The Office of Personnel Management recognizes 2302(c) certification as a "suggested performance indicator" for 'getting to green' on the Strategic Management of Human Capital element of the President's Management Agenda.

In 1994, Congress responded to reports of widespread ignorance in the federal workforce concerning employees’ right to be free from prohibited personnel practices (PPP), especially retaliation for whistleblowing, by enacting 5 U.S.C. §2302(c). That provision charges "[t]he head of each agency" with responsibility for "ensuring (in consultation with the Office of Special Counsel) that agency employees are informed of the rights and remedies available to them" under the prohibited personnel practice and whistleblower retaliation protection provisions of Title 5.

OSC's 2302(c) Certification Program allows federal agencies to meet the statutory obligation to inform their workforces about the rights and remedies available to them under the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) and related civil service laws. Under the 2302(c) Certification Program, OSC will certify an agency’s compliance with 5 U.S.C. §2302(c) if the agency meets the following five requirements:

• Placing informational posters at agency facilities;


• Providing information about PPPs and the WPA to new employees as part of the orientation process;


• Providing information to current employees about PPP's and the WPA;


• Training supervisors on PPPs and the WPA; and


• Creation of a computer link from the agency’s web site to OSC’s web site.