News: 2020
Air Force EEO Director Removed From Position for Improper Handling of Sexual Harassment, Discrimination Allegations
OSC today sent letters to the President alerting him that the EEO Director at Hill Air Force Base has been removed from her position for improperly and unlawfully handling sexual...
OSC Issues Report to the President Finding Hatch Act Violations by Dr. Peter Navarro
OSC today transmitted a report to the President finding Hatch Act violations by Dr. Peter Navarro. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) today transmitted a report to President Donald...
OSC Issues Hatch Act Advisory Opinion to Address Federal Employees’ Activities after Election Day
Each presidential election year, OSC receives questions from federal employees about permissible and prohibited activities under the Hatch Act after Election Day. OSC today issued an advisory opinion Each presidential...
New Framework Clarifies Referral Policies for IG Whistleblower Disclosures
OSC and CIGIE recently issued a memorandum outlining two agreements concerning the handling of 5 U.S.C. § 1213 referrals involving Offices of Inspector General officials and their employees. The U.S....
Active Threat Police Drills Put Veterans, Officers, and VA Employees in Danger at PA Healthcare Center
OSC today alerted the President after a whistleblower disclosed that Police Service leadership conducted dangerous training drills at a VA healthcare facility in Pennsylvania. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel...
Navy Employee Fined, Debarred from Federal Service for Numerous Hatch Act Violations
OSC today announced a settlement agreement reached with a former civilian Navy employee in Hawaii who admitted to numerous Hatch Act violations. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) today...
OSC Clarifies its Hatch Act Role in Light of Republican National Convention
In light of significant media interest in the Hatch Act and its application to the Republican National Convention, OSC today released the following information to clarify its role. In light...
Cattle Producers Recoup a Half-Million Dollars for Crop Losses after being Improperly Denied by USDA
OSC sent letters to the President and Congress outlining how a USDA whistleblower worked with OSC to ensure cattle producers were compensated more than a half-million dollars for crop losses....
Whistleblower Disclosure Led VA to Reimburse Veterans Charged for Emergency Ambulance Services
OSC today sent letters to the President and Congress outlining how a VA whistleblower worked with OSC to ensure veterans were fully reimbursed for ambulance transportation services. The U.S. Office...
OSC Files Amicus Curiae Brief Reaffirming Federal Employees’ Right to Engage in Protected Activities
OSC filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in support of protections for federal employees who engage in...
Court Dismisses AFGE Lawsuit Against OSC Challenging Hatch Act Advisory Opinion on Impeachment
The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland has dismissed a lawsuit filed against OSC by AFGE seeking to compel OSC to rescind a Hatch Act advisory opinion. The...
Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner Statement on Whistleblower Appreciation Day
Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner today released the following statement commemorating National Whistleblower Appreciation Day Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner today released the following statement: “Today on National Whistleblower Appreciation...
FDA Employee Suspended 120 Days for Violating the Hatch Act’s Prohibition against Political Fundraising
OSC announced a settlement agreement reached with a federal employee at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration who admitted to violating the Hatch Act’s prohibition against political fundraising. The U.S....
Two Federal Employees Agree to Suspensions Without Pay for Violating the Hatch Act
OSC today announced two settlement agreements reached with federal employees who admitted to violating the Hatch Act. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) today announced two settlement agreements reached...
Flawed U.S. Treasury Software Led to Nearly $92 Million in Uncollected Debts Owed to OSHA
OSC today alerted the President and Congress to a software flaw at the U.S. Treasury Department that resulted in nearly $92 million in uncollected debts owed to OSHA. The U.S....
OSC Files Hatch Act Complaint Against Federal Employee Who Solicited Political Contributions in the Workplace
OSC filed a Hatch Act complaint charging a federal employee with violating the Hatch Act’s prohibitions against engaging in political activity while on duty or in the federal workplace. The...
VA Facility in Tennessee Improperly Denied Veterans In-Home Care
OSC has alerted the President that a VA facility in Tennessee improperly denied eligible patients access to in-home social work programs by enacting a blanket policy. The U.S. Office of...
Judge Imposes Maximum Penalty for VA Physician who Violated the Hatch Act During 2014 Senate Campaign
OSC today announced an initial decision by an administrative law judge finding that Dr. Choudhury Salekin, a VA physician, violated the Hatch Act during his 2014 Senate candidacy. The U.S....
VA Social Workers Pressured to Discharge Vulnerable Patients from Community Living to Private Care
OSC has alerted the President to investigative findings showing that management at a VA medical center pressured social workers to inappropriately discharge patients from VA Community Living Centers. The U.S....
ICE Agents Ambushed by Mexican Cartel Received Insufficient Support for Dangerous Mission, Investigation Finds
OSC today released investigative findings that shed new light on a 2011 tragedy involving two ICE agents who were ambushed along a dangerous stretch of highway in Mexico by the...
OSC Reaches Settlement with Nuclear Regulatory Commission OIG in Whistleblower Retaliation Case
OSC has closed its investigation into Nuclear Regulatory Commission Reliability and Risk Engineer Lawrence Criscione’s prohibited personnel practice complaint. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) has closed its investigation...
Thousands of Alabama Veterans Lacked Healthcare Access after Poorly Managed Medical Clinic Closure
OSC has alerted the President to gross mismanagement by the VA that led to thousands of Alabama veterans having limited access to healthcare after the agency abruptly closed a medical...
OSC Obtains $90K in Damages for Whistleblower Retaliated Against after Disclosing Unqualified Flight Safety Inspectors
OSC today announced a settlement agreement reached with the Federal Aviation Administration, including $90,000 in compensatory damages, for an Aviation Safety Inspector who was retaliated against. The U.S. Office of...
OSC Obtains Corrective Action for Whistleblower Retaliated Against After Raising Concerns with Environmental Studies
OSC has resolved through a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Interior a case before the MSPB involving a whistleblower who was retaliated against. The U.S. Office of Special...
OSC Urges MSPB to Protect Federal Workers Who Cooperate with Internal Agency Investigations
OSC today filed an amicus curiae brief with the MSPB to clarify a recent change in the law that extends protections to individuals who cooperate with internal agency investigations. The...
DOE Employee Debarred from Federal Employment for Violating the Hatch Act by Providing Tour to a Political Candidate
OSC announced a settlement agreement reached with a DOE employee who violated the Hatch Act when she provided a guided tour of a radioactive waste treatment plant in Washington State...