the Fund to support
the administration of the Fund, defray advertising costs, and subsidize the
operation of the Fraud, Waste and Abuse Hotline. Expenditures for administrative
costs for management of the Fund shall be managed as approved by the State
Inspector General.

E. The Office of the State Inspector General shall promulgate regulations for
the proper administration of the Fund including eligibility requirements and
procedures for filing a claim. The Office of the State Inspector General shall
submit an annual report to the General Assembly summarizing the activities of
the Fund.

HISTORY: 2009, c. 340; 2011, cc. 798, 871; 2013, cc. 572, 690; 2014, c. 403;
2016, c. 292.