Our Mission
The mission of the Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) is to deter, detect, prevent and eradicate fraud, waste, misconduct and abuse in programs, operations, and contracting of executive agencies.
OSIG is committed to a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion for its workforce, and these ideals are at the very core of its mission to ensure Ethics, Accountability, and Integrity in state government.
On July 20, 2017, Act 29 of 2017 was enacted as an amendment to the administrative code, establishing an Office of State Inspector General under statute and giving it law enforcement powers, including the ability to issue subpoenas and search warrants, access criminal justice databases and work more cooperatively with other law enforcement agencies. OSIG (formerly “OIG”) was originally created by Executive Order 1987-7 on April 6, 1987, to “deter, detect, prevent, and eradicate fraud, waste, misconduct, and abuse in the programs, operations, and contracting of executive agencies,” a mission it fulfills for the citizens of Pennsylvania to this day. To accomplish its mission, OSIG has three investigative bureaus: the Bureau of Fraud Prevention and Prosecution (BFPP), the Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI) and the Bureau of Inspections and Financial Integrity (BIFI). OSIG has offices located in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre.
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Bureau of Fraud Prevention and Prosecution (BFPP) is responsible for conducting investigations into suspected public benefits fraud and abuse as well as performing collection activities for public benefit programs administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS).
The Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI) is primarily tasked with investigating allegations of waste, abuse, and misconduct in agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction. BSI works to identify and eliminate the mismanagement of state monies, employee misconduct, and contract fraud irregularities. BSI is further tasked with conducting pre-employment background investigations for executive-level appointments and other positions of trust in state government.
The men and women of the Office of State Inspector General are proud to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania. OSIG works each day to ensure that the values of good government - ethics, integrity, and accountability – come first in the agencies and programs under its jurisdiction.