When an employee turns in his workplace to the federal government due to illegal activity, he is usually referred to as a whistleblower. As such, if the company or governmental entity he works for is found guilty of wrongdoing, the person who turned them in can be awarded a whistleblower reward.
If, however, the reward is much smaller than the person expected, they often want to know if it is possible to appeal a whistleblower reward, and thus have the chance of being awarded more.
In some circumstances, yes, it is. It is, however, dependent on several factors.
Is the reward between the normal percentages?
The US government awards a whistleblower between 10% and 30% of the money they manage to recoup due to illegal activity on the part of the company you turned in.
If what they awarded you is between those percentages, there is not usually a right of appeal. A whistleblower lawyer, however, can advise you about this.
Have you been turned down for a whistleblower reward?
If you were the person who gave the government the information they needed, and you have still been turned down for a reward, in some circumstances you can appeal.
This does, however, usually need to be done within 30 days of the reward being denied.
It also helps if you have a lawyer that is handling your case, as he will be more aggressive in his dealings with the government than you can be. He will also know how the law is applied, and if you have been an unwitting victim yourself.
That is why, if you want to appeal a whistleblower reward and do not have a lawyer, getting one before your appeal could just be the way to go.
SEC Whistleblower Program 