News: 2019
VA Wasted $223 Million on Transport Services, Failed to Pay Veterans’ Medical Bills Resulting in Denied Care
OSC has alerted the President and Congress to significant financial mismanagement at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, including more than $223 million in wasteful spending. The U.S. Office of...
Whistleblower Reveals New Hazardous Air Traffic Procedures Put Flying Public at Greater Risk
OSC has alerted the President that noncompliance with FAA rules by air traffic controllers in Florida is creating hazardous conditions that could increase the likelihood of midair collisions. The U.S....
OSC Files Hatch Act Complaint Against Federal Employee Who Gave Non-Public Tour to Candidate for Political Office
OSC has filed a Hatch Act complaint with MSPB against a federal employee who used her position to provide a guided tour of a federal facility to a candidate seekin...
OSC Announces Significant Discipline Imposed on Two Federal Employees for Hatch Act Violations
OSC today announced significant discipline imposed on two federal employees working for the Defense Logistics Agency who engaged in prohibited political activity in violation of the Hatch Act. The U.S....
Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner Statement on the Passing of Chairman Elijah Cummings
Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner today released the following statement on the passing of Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD). Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner today released the following statement on the...
Special Counsel Applauds Rule to Initiate DNA Collection from Undocumented Criminal Detainees
Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner today released the following statement after DOJ released a proposed rule mandating that CBP begin collecting DNA samples from detained criminal subjects. Special Counsel Henry...
Whistleblower Reveals FAA Safety Inspectors Lacked Sufficient Training to Certify Airline Pilots
OSC has sent letters to the President and Congress alerting them that FAA safety inspectors were not sufficiently trained to certify pilots. The U.S Office of Special Counsel (OSC) has...
Whistleblower Disclosure to OSC Prompts Army Effort to Recover $1.3 Million in Lost Assets
OSC today sent letters to the President and Congress alerting them that the Army lost possession of six government-purchased fuel trucks worth $1.34 million, largely due to improper contracting. The...
Immigration Judge Who Violated the Hatch Act Fined $1K with 30-Month Debarment from Federal Service
An immigration judge who violated the Hatch Act when she promoted then-Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s immigration platform recieved significant discipline. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) today announced that...
OSC Urges CBP to Immediately Begin Collecting DNA Samples from Criminal Detainees
OSC has alerted the President and Congress that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has for years failed to comply with a law mandating collection of DNA samples from detained...
Deficient Care at a Los Angeles VA-Approved Facility Resulted in Medication Errors, One Veteran Reported Alive Days after His Death
OSC has alerted the President and Congress to deficient patient care at a Los Angeles VA-approved community care facility where staff were unable to correctly identify a veteran who died...
Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner Statement on National Whistleblower Appreciation Day
Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner today released the following statement in recognition of National Whistleblower Appreciation Day: Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner today released the following statement in recognition of...
Whistleblower Disclosure Prompts VA to Ensure Medication is Properly Handled During Transit to Patients
OSC today alerted the President and Congress that a VA medical center in Philadelphia failed to ensure that medications were stored at temperatures during transit to home-based patients. The U.S...
OSC Response to June 11, 2019 Office of White House Counsel letter
OSC respects the Office of White House Counsel but respectfully disagrees with its position, and will not withdraw its Report sent to the President finding numerous Hatch Act violations. The...
OSC Finds Kellyanne Conway Repeatedly Violated the Hatch Act, Recommends Removal from Federal Service
OSC today sent a report to President Donald J. Trump finding that Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway violated the Hatch Act on numerous occasions. The U.S. Office of Special...
OSC Urges MSPB to Protect Federal Employee Whistleblowers Who Disclose Non-Governmental Wrongdoing
OSC has filed an amicus curiae brief with the MSPB in support of broad protections for federal employee whistleblowers even when the disclosures involve wrongdoing by a non-governmental party. The...
OSC Wins Decision for National Guardsman Denied Reinstatement by Postal Service
OSC announced that it won a legal ruling forcing the U.S. Postal Service to reinstate a National Guardsman in his civilian job following his post-9/11 military service. The U.S. Office...
Improper VA Management of Social Work Harmed Veterans, Led to One Man’s Leg Amputation
Whistleblowers revealed that management at a VA medical center in Indianapolis directed social workers to stop entering home health care consults into a computerized patient record system. The U.S. Office...
Whistleblower Discloses More Than 1,000 Veterans Deprived of Timely Endoscopy Procedures by VA
For the second time in as many months, OSC has alerted the President and Congress to unacceptable wait times associated with endoscopy procedures at two different VA medical centers. For...
Whistleblowers Reveal Hundreds of VA Patients Improperly Waitlisted for Endoscopy Procedures
OSC has alerted the President and Congress to wait time problems associated with endoscopy procedures at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Orlando, Florida. The U.S. Office of...