RAO BULLETIN 1 June 2018

[boardman]

RAO
BULLETIN
1 June 2018
HTML/PDF Editions



THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES


Pg Article Subject
. * DOD * .

05 == DoD Recruitment Concerns [01] ---- (Loan Forgiveness Bill HR.4508)
06 == China Territorial Claims [05] ---- (US Navy Conducts FONOPS Again)
07 == NDAA 2019 [01] ---- (2.6% Pay Raise)
07 == NDAA 2019 [02] ---- (White House Objects to 37 Provisions)
08 == NDAA 2019 [03] ---- (Progress | House Bill Passed)
08 == Munitions Availability ---- (Could Become A Problem)
10 == DoD Tuition Assistance [08] ---- (New Navy Tuition Assistance Rules)
10 == Pentagon Cellphones ---- (Use Policy Clarified | Will Not be Banned)
11 == Army Re-up Bonuses ---- (Updated List)
12 == Camp Humphreys Base Relocation ---- (Civilians PCSing Face Bigger Tax Bills)
13 == Burn Pit Toxic Exposure [49] ---- (Is It Now Becoming an Afterthought?)
14 == Commissary Employees [02] ---- (Granted Shopping Privileges)
14 == DoD Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 MAY 2018)
15 == POW/MIA [101] ---- (Tom Kelly’s WWII Plane Found)
17 == POW/MIA [102] ---- (Robert Anspach Will Forever Be 33)
18 == POW/MIA Recoveries ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 MAY 2018 | Nineteen)

. * VA * .

21 == VA Disabled Vet IG Project ---- ($12 Million ‘Colossal Mistake’ Enrages Lawmakers)
22 == VA Secretary [79] ---- (Trump Appoints Peter O’Rourke on A Temporary Basis)
23 == VA Medical Foster Home [02] ---- (Another Choice for Older Disabled Vets)
25 == VA Toxin Claims ---- (Children & Grandchildren | Thousands Missing)
26 == VA TeleStroke Program ---- (What It Can Do for You)
27 == VA Mesothelioma Claims ---- (Asbestos Related Illness Coverage for Vets & Survivors)
28 == VA Pain Management [10] ---- (Alternative Forms of Therapy Available)
29 == Emergency Medical Bill Claims [03] ---- (Regulations Revised)
29 == Emergency Medical Bill Claims [04] ---- (Actions to Take After Receiving Care)
30 == VA R&D Program ---- (Congress Told DARPA-Like Program Needed)
31 == VA Claims Backlog [158] ---- (Barry Mensch | One of 471,000 Appeals)
32 == VA Leadership [01] ---- (50 Days without A Secretary | Long Term Direction Unknown)
33 == VA Secretary [78] ---- (Trump Nominating Robert Wilkie to Lead VA)
34 == VA Heart Care [03] ---- (Cardiovascular Disease Death Rates)
34 == VA Caregiver Support ---- (CaringBridge Partnership & Caregiver Support Line)
35 == VA Prostate Cancer Program [14] ---- (Non-Aggressive Cancer Treatment Progress)
37 == VA EHR [13] ---- (Records Overhaul Remain in Jeopardy after Department Shakeup)
37 == VA EHR [14] ---- (10-Year, $10 Billion Signed With Cerner Corp.)
38 == VA RAMP [02] ---- (Program Opt In Vice Invitation Only Now Allowed)
39 == VA ID Card [17] ---- (New Cards Paid for With Home Depot Logo)
39 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 MAY 2018)

. * VETS * .

40 == Folds of Honor Scholarships [01] ---- (Free College for Some Vet Families)
40 == Vet Public Leadership ---- (New Political Office MA Degree Program)
41 == Vet Fraud Attempts [01] ---- (Anchorage AK | Christopher James DeMure)
41 == Vet Jobs [232] ---- (Employer Discrimination Warning | Less-Than-Honorable Discharge)
42 == Vet Jobs [233] ---- (Truck Driver | Downside)
43 == Six Flags ---- (Handicap Policy Impacts Some Vet Access)
44 == Vet Cemetery Colorado [06] ---- (Pikes Peak National Cemetery)
45 == Vet Student Loans [03] ---- (How Veterans Get Loans without Knowing It)
47 == Predatory Colleges ---- (Freed to Fleece Vet Students)
47 == U.S. Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims ---- (Overview)
49 == Vet Fraud & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 MAY 2017)
49 == National Economy Vet Impact ---- (Current Uptick Not Good for All)
50 == Pin Ups for Vets ---- (USS Midway Photo Shoot for 2019 Calendar)
51 == Vietnam Vets [29] ---- (Jim Pawlukiewicz | Denied Citizenship for 50 Years)
52 == Vietnam Vets [30] ---- (Joe Rosa | Drafted At 17)
53 == Vietnam Vets [31] ---- (Raymond Kelley | Awarded Silver Star)
54 == Military Retirees & Veterans Events Schedule ---- (As of 31 MAY 2018)
54 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled As of 31 MAY 2018)
55 == Vet State Benefits & Discounts ---- (Vermont May 2018)

. * VET LEGISLATION* .

55 == Vet Legislative Wins 2018 ---- (17 Bills Passed Before Memorial Day)
57 == VA Mission Act [01] ---- (H.R.5674 Passes House & Senate)
58 == CA VET Legislation [10] ---- (AB 1275 Tax Bill Dies in Committee)

. * MILITARY* .

59 == Army Handgun [03] ---- (Surplus M1911 .45 Caliber Pistols Availability)
60 == USAF Pilot Shortage [03] ---- (Up To 1000 Retirees Could Be Recalled)
61 == USS Manchester (LCS-14) ---- (Commissioned 26 MAY)
62 == Afghanistan Failures [01] ---- (Trump Revamped Strategy Has Made Little Progress)
63 == BAH [04] ---- (With Dependents Rate DA form 5960 Due NLT 5 JUN)
63 == USS Gerald A. Ford [10] ---- (Forced Back into Port for Adjustments)
65 == USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) [13] ---- (Preliminary Hearing Revelations)
66 == USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) [14] -- (CO’s Attorneys Torch Navy Brass for Case Handling)
68 == USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) [06] ---- (Travel Pay Denied for Fallen Sailors’ Families)
68 == USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) [07] ---- (CO’s Negligent Homicide Charges Dropped)
71 == USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) [08] ---- (Statements of Families of the Deceased)
73 == USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118) [01] ---- (One Year behind Schedule)
74 == Military Domestic Violence ---- (UCMJ Inclusion Added to 2019 NDAA)
74 == Army Reservists BAH Lawsuit ---- (Wrongly Denied BAH Payments)
76 == Warships That Will Change the Future ---- (FS Forbin (D620)

. * MILITARY HISTORY* .

77 == National WWII Museum [02] ---- (Bob Hope Exhibit Opened 25 MAY)
78 == Arizona Memorial [09] ---- (Closed Indefinitely)
78 == Russia's Japanese Islands Invasion ---- (The Ongoing Dispute after 70 Years)
78 == Le Paradis Massacre ---- (WWII Machine-Gunning of 97 British Troops)
81 == Hello Girls ---- (Telephone Operators in France during WWI)
83 == Franklin’s Great Escape ---- (Union Major General Outwits Confederate Captors)
85 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (01 thru 15 JUN)
85 == WWII Bomber Nose Art [07] ---- (Shady Lady)
85 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (Donald J. Gott | WWII)

. * HEALTH CARE* .

87 == Collagen Crosslinking ---- (Keratoconus & Corneal Ectasia Corrective Eye Surgery)
87 == TMOP [25] ---- (Ordering & Refilling Prescriptions | FAQ)
89 == Hand Dryers ---- (The Hidden Dangers of Using Hot-Air Dryers)
90 == Prescription Drug Costs [02] ---- (Suppliers Are Hiding Their Profit)
92 == Prescription Drug Costs [03] ---- (What You Can Do)
93 == Medicare Physicals [01] ---- (Preventive Visit & Yearly Wellness Exams)
94 == Alzheimer's [17] ---- (Sixth Leading Cause of Death for Americans)
95 == TRICARE Annual Cost Increases ---- (What to Expect thru 2026)
95 == National Women’s Health Week ---- (Prioritizing Health)
96 == TRICARE Specialty Care ---- (Referral or Prior Authorization Requirement)
97 == TRICARE West [03] ---- (In Case You Missed It)
98 == TRICARE Reserve Select [15] ---- (H.R.5121 Provisions withdrawn From 2019 NDAA)
98 == TRICARE Podcast 450 ---- (Women's Health Week - Air Evacs - Identify Theft & Fraud)
99 == TRICARE Podcast 451 ---- (Annual Increases | Drug Take Back | Summer Food Safety)

. * FINANCES * .

100 == Military Retirement Pay Taxation [01] ---- (California Study to Reduce/Eliminate)
101 == VA Loans ---- (Rehabilitation)
101 == IRAs | Spouse ---- (Allowed With Little to No Income)
102 == Credit Card Benefits ----- (10 You May Have Forgotten)
103 == Medical Debt --- (How to Get Help)
104 == VA Home Loan Update 64 ---- (Leniency Sought For Delinquent HI & NC Loans
104 == SSA Death Month Check ---- (Must be returned)
105 == Widow(er)’s SSA Benefits [03] ---- (9,224 Widows & Widowers Age 70+ Underpaid)
106 == Navy Reenlistment Bonuses ---- (More Sailors Eligible for Re-Up Bucks)
106 == Gasoline Savings [05] ---- (Cars That Get More Than 50 Miles per Gallon)
107 == Chinese Consulate Robocall Scam ---- (Targeting Speakers of Mandarin)
108 == Phony Loan Scam ---- (Emails Offer Easy Money)
108 == Tax Burden for Florida Retired Vets ---- (As of May 2018)

. * GENERAL INTEREST * .

109 == Notes of Interest ---- (16 thru 31 MAY 2018)
111 == Pillows ---- (What To Shop For)
112 == Civil Service [01] --- (3 Trump Executive Orders to Save Taxpayers over $100M)
113 == Civil Service [02] ---- (Trump Executive Order on Firing)
114 == Memorial Day Remembrance [06] ---- (Afghan KIA Mother’s Plans)
116 == Afghanistan Extremism ---- (Western Consumers Fund by Buying Talcum Powder)
117 == National Anthem [09] ---- (NFL New Policy on Taking A Knee)
118 == Homeland Security Drone Concerns ---- (Preventing Emerging Threats Act of 2018)
119 == Social Security Number --- (Government Should Stop Pretending Yours is Secret)
120 == U.S. Treaty Capricity ---- (U.S. Has Always Broken Its Treaties, Pacts & Promises)
121 == Tickets for Troops ---- (Washington Nationals)
122 == RP~China Dispute [24] ---- (Long-Range Bombers Landed for the First Time)
123 == Sleep [08] ---- (7 More Tips for Improving)
124 == Where There's a Will, There's a Way ---- (17)
124 == Merchant Marine Fleet ---- (U.S. Decline a Matter of National Security)
127 == Have You Heard? ---- (Leo and Frank | Lessons)

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 – Vermont Vet State Benefits & Discounts May 2018
Attachment - Military History Anniversaries 01 thru 15 JUN
Attachment - Russia's Japanese Islands Invasion


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-o-o-O-o-o-

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