In other voting before Congress recessed, the Senate passed and sent to the White House a bill (HR-4197) passed earlier by the House to extend beyond late year a test program in which whistleblowers who lose MSPB appeals of personnel actions against them that they believe are retaliatory may appeal to a federal appellate court other than the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. That court has issued numerous decisions over the years restricting retaliation claims, some of which were overturned by the 2012 law authorizing appeals to other courts. The bill extends that authority another three years, until late 2017. Meanwhile, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee passed HR-5229, to allow veterans with service disability ratings of 30 percent or more to use an entire year’s worth of sick leave for medical care related to that condition starting immediately upon hiring into a federal job.