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U.S. Office of Special Counsel
1730 M Street, N.W., Suite 218
Washington, D.C. 20036-4505
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SPECIAL COUNSEL REDUCES AGENCY BACKLOG AND ANNOUNCES NEW INITIATIVES FOR
2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 1/7/05
CONTACT: CATHY DEEDS, 202-254-3600
cdeeds@osc.gov
Special Counsel Scott J.
Bloch is pleased to announce that the chronic backlog of cases has been
reduced for the first time in years, and announced several new initiatives
to advance and guard merit system principles, streamline customer service,
and improve case processing.
Backlog of Cases Reduced
Upon taking office in January 2004, Special Counsel Bloch publicly pledged
to give full and fair resolution to all meritorious cases filed with the
Office of Special Counsel (OSC), and worked diligently to reduce the
unacceptably high number of backlogged cases. At the end of the first year,
he and his team have reduced the pending backlog by over 80 percent. Last
year, the number of pending whistleblower claims was 690, prohibited
personnel practice claims were more than 600, and Hatch Act complaints
numbered nearly 200. Moreover, OSC has doubled the internal referral rate of
meritorious cases for further action in the investigation and prosecution
unit. Presently, the numbers of pending older complaints are approximately
less than 100, 30, and 40, respectively, due to the outstanding work of the
professional staff, and several new internal procedures that the Agency
divisions will build upon to implement permanent solutions.
USERRA Enforcement Role Expanded
OSC has the sole enforcement authority to prosecute the Uniformed Services
Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994 violations among the
Federal workforce. USERRA requires full reemployment with benefits to all
demobilized Reserve and Guard forces returning to their civilian jobs while
also prohibiting any discrimination in employment because of past, present
or future military service. Special Counsel Bloch takes this law seriously
and has been active in enforcing it. He filed the first ever OSC claim with
the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) in June 2004. On December 10,
2004, President Bush signed a new law, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act
of 2004 (PL 108-454), which provides for a three-year demonstration project
that authorizes OSC to investigate about half of the Federal sector USERRA
claims.
Customer Service Unit Created
A new customer service unit will be created to better serve the public and
Federal employees and OSC operational units. Having specific personnel
assigned for this purpose will help OSC gain a reputation of better customer
service within the Federal workforce. Currently, this function is handled by
rotating OSC staff to handle specific inquiries from the public or help with
filing complaints and/or filling out forms.
OSC’s mission is to serve Federal employees who may have a legitimate
complaint and also to the public who may not understand the Agency mission
or jurisdiction, or who may have other questions.
New Midwest Field Office Created
Special Counsel Bloch also announced the creation of a new Midwest Field
Office, in Detroit, MI, scheduled to open in March 2005. Presently, OSC has
two field offices, in Dallas, TX and Oakland, CA. After extensive
discussions with staff and an outside assessment team’s review of the Agency
structure and organization, the decision was made to enhance field
operations and “power down” from a D.C.-centric based operation. The Special
Counsel believes that by expanding this modular team approach, it will
foster healthy competition and flexibility among more efficient units and
will ultimately keep the backlog of cases down. Some DC staff will be
reassigned to the field offices in OSC’s effort to strategically align the
agency to meet critical mission requirements.
Special Counsel Bloch is eager to meet the new challenges in 2005, and build
upon successes of the first year. “The mission and goals of OSC remain the
same -- to secure justice for all Federal employees who come to this Office
expecting results. We will do so in a more timely fashion.” Bloch explained,
“The reorganization is directly related to the Agency mission to help us
create a more efficient Federal workforce, inspire integrity, and safeguard
public trust. I have full confidence in my professional staff and believe
these changes will strategically place people in the right positions of
leadership and allow for greater personal development of our dedicated
employees.”
***
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent investigative
and prosecutorial agency and operates as a secure channel for disclosures of
whistleblower complaints and abuse of authority. Its primary mission is to
safeguard the merit system in Federal employment by protecting Federal
employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices, especially
retaliation for whistleblowing. OSC also has jurisdiction over the Hatch Act
and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). For more
information please visit our web site at
www.osc.gov or call 1-800-872-9855.
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