OSC WHISTLEBLOWER DISCLOSURE CHANNEL 

The OSC Disclosure Unit serves as a secure channel that can be used to disclose - 

• a violation of law, rule or regulation; 
• gross mismanagement; 
• gross waste of funds; 
• abuse of authority, or 
• substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.  

OSC does not have authority to investigate the disclosures that it receives. The law provides that OSC will (a) refer protected disclosures that establish a substantial likelihood of wrongdoing to the appropriate agency head, and (b) require the agency head to conduct an investigation, and submit a written report on the findings of the investigation to the Special Counsel.

If OSC finds no substantial likelihood that the information discloses one or more of the categories of wrongdoing, the Special Counsel must: (a) inform the whistleblower of the reasons why the disclosure may not be acted on further; and (b) direct the whistleblower to other offices available for receiving disclosures.

OSC JURISDICTION

The Disclosure Unit has jurisdiction over federal employees, former federal employees, and applicants for federal employment. It is important to note that a disclosure must be related to an event that occurred in connection with the performance of an employee's duties and responsibilities. The Disclosure Unit has no jurisdiction over disclosures filed by:

(over)

DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION
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INFORMATION ABOUT FILING A WHISTLEBLOWER DISCLOSURE
WITH THE OSC (cont'd)

• employees of the U.S. Postal Service and the Postal Rate Commission; 
• members of the armed forces of the United States (i.e., non-civilian military employees); 
• state employees operating under federal grants; and
• employees of federal contractors.  

FIRST-HAND INFORMATION REQUIRED 

In order to make a "substantial likelihood" finding (see previous page), OSC must be in possession of reliable, first-hand information. OSC cannot request an agency head to conduct an investigation based on an employee's (or applicant's) second-hand knowledge of agency wrongdoing. This includes information received from another person, such as when a fellow employee informs you that he/she witnessed some type of wrongdoing. (Anyone with first-hand knowledge of the allegations you want to report may file a disclosure in writing directly with OSC.) Similarly, speculation about the existence of misconduct does not provide OSC with a sufficient legal basis upon which to send a matter to the head of an agency. If you think that wrongdoing took place, but can provide nothing more than unsubstantiated assertions, OSC will not be able to go forward with the matter. 

DE MINIMIS ALLEGATIONS 

While an allegation might technically constitute a disclosure, OSC will not review or refer de minimis or trivial matters. 

ANONYMOUS SOURCES 

While OSC will protect the identity of persons who make disclosures, it will not consider anonymous disclosures. If a disclosure is filed by an anonymous source, the disclosure will be referred to the Office of Inspector General in the appropriate agency. OSC will take no further action. 

MATTERS INVESTIGATED BY AN OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL 

It is the general policy of OSC not to transmit allegations of wrongdoing to the head of the agency involved if the agency's Office of Inspector General has fully investigated, or is currently investigating, the same allegations. 

DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION

(Please print legibly or type and complete all pertinent items. Enter "N/A" (Not Applicable) or 
"Unknown" where appropriate.) 

Do you consent to the disclosure of your name to others outside the Office of Special Counsel if it becomes necessary in taking further action on this matter? 

DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION
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I certify that all of the statements made in this complaint (including any continuation pages) are true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief. I understand that a false statement or concealment of a material fact is a criminal offense punishable by a fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment for up to five years, or both. 18 U.S.C. § 1001. 

Routine Uses. Limited disclosure of information from OSC files is needed to fulfill OSC’s investigative, prosecutorial and related responsibilities. OSC has described 18 routine uses for information in its files in the Federal Register (F.R.), at 66 F.R. 36611 (July 12, 2001), and 66 F.R. 51095 (October 5, 2001). A copy of the routine uses is available from OSC on request. A summary of the routine uses appears below.

OSC may disclose information from its files in the following circumstances: 

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10.	to provide information from an individual's record to a congressional office acting pursuant to the individual's request;
11.	to furnish information to the National Archives and Records Administration for records management purposes;
12.	to produce summary statistics and work force or other studies;
13.	to provide information needed by the Department of Justice for certain litigation purposes;
14.	to provide information needed by courts or adjudicative bodies for certain litigation purposes;
15.	to disclose information to the MSPB as needed in special studies authorized by law;
16.	for coordination with an agency's Office of Inspector General or comparable entity, to facilitate the coordination and conduct of investigations and review of allegations;
17.	to news media or the public in certain circumstances (except when the Special Counsel determines that disclosure in a particular case would be an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy); and
18.	to the Department of Labor and others as needed to implement the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, and the Veterans' Employment Opportunities Act of 1998.

Purposes, Burdens, and Other Information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and persons may not be required to respond to a collection of information, unless it (a) has been approved by OMB, and (b) displays a currently valid OMB control number. The information in this form is collected pursuant to OSC’s legal responsibility (at 5 U.S.C. § 1213) to receive disclosures from current or former federal employees, or applicants for federal employment, alleging possible wrongdoing by federal agencies. The information will be used by OSC to determine whether the facts establish that: (a) OSC has jurisdiction over the subject of the disclosure; (b) there is a substantial likelihood that the facts indicate a violation of law, rule, or regulation; gross mismanagement; a gross waste of funds; an abuse of authority: or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety; and (c) referral for investigation by the agency involved, or other appropriate action is warranted. The reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to be an average of one hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering the data needed, and completing and reviewing the form.

Please send any comments about this burden estimate, and suggestions for reducing the burden, to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, Legal Counsel and Policy Division, 1730 M Street, N.W. (Suite 201), Washington, DC 20036-4505. Use of this form to report disclosures of information is not mandatory. As indicated in part 4 of the form, filers may request that OSC maintain their name in confidence.