Office of the Counsel to the Inspector General

The Office of the Counsel to the Inspector General provides independent, full-service, in-house legal counsel and advice to the Inspector General and all Office of the Inspector General components including bringing Civil Monetary Penalty actions under Section 1140 of the Social Security Act against companies and individuals, handles legal sufficiency reviews of subpoenas, subpoena enforcement actions, and other enforcement matters; providing comprehensive legal advice in general practice areas including contract law, fiscal and procurement law, privacy and disclosure law including handling all OIG Freedom of Information and Privacy Act requests, Federal records management law and legislation; and assisting OIG managers with personnel matters and representing OIG in personnel litigation before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Merit System Protection Board.

The Chief Counsel serves as SSA’s Whistleblower Protection Coordinator. For more information, you may contact the OIG Whistleblower Coordinator Program at whistleblower.coordinator@ssa.gov or visit our Whistleblower Rights and Protection page.