U.S. Office of Special Counsel Strategic Plan (FY 2026-2030) The U.S. Office of Special Counsel's strategic plan for fiscal years 2026 through 2030, published January 30, 2026, providing a roadmap for fulfilling OSC's statutory mandate to safeguard the merit system and hold the government accountable through three strategic goals covering federal workplace integrity, government accountability, and organizational excellence. U.S. Office of Special Counsel Strategic Plan (FY 2026-2030): Prepared on behalf of Acting Special Counsel Jamieson Greer by Senior Counsel Charles N. Baldis. OSC is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency founded in 1979, with government-wide jurisdiction over approximately 2.1 million federal civilian employees. Its primary statutory authorities include the Civil Service Reform Act as amended by the Whistleblower Protection Act and Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, the Hatch Act, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). In FY2025 OSC received 9,820 new cases, nearly double the prior year's caseload. ^^ Submitter's Note: This StratML rendition was compiled from the source by Claude.ai. U.S. Office of Special Counsel OSC uuid-11a2b3c4-d5e6-4f7a-8b9c-0d1e2f3a4b5c An independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency headquartered in Washington, D.C., established as an independent agency in 1989 under the Whistleblower Protection Act. With approximately 117 full-time employees, OSC provides a safe channel for federal employees to report prohibited personnel practices and government wrongdoing, investigates and prosecutes Hatch Act violations and prohibited personnel practices, protects the federal employment rights of uniformed service members under USERRA, administers the 2302(c) Certification Program, and files amicus curiae briefs on whistleblower law. OSC organizational components include the Case Review Division, Investigation and Prosecution Division, Disclosure Unit, Retaliation and Disclosure Unit, Hatch Act Unit, USERRA Unit, Alternative Dispute Resolution Unit, Outreach Training and Compliance Unit, Office of General Counsel, and Operations Division. Federal Employees Approximately 2.1 million federal civilian employees across the globe whose merit system rights OSC protects, who may file complaints of prohibited personnel practices or whistleblower retaliation, and who are educated through OSC's outreach and 2302(c) Certification Program. Whistleblowers Federal employees, applicants, and former employees who disclose evidence of waste, fraud, abuse, violations of law, gross mismanagement, threats to public health or safety, or censorship related to scientific research through OSC's secure online portal and safe channel. Federal Agencies Executive branch departments and agencies subject to OSC's government-wide jurisdiction whose personnel practices are investigated, whose Hatch Act compliance is monitored, and which receive OSC referrals of whistleblower disclosures requiring agency investigation and reporting. Military Service Members Uniformed service members and veterans whose federal civilian employment and reemployment rights are protected under USERRA, referred to OSC by the Department of Labor for investigation and litigation before the Merit Systems Protection Board. Congress Legislative oversight body that receives OSC's reports on referred whistleblower disclosures and the agency's outcomes, and whose committees receive referrals together with the President when OSC completes its review of whistleblower disclosure investigations. Merit Systems Protection Board Adjudicative body before which OSC files cases and stays in prohibited personnel practice and Hatch Act enforcement actions, and in whose appellate proceedings OSC may file amicus curiae briefs and motions to intervene on whistleblower rights issues. General Public American taxpayers and citizens who benefit from OSC's enforcement of civil service laws, deterrence of government waste, fraud, and abuse, and protection of the merit-based federal employment system through accountability and transparency in OSC communications. Effective and efficient government, inspiring public confidence. uuid-22b3c4d5-e6f7-4a8b-9c0d-1e2f3a4b5c6d To safeguard employee rights, holding the government accountable, by upholding the merit system through protecting federal employees from prohibited personnel practices, curbing prohibited political activities, preserving the employment rights of service members, providing a safe channel for disclosing government wrongdoing, and educating the federal workforce on civil service laws. uuid-33c4d5e6-f7a8-4b9c-0d1e-2f3a4b5c6d7e Integrity Adhere to the highest legal, professional, and ethical standards to earn and maintain the public's trust. Impartiality Act impartially to uphold the merit system through the enforcement of OSC's statutory missions. Excellence Deliver timely, innovative, and high-quality services to address and prevent government wrongdoing, while fostering a respectful, high-performing workplace. Workplace Integrity Protect and promote the integrity and efficacy of the federal workplace through impartial investigations, strategic enforcement, timely Hatch Act advice, and outreach and training to improve agency culture and deter violations across the federal workforce. 3b90739b-d32b-4784-ade7-a91500f1af86 1 Federal Employees Primary beneficiaries of OSC's prohibited personnel practice investigations, Hatch Act advice, USERRA enforcement, and workforce training, whose merit system rights are protected and whose awareness of civil service laws is advanced through OSC outreach. Goal1 ~ Workplace Integrity: Strategic Goal 1 covers OSC's substantive program areas for enforcing merit system protections. Key statutory authorities include the CSRA, WPA, WPEA, and Hatch Act. OSC applies consistent investigative procedures across thousands of annual complaints while using ADR and other resolution methods to increase efficiency. OSC's 2302(c) Certification Program enables agencies to meet their statutory requirement to educate employees on whistleblower rights and remedies. Complaint Outcomes Obtain timely and effective complaint outcomes through impartial investigations, strategic actions, and impactful litigation by handling prohibited personnel practice, Hatch Act, ADR, and USERRA cases with consistent standards of review, targeting closure of PPP cases within 240 days, 35 stays, 285 corrective actions, 20 disciplinary actions, and 50 percent ADR settlement rates annually, with 75 percent of Hatch Act cases closed within 240 days and 80 percent of USERRA referrals closed within 60 days. f3b4f1f9-3e6b-4f34-9d2e-0d88ff2ba4c8 1.1 Stakeholder Communications Promote accountability and deter violations through effective and innovative communications with stakeholders and the public by issuing press releases on major activities via digital platforms, engaging external stakeholders including federal agencies and congressional offices, and using analytics to assess communication effectiveness, targeting 25 press releases and baseline measurement of stakeholder engagement annually. b4a7da5b-d3e5-4c43-a601-84c37947d407 1.2 Hatch Act Advice Provide timely Hatch Act advice to federal, District of Columbia, state, and local employees and officials by issuing consistent, well-reasoned advisory opinions, targeting 98 percent of informal telephonic opinions within 3 days, 98 percent of informal email opinions within 5 days, and 75 percent of formal written opinions within 60 days of inquiry. ec3aa2fa-587f-478f-a08e-04e8456dc45d 1.3 Workforce Training Improve agency culture through technical guidance and outreach by administering the 2302(c) Certification Program, conducting agency trainings, providing technical assistance on policy and legislative changes, utilizing digital platforms for educational resources, and filing amicus curiae briefs in appropriate cases, targeting 27 certified or recertified agencies, 287 trainings, and 2 amicus briefs annually. 36febc25-7283-4eaf-a1aa-0f01ca6da6d3 1.4 Government Accountability Ensure government accountability by providing federal employees with an effective, efficient, and safe channel to report government wrongdoing, and by overseeing timely and appropriate agency investigations and outcomes for referred whistleblower disclosures of waste, fraud, abuse, violations of law, and threats to public health or safety. fad8bc7c-55d4-4f06-8b49-6b8308715c6d 2 Whistleblowers Federal employees who disclose government wrongdoing through OSC's safe channel, whose disclosures are evaluated, referred to agencies as appropriate, and whose interactions with the process are tracked to ensure timeliness and effectiveness of outcomes. Goal2 ~ Government Accountability: Strategic Goal 2 covers OSC's whistleblower disclosure channel and oversight functions. OSC maintains a secure online portal for confidential reporting. Within days of case receipt, an assigned attorney contacts the whistleblower by phone. Disclosures may be referred to agencies for investigation; OSC reviews agency reports for reasonableness and transmits findings to the President and relevant congressional oversight committees. Favorable outcomes include cost savings, health and safety protections, changes to agency rules, disciplinary actions, and criminal referrals. Whistleblower Channel Provide employees with an effective, efficient, and safe channel to report government wrongdoing through a confidential secure online portal, with personalized attorney contact within days of receipt, targeting 20 statutory and informal referrals to agencies for investigation and 90 percent of whistleblower disclosures evaluated and either referred or closed within 45 days annually. 264fecf3-9b4c-4fee-abf7-affe902c9818 2.1 Disclosure Outcomes Ensure agencies and OSC provide timely and appropriate outcomes for referred whistleblower disclosures by maintaining agency communication throughout investigations, reviewing reports for reasonableness, and targeting 55 favorable outcomes annually including cost savings, health and safety protections, rule changes, disciplinary actions, and criminal referrals, with average closure within 120 days of the last required action. 2d679839-190d-490d-888a-4d373b84b05d 2.2 Organizational Excellence Achieve organizational excellence by attracting and retaining a high-performing merit-based workforce, deploying innovative technology and AI to enhance efficiency and cybersecurity, and ensuring financial compliance and continuous program improvement to sustain OSC's record productivity in the face of rising caseloads and budget uncertainty. df6ae201-47bb-49da-93b4-7b2e77df55bf 3 Goal3 ~ Organizational Excellence: Strategic Goal 3 addresses OSC's internal management and capacity. OSC is currently resolving more cases per employee than ever before and achieving the most favorable actions per FTE in agency history. Key challenges include budget uncertainty, a caseload that nearly doubled in FY2025 to 9,820 new cases, and limited funding for long-term technology investment relative to larger agencies. OSC will leverage AI to expand capabilities without relying on increased staffing. Workforce Excellence Attract and retain a high-performing, mission-driven workforce by executing a fair, merit-based hiring process, maintaining a Human Capital Plan with effective recruitment and retention strategies, promoting accountability through performance management, supporting individual development plans, leveraging EEO best practices, and sustaining average time-to-hire for mission critical and Schedule A positions at 80 calendar days or less per OPM guidelines. a2a424fe-0022-4c8f-b1bc-b7c6947dd043 3.1 IT Modernization Improve the use of existing technology and deploy new IT systems to enhance organizational operations by strategically assessing and modifying systems, implementing AI agency-wide, strengthening cybersecurity in compliance with Executive Order 14114, developing data governance and labeling capabilities, and annually improving the maturity of at least one FISMA core metric as determined by external auditor. 4f3b4603-cc85-4855-85a7-b549852bafbe 3.2 Financial Compliance Ensure agency compliance with relevant laws and regulations through the annual financial audit and continuously monitor, evaluate, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of programs and processes by maintaining sufficient internal controls, implementing best practices identified through informal evaluations, and targeting zero significant deficiencies with a clean annual financial audit opinion. 4e0e0776-b1d6-422a-a280-894374c23a6a 3.3 2026-10-01 2030-09-30 2026-04-27 https://www.osc.gov/~assets/docs/fy-2026-2030-strategic-plan.pdf Owen Ambur Owen.Ambur@verizon.net