Office of Counsel Attorney Positions
Office of Counsel to the Inspector General
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) supports the mission of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) in protecting the health of Americans and providing essential human services. OIG's 1,600 dedicated professionals promote the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of HHS programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Head Start. The integrity of these programs is evaluated for success, and any fraud, waste or abuse is addressed by OIG.
With a staff of more than 75 professionals, the Office of Counsel to the Inspector General (OCIG) provides all legal services for OIG. The office is divided into three branches: Administrative and Civil Remedies, Advice, and Industry Guidance.
- Administrative and Civil Remedies Branch
- The Administrative and Civil Remedies Branch (ACRB) represents OIG in all administrative and civil fraud enforcement actions, monitors the compliance of providers under integrity agreements, and defends OIG in administrative appeals. ACRB attorneys initiate and litigate actions seeking civil monetary penalties and the exclusion of health care providers from participating in Federal health care programs because of fraudulent or abusive conduct. In addition, ACRB attorneys work with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to develop and pursue False Claims Act cases against healthcare providers that defraud the Government. In appropriate cases, ACRB attorneys negotiate and monitor Corporate Integrity Agreements (CIAs) that impose integrity obligations on providers alleged to have engaged in fraudulent conduct.
- Advice Branch
- The Advice Branch provides day-to-day legal counsel and representation to OIG on a broad array of issues arising in the exercise of OIG's responsibilities. Advice Branch attorneys serving in this "in-house counsel" role handle a wide range of topics, including employment issues, internal inquiries, ethics, information disclosure and privacy, contracts, constitutional tort claims, subpoenas, law enforcement questions, the scope and exercise of the Inspector General's authorities and responsibilities, budget and appropriations, and legal reviews of audits, evaluations and other written products created by other OIG components.
- Industry Guidance Branch
- The Industry Guidance Branch (IGB) issues advisory opinions, special fraud alerts, special advisory bulletins, and other guidance to health care providers and others on the application of the fraud and abuse statutes to health care business arrangements; engages in outreach activities to promote industry compliance with the fraud and abuse statutes; drafts "safe harbor" and other regulations related to these statutes; provides technical assistance to government officials about the fraud and abuse statutes; and serves as an in-house resource for OIG staff, including investigators and auditors, on the anti-kickback statute, the civil monetary penalties provisions related to beneficiary inducements and gainsharing, the Physician Self-Referral (Stark) Law, and health care business practices.
Job Openings
- There are no openings at this time.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) / Office of Counsel to the Inspector General (OCIG) is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination based on color, race, religion, national origin, politics, marital status, disability (physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, on the basis of personal favoritism, or any non-merit factor. HHS / OCIG welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. HHS / OCIG is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, HHS / OCIG considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must indicate their preference in their cover letter or resume and they must submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) which verifies their eligibility for preference. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s)). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of non-service-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
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