RAO BULLETIN 1 October 2017

[boardman]

RAO
BULLETIN
1 October 2017

HTML / PDF Editions


THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES



Pg Article Subject
. * DOD * .

05 == BRAC [59] ---- (Pentagon Supports McCain/Reed 2019 Proposal)
06 == BRAC [60] ---- (Support For The Initiative Is Gaining)
06 == Exchange Online Shopping [12] ---- (Registration Required)
08 == Hack The Air Force ---- (Pentagon Bounty Program Paid out $130,000)
08 == NDAA 2018 [12] ---- (Annual CRs Impact on Military Readiness)
10 == NDAA 2018 [13] ---- (Remaining Issues to Resolve)
12 == Transgender Troops [10] ---- (Pentagon Releases Policy Details)
12 == Israel's First Permanent U.S. Base --- (Army Site 883 Life Support Area)
13 == DoD Procurement [01] ---- (Bomb/Missile Stockpiles Low | Budgetary Inaction)
14 == DoD Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 30 SEP 2017)
17 == Gold Star Parents & Families Day ---- (24 SEP 2017)
18 == POW/MIA [94] ---- (Staff Sgt. John E. Lillich)
19 == POW/MIA Recoveries ---- (Reported 01 thru 15 SEP 2017 | Forty-Six)

. * VA * .

22 == VA Vet Choice [60] ---- (Emergency Funding May Not Be Enough)
23 == VA Secretary [60] ---- (Travel Transparency Site Announced)
23 == VA Suicide Prevention [44] ---- (Lawmakers Told What is Needed)
24 == VA Opioid Therapy [06] ---- (Choice Users Face Higher Abuse Risk)
25 == VA Opioid Therapy [07] ---- (Cleveland VAMC Roundtable Discussion)
26 == VA Flu Shots [05] ---- (No Cost Shots at Walgreens)
26 == VA Emergency Room Care [01] ---- (Dealing With Bills)
27 == VA My Health eVet Website [02] ---- (Are You Enrolled? )
28 == VA Caregiver Program [46] ---- (No Charge Online Course)
28 == VA Benefits Delivery at Discharge [01] ---- (1 OCT Changes)
28 == VA Health Care Access [56] ---- (As Good or Better Than Private Sector)
30 == VA Medical Marijuana [34] ---- (AL Asks Secretary's Direct Involvement)
31 == VA Compensation & Benefits ---- ( Problem Solving Program Q&A -- 5)
32 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 30 SEP 2017)
35 == VA Whistleblowers [53] ---- (Amazing How Little Has Changed)
38 == VAMC Manchester NH [04] ---- (Congressional Hearing on Patient Care)
39 == VAMC San Juan PR [01] ---- (Hurricane Maria Impact)
40 == VAMC Spokane WA [02] ---- (Missing Computer)
40 == VAMC Washington DC [06] ---- ( Former Director ReFired)
40 == VAMC Huntington WV [02] ---- (90-Year Old Vet Volunteer)
41 == VAMC Memphis TN [03] ---- ("Mafia-style" Leadership Accusations)
43 == VAMC Memphis TN [04] ---- (New Accountability Law Utilized)

. * VETS * .

43 == AFRH Update [08] ---- (Chief Operating Officer Fired)
45 == Vietnam Veterans Memorial [20] ---- (Volunteers Sought)
46 == McCain Fights Back ---- ( CBS's 60 Minutes 24 SEP Interview | New Insight)
47 == Vet Toxic Exposure | AFB PFCs [01] ---- ($2B Clean Up Estimate)
48 == Vietnam Vets [26] ---- (Sanzaro~Mike | Delayed Purple Heart)
50 == New Mexico Vet Cemetery [01] ---- (Gallup Receives Grant)
50 == National Order of the Legion of Honor ---- (Awarded to 10 WWII Vets)
51 == Veterans' Financial Shape ---- (Comparison to Civilians')
51 == Vet Suicide [17] ---- (VA Releases Findings by State)
52 == Vet Suicide [18] ---- (Female Vet Rate 250% Higher Than Non-Vet)
53 == Obit: William Ely ---- (19 Sep 2017)
54 == Veteran Scams [03] ---- (Ongoing Ones)
55 == WWII VETS 144] ---- (Marvin Strombo | Japanese Flag Returner)
56 == AFL Q&A [06] ---- (Korea Agent Orange VA Coverage)
57 == Veterans Day Poster 2017 ---- (Selection Made)
58 == Agent Orange | A Toxic Legacy ---- (Vets Still Battling Aftermath 42-Years Later)
58 == Retiree Appreciation Days ---- (Scheduled As of 30 SEP 2017)
59 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled As of 30 SEP 2017 )
59 == Vet State Benefits & Discounts ---- (Missouri 2017)

. * VET LEGISLATION* .

60 == NDAA 2018 [14] ---- (TRICARE Fee Increases | Grandfather Clause)
60 == Transgender Troops [09] ---- (Senate Bill to Block Ban)
61 == Veterans' Treatment Court [24] ---- (S.946 | Help Justice-Involved Vets)
62 == Vet Orthotic/Prosthetic Care ---- (Wounded Warrior Workforce Enhancement Act)
62 == Burn Pit Toxic Exposure [45] ---- (S.319/H.R.1279 | Senate Passage)
63 == VA Medical Care Copayments ---- (H.R.1100/S.116 | Preventive Health Services)
63 == VA Mental Health Care [34] ---- (H.R.918 Projected Cost)

. * MILITARY* .

65 == Holiday Troop Mail [02] ---- (2017 Military Shipping Deadlines)
65 == Air Force Readiness [02] ---- (Stressed Out, Stretched Thin and Tired)
67 == Air Force Readiness [03] ---- (Too Small for What’s Being Asked of Them)
68 == USAF Tanker/Transport Fleet ---- (Inadequate Against Sophisticated Enemy)
70 == Navy Readiness [03] ---- (Overburdened Navy Must Just Say 'NO')
71 == Short Range Training Ammo ---- (New SRTA for .50 Caliber Guns)
71 == Interim Combat Service Rifle ---- (Army M4 Replacement Program Cancelled)
72 == B-21 Stealth Bomber ---- (Cost Monitoring)
73 == Navy Seventh Fleet ---- (Loss of Confidence Firings)
73 == MAVNI Program [01] ---- (Terminated Enlistment Contracts)
74 == Korea Evacuation Messages ---- (Hoax)
75 == Overseas Troops ---- (Cpl. Sunsette Winsler)
75 == USS Ponce (AFSB-1) [01] ---- (Former LPD-15 Returns Home For Last Time)

. - * MILITARY HISTORY* .

76 == Angels of Bataan ---- (Courage To Live)
79 == Obit: Stanislav Petrov ---- (19 May 2017 | Averted Cold War Nuclear Disaster)
80 == WWII Comfort Women ---- (Memorial Number 12 Dedicated in San Francisco)
81 == USS Cole Attack ---- (Before there was 9/11, there was 10/12)
83 == Canada's American Civil War Monument ---- (40k Participants Honored)
85 == Hanoi Jane ---- (Jane Fonda’s 1972 Trip to North Vietnam)
87 == Holocaust Denial ---- (Illegal in Belgium)
88 == Abandoned Military Bases [08] ---- (Balaklava Submarine Base)
88 == Insanely Daring Air Raids ---- (No. 7 | The 1943 Mosquito Raid Of Berlin)
89 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (01 thru 15 OCT)
89 == MOH Awards [07] ---- (Capt. Gary Michael Rose | Upgraded DSC)
92 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (Fox, John R | WWII)

. * HEALTH CARE* .

94 == TRICARE 2018 Transition ---- (Action You Need to Take)
95 == TRICARE Changes [02] ---- (New Rules Could Raise Copays)
96 == Long Term Care w/TFL ---- (Overview)
97 == Alzheimer's ---- (Fall Prevention
99 == Marathon Running ---- (How to Get there Without Injury)
100 == History Of Medicine ---- (An Early Mastectomy)
101 == Kidney Disease [06] --- (Air Pollution May Harm Your Kidneys)
101 == TRICARE Podcast 415 ---- (Secondhand Smoke | Hurricane Season | Assisted Living)
102 == TRICARE Podcast 417 ---- (Preventing Suicide | Fraud | Turning 65)

. * FINANCIAL * .

104 == Health Care Inflation [01] ---- (4.3% Increase Anticipated for 2018)
105 == VA Home Loan [50] ---- (Crackdown on Predatory Lending Schemes)
106 == Military Star Credit Card ---- (Commissary Acceptance)
106 == Forced Arbitration [01] ---- (Essentially Nullifies Servicemembers' SCRA Rights)
107 == Student Loans [05] ---- (Total Debt $1.4 Trillion | $34K per Student)
108 == Homeowners Insurance [07] ---- (Do You Know What is Covered?)
110 == Equifax Phone Phishing Scam ---- (Data Breach Followup)
111 == Tax Burden for Vermont Retired Vets ---- (As of SEP 2017)

. * GENERAL INTEREST * .

113 == Notes of Interest ---- (16 thru 30 SEP 2017)
114 == Air Force One [02] ---- (Trump Deletes Air-Refueling Capability)
115 == National Anthem [05] ---- (AL, VFW & IAVA on NFL Protests)
116 == National Anthem [06] ---- (U.S. Code | Conduct Required When Played)
117 == Metal Foam Armor ---- (New Material Will Stop Bullets)
117 == Continuing Resolution [02] ---- (BCA & 2018 NDAA On Collision Course)
119 == Agent Orange Forgotten Victims ---- (Vietnamese People)
121 == Teacher of The Year ---- (Martha Cothren | A Lesson in Freedom)
122 == Opioid Addiction [01] ---- (600 People A Week Die in U.S.)
125 == U.S. Embassy Cuba ---- (Closure Under Evaluation | Health Incidents)
126 == Where There's a Will, There's a Way ---- (01)
127 == DPRK Nuclear Weapons [17] ---- (Pacific Ocean Test | Logical, Terrifying)
128 == DPRK~US War [01] ---- (War of Words Escalates)
130 == Garage Door Billboards ---- (Making Yours Stand Out (10)
130 == Have You Heard? ---- (Marriage Lesson | Importance of Walking)

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 OCT 2017
Attachment - Missouri Vet State Benefits & Discounts SEP 2017
Attachment - Military History Anniversaries 01 thru 15 OCT
Attachment - Agent Orange | A Toxic Legacy
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FAIR USE NOTICE: This newsletter may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The Editor/Publisher of the Bulletin at times includes such material in an effort to advance reader’s understanding of veterans' issues. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information for educating themselves on veteran issues so they can better communicate with their legislators on issues affecting them. To obtain more information on Fair Use refer to: http: //www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this newsletter for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

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RAO Bulletin Editor/Publisher:
Lt. James (EMO) Tichacek, USN (Ret) Tel: (858) 842-1111 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: Mountain Lodge, 27 Leonard Wood Road, Baguio City, 2600 Philippines
FPO Mail Pickup: TUE & THUR 09-1100 --- Outgoing Mail Closeout: THUR 1100