RAO BULLETIN 14 February 2018

[boardman]

RAO
BULLETIN
14 February 2018

HTML/PDF Editions


THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES


Pg Article Subject
. * DOD * .

05 == Climate Change [03] ---- (Impact on U.S. Military Sites)
05== BRAC [61] ---- (Pentagon Skips Annual Request This Year)
06 == Commissary Funding [30] ---- (Falling Sales | Will The Benefit Survive?)
08 == Pentagon Personnel Policy [02] ---- (Harassing Behavior/Offensive Jokes Banned)
08 == Defense Budget 2019 ---- (MOAA's 5 Expectations)
09 == Pentagon Exoneration ---- (Afgan War Crime Vets Wrongly Accused)
10 == Pentagon Officials ---- (Increased Misconduct Case Rejection Concerns)
11 == Afghanistan War [04] ---- (Pentagon: Gag Order on Afghan Data Was A Mistake)
13 == Afghanistan War [05] ---- (Pentagon: War Costing US $45 Billion Annually)
13 == DoD Lawsuit ~ V-22 Osprey ---- (Denied)
14 == Non-deployable Troops ---- (Separation Policy Under Review)
16 == VVMF In Memory Program ---- (Applications Due 9 MAR 2018)
17 == DoD Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ---- (Reported 01 thru 14 FEB 2018)
19 == POW/MIA Recoveries ---- (Reported 01 thru 14 FEB 2018 | Eleven)

. * VA * .

21 == VA Caregiver Program [48] ---- (Program Expansion Cost vs. Savings)
22 == VA Claim Fast Tract System ---- (Speeds Up Process)
23 == VA Whistleblowers [54] ---- (Inside Trump's New VA Office)
25 == Vet Predatory Loans [01] ----(Churning | Nine Lenders Warned)
27 == VA HUD-VASH [06] ---- (FY 2018 Program Funding Intact)
28 == VA Accountability [51] ---- (Trump Did Not Exaggerate Figures on Dismissals)
29 == VA Accountability [52] ---- (More Proposed Firings, Fewer Settlements Seen)
31 == VA Performance [12] ---- (Steps Taken to Raise Lowest VAMC Facility Ratings)
31 == VA Loans ---- (Time in Service Requirement)
32 == VA Welcome Kit ---- (Launched to Guide Veterans to the Benefits/Services They’ve Earned)
33 == VA TECS Program ---- (Criticized As Subpar for Eye Care)
34 == VA EHR [11] ---- ($2 Billion Blown in Modernization Attempts)
35 == VA Claim Filing [10] ----- (Ensuring Maximum Entitlement Receipt)
37 == PTSD [240] ---- (White House Opposed to VA Marijuana Treatment Research)
39 == PTSD [241] ---- (Vet With PTSD Convicted of Wife's Unintentional Murder)
40 == VA Vet Choice [69] ---- (The Time For Congress to Act Is Now)
41 == VA Lawsuit | Kirk~Luke ---- (Therapist Sexual Advances)
41 == VA Lawsuit | Williamson~Michael ---- (Home Health Care Stopped After 17 Years)
42 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ---- (Reported 01 thru 14 FEB 2018)
45 == VA OPC Norfolk NE ---- (Unauthorized Waiting List)
46 == VAMC Bedford MA [02] ---- ($1M Fraud Exposed by Whistleblower)
47 == VAMC Orlando FL [09] ---- (Substandard Care Complaints)

. * VETS * .

48 == Green Alerts ---- (Missing Vulnerable Veterans Location System)
48 == Obit | Beatty~Dale ---- (12 FEB 2018)
49 == GI Bill [248] ---- (Things the 'Forever' Bill Will Do for Vets)
51 == Vet Housing [13] ---- (Oregon to Fund 71 New Affordable Homes)
52 == Vet Service Dogs [23] ---- (American Airlines Settles Lawsuit)
53 == Vet Service Dogs [24] ---- (Eviction Over Dogs Leads to Vet Death)
53 == Vet Unemployment [14] ---- (Below 4% For The First Time on Record)
54 == Vietnam Vets [27] ---- (John Canley | MOH Nominee)
55 == Vet Jobs [229] ---- (Best Places to Work in 2018)
55 == Vet Mental Health Care ---- (NASEM Report on OEF/OIF/OND Vet Needs)
57 == National Recreation Therapy Recreation Month ---- (February)
57 == AFL Q&A 18 & 19 ---- (Camp Lejeune Claim & VA Housing Certificate)
58 == Retiree Appreciation Days ---- (Scheduled As of 15 FEB 2018)
59 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled As of 15 FEB 2018)
59 == Veteran's State Benefits & Discounts ---- (Pennsylvania | FEB 2018)

. * VET LEGISLATION* .

60 == Military Death Benefits [01] ---- (H.R.1928 | Families of Fallen Service Members)
60 == Claims and Appeals [01] ---- (H.R.506 | Vet Financial Protection Legislation)
61 == Vet Gun Control [14] ---- (S.2386 | A Bill to Provide Vet Protections)
61 == Homeless Vets [85] ---- (H.R.4099 | Homeless Veteran Families Act)
62 == Transition Assistance Program [03] ---- (H.R.4954 | TAP Reform)
63 == VA Burial Benefits [43] ---- (S.2372 | Veterans Cemetery Benefit Correction Act)
63 == Military Spouse Employment [04] ---- (S.2379 | Military Spouse Employment Act)
65 == VA Debt Billing Policy [02] ---- (S.2341 | Vet Debt Fairness Act of 2018)

. * MILITARY* .

65 == Army Recruiting [05] ---- ($5,000 Bonus for College Sophomores)
66 == Air Force T-6 Trainer ---- (Grounded After Pilot Hypoxia Incidents)
67 == USS Gerald A. Ford [09] ---- (Six Year Shock Testing Delay Requested)
67 == MAVNI Program [05] ---- (Troops & Vets Now 'Protected' From Deportation)
68 == USCG Icebreakers [04] ---- (Polar Star Completes Mission Despite Challenges)
69 == ACTUV [03] ---- (Unmanned Warship Expanding Role)
70 == USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) [01] ---- (Acceptance Trials Completed)
70 == Military Tattoo Criteria [11] ---- (Marine Corps Commandant's Position)
71 == Destroyer Collisions [03] ---- (Personnel Charges/Reprimands Announced)
72 == Destroyer Collisions [04] ---- (Military Justice Process)
74 == Military Berets ---- (Use Is A Relatively Recent Phenomenon)
76 == Hooah! ---- (Where Did The Term Come From?)
78 == West Point [02] ---- (10 Ways to Improve Your Chance of Getting In)
80 == Beards In Uniform [02] ---- (Army Senior Enlisted Adviser Opinion)
81 == Swearing ---- (Turns Out It is F**king Good For You)
82 == Warships That Will Change The Future ---- (Dixmude)
82 == Overseas Troops ---- (Capt. Rebecca Bergstedt)

. * MILITARY HISTORY* .

82 == Tet Offensive [02] ---- (The First 36 Hours)
82 == WWII Marines At Sea ---- (Bravery, Discipline, and Very Long Journeys)
84 == Siege of Bien Hoa Air Base ---- (Pilots Scrambled to Bomb Own Base)
86 == Berlin Wall ---- (Its Fall | And Let There be Light)
88 == USS Pueblo [04] ---- (Crewmembers Perspective After 50 Years)
89 == WWI African-American Troops ---- (Fought To Fight)
91 == Realities Of War ---- (WWII Pilot Shares Experiences)
93 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (15 thru 28 FEB)
93 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (Garman~Harold A | WWII)

. * HEALTH CARE* .

94 == Overseas Pharmacy ---- (Is it Safe?)
95 == Seasonal Affective Disorder [02] ---- (Coping With Winter Depression)
96 == Nursing Homes [13] ---- (Hazardous Conditions Are Common)
96 == TRICARE Medication Adherence Pilot Program ---- (Diabetes & Cholesterol Drugs)
97 == Tricare/CHAMPUS Fraud [17] ---- ($20M Bilked by Ex-NFL Player)
98 == Medicare ID Cards ---- (What You Must Know About the New Card)
100 == Sleep [06] ---- (Alzheimer’s Disease & Sleep Apnea)
100 == Atrial Fibrillation ---- (What It is)
101 == TRICARE Podcast 435 ---- (Maintenance Drugs | Heart Health Months)
102 ==TRICARE Podcast 436 ---- (West Region Transition - TRICARE.mil Website - Dental Care)

. * FINANCIAL * .

104 == IRS VITA Program 2018 ---- (Free 2017 Tax Filing Assistance)
105 == Divorce [01] ---- (Impact on Federal Benefits)
107 == Auto Loan GAP Insurance ---- (MLA Impact on Servicemembers Eligibility)
108 == U.S. Data Breaches ---- (179 Million Records Exposed in 2017)
109 == Drug Cost Increases [12] ---- (Big PhRMA Takes On State Legislators)
111 == VA Farm Loans ---- (How They Work)
111 == VA Home Loan [55] ---- (No Money Down Doesn't Mean Money Not Needed)
112 == Facebook Quiz Scam ---- (How it Works)
112 == Opioid Addiction Treatment Scam ---- (How To Avoid)
113 == Tax Burden for Arizona Retired Vets ---- (As of FEB 2018)

. * GENERAL INTEREST * .

115 == Notes of Interest ---- (01 thru 14 FEB 2017)
116 == Presidential Pardon [01] ---- (Request for Former 1st Lt. Michael Behenna)
117 == GTMO Detainees [02] ---- (al-Qaida Terrorist Ahmed al Darbi)
119 == IRS Phone Calls ---- (Challenge of Responding to Callers)
121 == 911 Terrorists [01] ---- (Trump Sued Over Conditions In Federal Prison)
122 == Military Parades ---- (Trump Wants One - Many Do Not)
123 == RP~China Dispute [23] ---- (South China Sea Almost Conquered by China)
124 == Border Wall [03] ---- (How Effective Are Other Nation's Walls)
125 == Taiwan-China Dispute [03] ---- (U.S. Flag Removed from Government Websites)
126 == Brakes ---- (How Often Should They Be Replaced?)
127 == Flag Protests [01] ---- (AMVETS Public Service Announcement)
128 == DPRK~US War [04] ---- (Would Not Go According to Plan)
129 == DPRK~US War [05] ---- (Our Military Has Seen the Writing on the Wall)
131 == Where There's a Will, There's a Way ---- (10)
131 == Have You Heard? ---- (Importance of Walking | Six Tiny Stories)

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 - Pennsylvania Vet State Benefits & Discounts FEB 2018
Attachment - Military History Anniversaries 15 thru 28 FEB
Attachment - Vietnam Tet Offensive

TO READ and/or DOWNLOAD THE ABOVE ARTICLES & ATTACHMENTS Click on One of the Following Websites:

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-- http://www.veteransresources.org (PDF & HTML Editions w/ATTACHMENTS)
-- http://frabr245.org (PDF & HTML Editions in Word format)
-- http://veteraninformationlinksasa.com/emos-rao.html (PDF & HTML Editions w/ATTACHMENTS)
-- http://www.nj-americanlegionpost493.org (PDF Edition w/ATTACHMENTS)

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RAO Bulletin Editor/Publisher:
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