"Since 2008, NASA has not made a final determination of whether or not a reprisal occurred in the required 30-day time frame, nor has the agency evaluated its process for reviewing those complaints in a timely manner. We recommended that NASA take steps to ensure that it meets its 30-day time frame," a press release summarizing the report said on Monday.
NASA relies on contractor employees to fulfill its mission, and these employees are legally protected from reprisal, such as demotion or firing, for whistleblowing, the release noted.
The report examined five cases in which whistleblowers claimed they had been victims of retaliation, the release said.
The shortest resolution required 60 days and the longest more than 100 days to determine if the retaliatory allegations were valid, according to the release.