RAO BULLETIN 1 January 2017

[boardman]

RAO
BULLETIN
1 January 2017

THIS BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES

Pg Article Subject
. * DOD * .

04 == DoD Military & Discharge Records -------------- (Vet Review Policy)
05 == DFAS 1099-R [08] ----------------------- (Tax Year 2016 Availability)
06 == Concurrent Receipt Status [02] --------- (CBO Proposes Elimination)
07 == Military Benefit Proposals [03] -- (What Will Congress/Trump Do?)
07 == National Resource Directory [01] --------------------------- (Enhanced)
08 == Spratly Islands Dispute --------------- (Weapons Installed on 2 Reefs)
10 == DFAS Fraudulent Emails ----------------- (Beware myPay Customers)
10 == Supreme Court RFRA Petition - (Isaiah 54:17 in Military Workspace)
11 == Commissary Prices [07] ----------------- (2017 Fundamental Changes)
12 == DoD Fraud, Waste & Abuse -------- (Reported 16 thru 31 DEC 2016)
13 == POW/MIA [79] ---------- (WWII 1st Lt. Ben Barnes’ Recovery Effort)
14 == POW/MIA Recoveries ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 DEC 2016 | Thirteen)

. * VA * .

18 == VA Medical Benefits Package [03] --- (Opt Out Option On the Table)
18 == VA Performance [10] --------------------- (Gingrich Urges War on VA)
20 == VA Performance [11] ------------------------------ (Impressive Progress)
22 == VA Debt Billing Policy [01] --- (DOT Cross Serving Program in Use)
22 == VA DHP ------------------- (Cloud-Based Digital Health Platform Plan)
24 == PTSD & TBI [02] ------------ (Possible Differentiating Breakthrough)
25 == VA Crises Hotline [34] ---------------- (Program’s Capacity Doubled)
26 == VA Home Loan [45] -------------------------------- (2017 Loan Limits)
26 == VA Organ Transplants [01] ------------------ (Obstacles Still in Place)
27 == VA Glioblastoma Claims ------------- (Agent Orange Link Obstacles)
29 == VA Presumptive AO Diseases [24] ---- (Pending Decisions for 2017)
30 == Non-VA Facility Care [04] ------------------------------------- (Q & A)
31 == VA Compensable Disabilities -------- (CBO Proposal to Eliminate 7)
32 == VA Secretary [51] ---------------- (Efforts Upped to Keep McDonald)
33 == VA Secretary [52[-------- (Been The Greatest Job I Could Ever Have)
34 == VA Blind Rehabilitation Service [02] ----------------- (Orcam Device)
35 == VA Notice of Disagreement --------------------------- (How to Submit)
37 == GI Bill [217] ------------------------- (For-Profit Schools Skirting Rules)
39 == VA Health Care ----------- (Trump Considering Public-Private Option)
39 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ----------- (Reported 16 thru 31 DEC 2016)
40 == VAMC St. Louis [05] -------------------- (Mental Health Care Access)
41 == VA HCS Bay Pines FL [01] ----- (Shower Room Body Investigation)
42 == VA HCS Pittsburgh [07] ----------------- (CDC Disinfection Dispute)
43 == VA HCS Black Hills SD [03] --- (Hot Springs Hospital Service Cuts)

. * Vets * .

44 == Enlistment Bonus Payback [08] -- (No Waivers for IN, KY, MO, PA)
45 == Vet Health Care [04] -------------------- (Things to Know About 2017)
47 == Vet Toxic Exposure | Lejeune [65] ---------- (More EPA Rule Delays)
48 == Burn Pit Toxic Exposure [39] ------- (Registry Grows to 95,593 Vets)
49 == WWII Vets [125] ----------------------- (George~Joe | USS Vestal BM2)
50 == WWII Vets [126] ---------------------- (Olson~Gerald | USS Wisconsin)
52 == Women Vets ---- (Miriam Ben-Shalom | Tackles Carjacker @ Age 68)
53 == Obit: Lawrence Colburn | My Lai Massacre ------------ (13 DEC 2016)
53 == Obit: Seth McKee | D-Day General --------------------- (26 DEC 2016)
54 == Vet Jobs [207] ------------------------------------------ (Law Enforcement)
56 == Vet Jobs [208] -------------------------------------------- (VA Recruitment)
57 == Retiree Appreciation Days ------------------------- (As of DEC 31, 2016)
57 == Vet Hiring Fairs ------------------------------------- (01 thru 31 JAN 2016)
58 == Vet State Benefits & Discounts ------------------------ (Tennessee 2016)

* Vet Legislation * .

59 == 114th Congress [06] ----------------------------- (Closes With a Flourish)
60 == 114th Congress [07] -------------- (Cheers to Whispers on Vet Benefits)
61 == NDAA 2017 [25] ----------------- (H.R.4909 & S.2932 Signed Into Law)

. * MILITARY * .

62 == Navy Enlisted Rating Titles [07] ---------------- ( Job Titles Restored)
64 == Body Fat Standards ---------------------------------------- ( 2017 Policy)
65 == Blast Gauges ---------- (Pentagon Monitoring Program Discontinued)
66 == BAH [02] ---------------------------------------- (2.4% Increase in 2017)
67 == NATO Support ------------ (U.S. Tanks Return After 3-Year Absence)
68 == Navy Fleet Size [01] ------------------------------------ (355 Ship Goal)
70 == USS Gabrielle Giffords [01] ------------ (LCS-10 Testing Completed)
71 == Navy Wish List for 2017 -------------------------- (Navy Times' Top 5)
72 == Army Wish List for 2017 ------------------------- (Army Times' Top 5)
73 == Army Secretary --------------- (Billionaire Vincent Viola Nominated)
74 == Special Duty Pay -------------------------- ($75 to $450 Bump for Some)
75 == USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) Class Destroyers ----------- (Overview)

. * MILITARY HISTORY * .

76 == WWI Christmas Truce ------------------------------- (December 7, 1914)
78 == WW2 Aleutian Islands Campaign --- (Jun 3, 1942 thru Aug 15, 1943)
80 == Battle of Wake Island ---------------------------------------- (Overview)
80 == Military History Anniversaries -------------------------- (1 thru 15 JAN)
81 == Medal of Honor Citations -------------------- (Endl~Gerald L | WWII)

. * HEALTH CARE * .

82 == TRICARE Safety Tips ---------------------------- (Winter Preparations)
83 == TRICARE Speech Therapy [01] ------ (Learn To Speak More Clearly)
83 == Sleep [03] -------------------------- (How to Get A Good Night's Sleep)
84 == TRICARE ABA --------- (Providers Must be Certified by Jan. 1, 2017)
84 == TRICARE Select ------ (TRICARE Standard's Replacement in 1 Year)
85 == Hospital Death Rates [02] ------------- (3 Times More Likely at Some)
86 == TRICARE Podcast 378 ---- (Binge Drinking | VLER HIE | Staying Fit)

. * FINANCES * .

87 == Disability Separation Pay [01] -- (HR.5015/S.2712 Benefits 14K Vets)
88 == Credit Card Fraud 2016 ------------ (What Crooks Buy With your Card)
89 == Fake Shopping App Scam --------------------------------- (How it Works)
90 == Trump Tax Plan --- (Dramatic Rule Changes for Individual Taxpayers)
91 == USFSPA & Divorce [26] ---------------- (Pending Supreme Court Case)
92 == Tax Burden for Montana Retired Vets ---------------- (As of DEC 2016)

. * GENERAL INTEREST * .

94 == Notes of Interest ----------------------------------- (16 thru 31 DEC 2016)
96 == U.S. Philippine Bases [15] ----------------- ("Bye-bye America." Taunt)
96 == Military Community Scholarships ------------------- (New Search Tool)
97 == Philippines War on Drugs [01] --------- (Comic Books Latest Weapon)
99 == Have You Heard? --------- (A Touching Christmas Story | One Liners)

Note:
1. The page number on which an article can be found is provided to the left of each article’s title
2. Numbers contained within brackets [ ] indicate the number of articles written on the subject. To obtain previous articles send a request to raoemo@sbcglobal.net.

. * ATTACHMENTS * .

Attachment - RAO Bulletin 1 January 2017
Attachment - Tennessee Vet State Benefits & Discounts DEC 2016
Attachment - Military History Anniversaries 1 thru 15 JAN
Attachment - WWII Wake Island Prisoners

-o-o-O-o-o-

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-- http://www.veteransresources.org/rao-bulletin (past Bulletins)

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********************************

RAO Bulletin Editor/Publisher:
Lt. James (EMO) Tichacek, USN (Ret) Tel: (858) 432-1246 Email: raoemo@sbcglobal.net
Bulletin Web Access: http://www.nhc-ul.org/rao.html, http://www.veteransresources.org, http://frabr245.org, and
http://veteraninformationlinksasa.com/emos-rao.html [PDF & HTML Editions w/ATTACHMENTS]

RAO Baguio Director:
SMSgt Leonard (Len) D. Harvey, USAF (Ret) PSC 517 Box 4036, FPO AP 96517-1000, Tel: 63-74-442-3468; Email: lenharvey@live.com.ph

RAO Baguio Office: Red Lion Inn, 35 Leonard Wood Road, Baguio City, 2600 Philippines
FPO Mail Pickup: TUE & THUR 09-1100 --- Outgoing Mail Closeout: THUR 1100