OSC Complaint
Federal employees encountering questionable behavior and actions on part of their superiors and supervisors, and even their coworkers can often wonder how to set things right. Many know that the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) exists to hear and judge complaints of wrongdoing, violations, and prohibited personnel practices (PPP). But many also do not know when the OSC can be called upon for help. Indeed, a prevalent mindset in many federal agencies is to “just take care of it yourself.”
While being self-reliant is useful, it is not the right answer for dealing with serious federal employment violations and issues. The OSC should be contacted with an official complaint whenever such a response is warranted. Otherwise, the problem will not be correctly addressed, continue to persist, keep harming individual employees, and could potentially waste taxpayer money.
The OSC will hear complaints based on:
- Nepotism during hiring and promotion processes
- Unjust retaliation for filing a complaint
- Using political connections for an employment benefit
- Violations of merit systems
- Waste, fraud, and abuse of funds
- Whistleblower retaliation
The OSC can also be contacted if you have been discriminated against due to a federally-protected class, like age, religion, and race. Before the OSC will review your complaint, you must first attempt to contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and allow them to handle the matter. The EEOC has a 45-day deadline to file complaints about discrimination, so the OSC would become the agency to contact on the 46th day and beyond.
Call a Federal Employment Advocate at John P. Mahoney, Esq. Attorneys at Law
Remember that there is no such thing as the wrong time to contact the OSC with a complaint when it is warranted. Not all OSC complaints will be honored, though, due to many that are filed without enough evidence or useful information of the apparent violation. In order to ensure you are filing an effective one, and that you are filing it with the right federal agency, you can turn to The Law Firm of John P. Mahoney, Esq., Attorneys at Law, PLLC and our attorneys for assistance. With 30 years of total legal experience, you can be confident that we can guide your complaint to success from start to finish.
Get a phone consultation by contacting our firm today. Call (202) 350-3881
Blog Author: Attorney John P. Mahoney, Esq.
John P. Mahoney, Esq. is an award-winning attorney with 30 years of experience. Visit his bio to learn more about his experience representing the federal sector community.
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