[United States Government Manual]
[September 15, 2009]
[Pages 483-484]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL

1730 M Street NW., Suite 218, Washington, DC 20036-4505
Phone, 202-254-3600 or 800-872-9855. Fax, 202-653-5151. Internet, 
www.osc.gov.
SPECIAL COUNSEL                                   William Reukauf, 
                                                          Acting
Deputy Special Counsel                            (vacancy)

[[Page 484]]

Associate Special Counsel for Investigation and   Leonard Dribinsky
        Prosecution Division
Outreach Director                                 Shirine Moazed, Acting
Associate Special Counsel for Legal Counsel and   Erin M. McDonnell
        Policy Division
Director of Congressional Affairs                 Anne Wohlfeld, Acting
Director of Public Affairs                        Darshan Sheth, Acting

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The Office of Special Counsel investigates allegations of certain 
activities prohibited by civil service laws, rules, or regulations and 
litigates before the Merit Systems Protection Board.

Activities

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) was established on January 1, 1979, 
by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978 (5 U.S.C. app.). The Civil Service 
Reform
  
Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 1101 note), which became effective on January 11, 
1979, enlarged its functions and powers. Pursuant to provisions of the 
Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 (5 U.S.C. 1211 et seq.), OSC 
functions as an independent investigative and prosecutorial agency 
within the executive branch which litigates before the Merit Systems 
Protection Board.
    The primary role of OSC is to protect employees, former employees, 
and applicants for employment from prohibited personnel practices, 
especially reprisal for whistleblowing. Its basic areas of statutory 
responsibility are to do the following:
    --receive and investigate allegations of prohibited personnel 
practices and other activities prohibited by civil service law, rule, or 
regulation and, if warranted, initiating corrective or disciplinary 
action;
    --provide a secure channel through which information evidencing a 
violation of any law, rule, or regulation, gross mismanagement, gross 
waste of funds, abuse of authority, or substantial and specific danger 
to public health or safety may be disclosed without fear of retaliation 
and without disclosure of identity, except with the employee's consent; 
and
    --enforce the provisions of the Hatch Act and the Uniformed Services 
Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

 Sources of Information

Field offices are located in Dallas, TX (525 Griffin Street, Room 824, 
Box 103, Dallas, TX 75202. Phone, 214-747-1519. Fax, 214-767-2764); 
Oakland, CA (1301 Clay Street, Suite 1220N, Oakland, CA 94612-5217. 
Phone, 510-637-3460. Fax, 510-637-3474); and Detroit, MI (477 Michigan 
Avenue, Suite 2340, Detroit, MI 48226. Phone, 313-226-4496. Fax, 313-
226-5606).

For further information, contact the Office of Special Counsel, 1730 M 
Street NW., Suite 218, Washington, DC 20036-4505. Phone, 202-254-3600 or 
800-872-9855. Fax, 202-653-5151. Internet, www.osc.gov.

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