U.S. Office of Special Counsel

Federal Workforce Oversight and Whistleblower Protectionosc.gov

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency that safeguards the federal merit system by protecting federal employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices, enforcing the Hatch Act, and operating a secure whistleblower disclosure channel under four federal statutes.

Company typePrivate
Founded1978
HeadquartersWashington, United States
Headcount101–250
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What U.S. Office of Special Counsel does

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency established by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., with field offices in San Francisco, Dallas, and Chicago. Its statutory authority derives from four federal laws: the Civil Service Reform Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, the Hatch Act, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). OSC's mandate is to safeguard the federal merit system by protecting approximately 2.1 million federal executive branch employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices, particularly reprisal for whistleblowing, while providing a secure channel for disclosures of government wrongdoing.

OSC delivers its mission through five core service modules: Prohibited Personnel Practices adjudication (covering 14 statutory violations including discrimination and whistleblower retaliation), the Disclosure of Wrongdoing Program, Hatch Act enforcement of partisan political activity restrictions, USERRA protection for military service members, and Alternative Dispute Resolution mediation. These are supplemented by an Outreach, Training, and 2302(c) Certification program. Intake occurs through an Online Filing Portal built on Microsoft Power Apps Portals, paper OSC Form-14 submissions, and dedicated hotlines. Investigations produce public findings reports and are prosecuted before the Merit Systems Protection Board when warranted. Coordination agreements exist with the Department of Labor (USERRA referrals), the EEOC (2014 MOU on anti-discrimination), and Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (USERRA pre-complaint mediation).

OSC is funded entirely through congressional appropriations rather than commercial revenue, eliminating traditional pricing models, customer billing, or equity financing. Its constituents are federal employees, applicants, and military service members who access services at no charge; institutional counterparties such as the VA, FAA, DEA, Department of Education, and Red River Army Depot appear as subjects of investigations rather than paying customers. The agency does not develop commercial technology products and maintains standard federal IT infrastructure, with an AI Compliance Plan filed per OMB Memorandum M-25-21.

U.S. Office of Special Counsel firmographics

Firmographics

Name: U.S. Office of Special Counsel
Legal name: U.S. Office of Special Counsel
Website: https://osc.gov
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1978
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 101–250 employees
Short description: The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency that safeguards the federal merit system by protecting federal employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices, enforcing the Hatch Act, and operating a secure whistleblower disclosure channel under four federal statutes.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

U.S. Office of Special Counsel industry classification

Industry

Product category: Federal Workforce Oversight and Whistleblower Protection
NAICS: Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922), Administration of Human Resource Programs (9231)
SIC: Services-Legal Services (8111)
akta.pro primary industry: Workplace Misconduct, Ethics & Compliance Investigations (BPAKAEAH)
akta.pro secondary industries: Harassment Prevention, EEO & Workplace Conduct Compliance (EDABADAE), White-Collar Defense & Investigations (BPAHAAAJ)

Keywords

Federal whistleblower protection
Prohibited personnel practices
Hatch act enforcement
Userra military employment rights
Independent federal investigations

Where U.S. Office of Special Counsel is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Washington
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

U.S. Office of Special Counsel business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Federal Appropriations: OSC is funded entirely through congressional appropriations as an independent federal agency. No commercial revenue generation exists.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

U.S. Office of Special Counsel product offering

Product offering

Core offering

OSC is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency that safeguards the merit system in federal employment by investigating and prosecuting prohibited personnel practices (including whistleblower retaliation), providing a secure channel for federal employees to disclose wrongdoing, enforcing the Hatch Act's restrictions on partisan political activity, and protecting military service members' employment rights under USERRA. Cases are investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted before the Merit Systems Protection Board. Services are free to federal employees, applicants, and the public and are funded entirely through congressional appropriations.

Product overview

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is a federal investigative and prosecutorial agency that operates as a unified platform of government services rather than a commercial product. The agency provides five core service modules: Prohibited Personnel Practices Services (investigating whistleblower retaliation and other employment violations), Disclosure of Wrongdoing Program (secure channel for reporting government wrongdoing), Hatch Act Enforcement (political activity restrictions), USERRA Protection Services (military employment rights), and Alternative Dispute Resolution (mediation). These are supplemented by Outreach, Training & Certification services and an Online Filing Portal for electronic complaint submission. The agency also maintains a FOIA Public Access Link portal for information requests. All services are governed by four federal statutes: the Civil Service Reform Act, Whistleblower Protection Act, Hatch Act, and USERRA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Prohibited Personnel Practices (PPP) Services Investigates and prosecutes violations of 14 prohibited personnel practices, including discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, improper hiring, coercion of political activity, and nepotism in the federal workforce. For federal employees, former federal employees, and applicants for federal employment.
Disclosure of Wrongdoing Program Provides a secure confidential channel for federal employees to disclose violations of law, gross mismanagement, waste of funds, abuse of authority, substantial dangers to public health or safety, and censorship related to research. For current federal employees.
Hatch Act Enforcement Enforces the Hatch Act, which restricts partisan political activity by federal employees and certain state and local government employees working on federally funded programs. Provides advisory opinions and prosecutes violations.
USERRA Protection Services Protects military service members' employment and reemployment rights, investigating and enforcing USERRA claims against federal employers in conjunction with the Department of Labor, with litigation before the Merit Systems Protection Board.
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mediation program offering voluntary, confidential dispute resolution as an alternative to formal hearings for selected prohibited personnel practice and USERRA complaints. For federal employees filing complaints with OSC.
Online Filing Portal Electronic complaint filing system allowing federal employees to file prohibited personnel practice complaints, whistleblower disclosures, and Hatch Act violations online. For current and former federal employees and applicants.
Public Access Link (PAL) - FOIA Portal Online portal for submitting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, receiving confirmations and updates on pending requests. For members of the public and other requesters.

Quantifiable outcome

Record 9,820 new cases in FY2025 with 57% increase year-over-year
+2 more outcomes

Companies that use U.S. Office of Special Counsel

Customer profile

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

U.S. Office of Special Counsel technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

U.S. Office of Special Counsel partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

Department of Labor (DOL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOL refers USERRA cases to OSC for litigation after exhausting its own investigation process. OSC receives cases from DOL that may be appropriate for prosecution before the MSPB when federal employers are believed to have violated USERRA.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOSC and EEOC signed a memorandum of understanding in January 2014 on coordination in enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in the federal workplace. For discrimination claims on bases covered by EEO processes, OSC generally defers to avoid duplicating investigative processes.
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOSC recommends that individuals considering USERRA complaints first contact ESGR, an agency within the Department of Defense established to help resolve military employment issues before formal complaint filing.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

U.S. Office of Special Counsel competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Office of Inspector General (multi-agency): Federal investigative bodies handling disclosures of wrongdoing, waste, fraud, and abuse across agencies; share OSC's whistleblower and oversight function.
U.S. Department of Labor Veterans' Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS): DOL component handling USERRA investigations before referring cases to OSC for prosecution; a direct upstream partner in the USERRA enforcement pipeline.
Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA): Independent federal agency overseeing federal-sector labor-management relations; shares the federal employment regulatory perimeter with OSC.
Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility: DOJ component investigating misconduct by federal law enforcement personnel; directly comparable to OSC's federal employee misconduct investigation function, as illustrated by the DEA fentanyl matter.
U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board: Federal quasi-judicial body that adjudicates OSC-prosecuted PPP and USERRA cases; tightly coupled to OSC via the Civil Service Reform Act and the same merit system mission.
U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE): Independent federal agency enforcing ethics standards for executive branch employees, overlapping OSC's workplace conduct and Hatch Act compliance remit.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): Federal agency enforcing anti-discrimination law for federal employees; coordinates with OSC via a 2014 MOU and shares federal workplace jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM): Federal agency administering civil service policy and HR systems; OSC's RIF rule endorsement and PPP enforcement interact directly with OPM rulemaking.
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO): Congressional watchdog that investigates federal programs, waste, and abuse; parallels OSC's disclosure-of-wrongdoing mission at a broader legislative oversight level.

Emerging players

U.S. Office of the Whistleblower Ombudsman (GAO): GAO-affiliated office that educates federal whistleblowers on protections and channels, including OSC; serves as an adjacent entry point and educator in the same whistleblower ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat1 record

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

U.S. Office of Special Counsel financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

U.S. Office of Special Counsel leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

U.S. Office of Special Counsel funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

U.S. Office of Special Counsel M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about U.S. Office of Special Counsel

What does U.S. Office of Special Counsel do?

Is U.S. Office of Special Counsel a public or private company?

U.S. Office of Special Counsel is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was U.S. Office of Special Counsel founded?

U.S. Office of Special Counsel was founded in 1978. It employs 101 to 250 people.

Where is U.S. Office of Special Counsel based?

U.S. Office of Special Counsel is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.

How does U.S. Office of Special Counsel make money?

One revenue line is on record: federal Appropriations.

Who are U.S. Office of Special Counsel's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Office of Inspector General (multi-agency), U.S. Department of Labor Veterans' Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS), Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Broad incumbents are U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). U.S. Office of the Whistleblower Ombudsman (GAO) is listed as an emerging player.

Does U.S. Office of Special Counsel have an API?

No public API is recorded for U.S. Office of Special Counsel.

What industry is U.S. Office of Special Counsel in?

U.S. Office of Special Counsel's product category is Federal Workforce Oversight and Whistleblower Protection. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAKAEAH, Workplace Misconduct, Ethics & Compliance Investigations, with a secondary code of EDABADAE, Harassment Prevention, EEO & Workplace Conduct Compliance. Its NAICS code is 922 and its SIC code is 8111.