Amends the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 (WPA) to extend the authorization of appropriations for the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) and the Merit Systems Protection Board through 1997.
Makes miscellaneous and technical amendments to various OSC provisions under WPA, including those regarding OSC administration and powers of disclosure, investigation of prohibited personnel practices and individual rights of action in certain reprisal cases, and OSC reports.
Amends Federal law to: (1) provide for the awarding of reasonable attorney fees by agencies to prevailing parties in certain cases; (2) subject to review in whistleblower cases any agency decision to require psychiatric testing or examination of an employee or any other significant change in duties, responsibilities, or working conditions made by the agency; (3) make agency heads responsible for ensuring that their employees are informed of whistleblower rights and remedies; (4) make compliance with merit systems principles a factor in Senior Executive Service performance appraisals; (5) provide for the application of certain merit systems provisions to certain Department of Veterans Affairs personnel; (6) allow corrective actions by the Merit Systems Protection Board to include placing the individual, as nearly as possible, in the position he or she would have been had the prohibited personnel practice not occurred, as well as reimbursement for attorney's fees, back pay and related benefits, medical costs incurred, travel expenses, and any other reasonable and foreseeable consequential damages; (7) provide aggrieved individuals (including, specifically, the employees of the Resolution Trust Corporation and Thrift Depositor Protection Oversight Board) with a choice of remedies with respect to certain prohibited personnel practices; (8) revise the definition of covered position with respect to prohibited personnel practices; and (9) provide that the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund is made available for any expenses incurred by the Board in administering Federal retirement appeals.
Requires OSC to: (1) issue a policy statement regarding the implementation of WPA; (2) include in any letter terminating an investigation of a prohibited personnel practice the identification of an OSC employee who can respond to questions on the investigation or review; and (3) conduct an annual survey of all individuals who contacted the office for assistance for inclusion in its annual report.