RAO BULLETIN 1 July 2018

[boardman]

RAO
BULLETIN
1 July 2018

HTML/PDF Edition



THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES


Pg Article Subject
. * DOD * .

05 == DoD Blended Retirement System [02] ---- (Projected Lump Sum Take Rates)
06 == B-52's [04] ---- (Bomb Weight Capability to be Quadrupled)
07 == DPRK Nuclear Weapons [22] ---- (Trump | Still An Extraordinary Threat)
07 == Commissary/Exchange Merger ---- (Task Force Analysis to Start in JUL)
08 == Commissary/Exchange Future [01] ---- (Authorized User Expansion)
09 == NDAA 2019 [04] ---- (Five Debates Lawmakers Still Need To Settle)
10 == NDAA 2019 [05] ---- (Senate Version Passes 85-10)
11 == Transgender Lawsuits [07] ---- (Judge Again Blocks Ban From Taking Effect)
12 == Federal Retirement Planning ---- (Knowledge Test | True or False)
13 == DoD Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ---- (Reported 15 thru 30 JUN 2018)
14 == POW/MIA [104] ---- (MIA Mission Included in US-North Korea Summit)
15 == POW/MIA [105] ---- (Army Maj. Stephen T. Uurtamo Laid to Rest)
16 == POW/MIA [106] ---- (Pilot Missing Since 1944 Laid to Rest)
17 == POW/MIA [107] ---- (Preps to Receive Up to 200 Remains from DPRK)
18 == POW/MIA Recoveries ---- (Reported 16 thru 30 JUN 2018 | 26)

. * VA * .

22 == VA Hospital Staff Shortages [01] ---- (IG Identifies 140 Hospitals)
22 == VA Protest ---- (Vet Sets Self on Fire Outside GA Capitol Building)
22 == HUD-VASH [08] ---- (Critical Resource For Ending Vet Homelessness)
24 == VA Appointments [19] ---- (Epic’s Scheduling System Early Results Promising)
24 == VA Budget 2019 [01] ---- (Senate Passes 86-5 | Goes to Conference Committee)
25 == VA Cancer Policy [03] ---- (Agent Orange Related List | Bladder?)
26 == VA Mission Act [03] ---- (Signed But Remains Unfunded)
26 == VA Secretary [80] ---- (Wilkie Confirmation Hearing Set for 27 JUN)
28 == VA Employee Moonlighting ---- (Education-Related Work Proposal)
28 == VA Whistleblowers [55] ---- (VA IG in Fight with VA Leadership)
29 == VA Nursing Home Care [01] ---- (VA Release of Underlying Data Demanded)
31 == VA Accountability [53] ---- (Senior Executive Relocation Benefit Abuse)
31 == VA Accountability [54] ---- (S.1094 Repeal Effort | Low Ranking Employee Impact)
32 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 30 JUN 2018)
33 == VAMC Loma Linda CA [01] ---- (Legionella Found In Water Fountains)
33 == VAMC Topeka KS [02] ---- (OIG Finds No Evidence Wrongdoing)
34 == VAMC Fayetteville AR ---- (IG Investigating Misdiagnosed Pathology Cases)
35 == VA Clinic Oceanside CA ---- (Four Female Patients Sexually Assaulted)

. * VETS * .

37 == Veterans Creed ---- (Unveiled 14 JUN)
38 == Burn Pit Toxic Exposure [53] ---- (Burn Pits -- The New Agent Orange)
40 == Vet Jobs [235] ---- (Cloud Computing & Artificial Intelligence Openings)
40 == Vet Suicide [22] ---- (Latest VA Report)
41 == Burn Pit Toxic Exposure [52] ---- (4th Circuit Rules KBR Can Not be Sued)
41 == Vet Toxic Exposure | McMurdo [03] ---- (U.S. Navy Reactor Radiation Leak)
42 == Vet Toxic Exposure | Base Water ---- (HHS Study Released | Not Good)
43 == Vietnam Veterans Memorial [22] ---- (Annual Father's Day Rose Remembrance)
44 == Vet Predatory Loans [03] ---- (VA Issues New Policy to Protect Vets)
45 == Korean War Vets ---- (Carl Murphy | “Forgotten War” Composer)
46 == Afghanistan Vets [03] ---- (Kyle Stewart | Marine Veteran & Professional Fighter)
48 == WWII Memorial [01] ---- (Saturdays with Bob Dole)
50 == WWII VETS 167 ---- (Harry Weber | 554th Quartermaster Railhead Company)
51 == Military Retirees & Veterans Events Schedule ---- (As of 30 JUN 2018)
51 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled As of 30 JUN 2018)
52 == Vet State Benefits & Discounts ---- (Washington JUN 2018)

. * VET LEGISLATION * .

53 == Transition Assistance Program [06] ---- (H.R.5553 | Improve DoD’s Program)
53 == VA Overpayments [02] ---- (H.R. 4974 | Verify Who’s at Fault & Modify Recoup Policy)
54 == VA Dental Benefits [01] ---- (H.R.4556 | Expand Care to all Vets)
54 == VA Nursing Home Care [02] ---- (Senate Passes H.R.5895 | Publish Quality Ratings)
55 == VA Budget 2019 [01] ---- (Senate Passes 86-5 | Goes to Conference Committee)
56 == VA Medical Marijuana [46] ---- (Senate Bill Sent to Conference Committee)
56 == VA Blue Water Claims [46] ---- (House Passes HR.299 by Vote of 382-0)

. * MILITARY* .

57 == Army Recruiting [07] ---- (Retired Recruiters Asked to Reenlist)
58 == Railgun [02] ---- (China’s Version)
58 == USMC Base Upgrades ---- (MCAS Cherry Point, Guam, Camp Pendleton & Camp Lejeune)
59 == Army Training ---- (OSUT Pilot Program Extension)
61 == MCPON [01] ---- (Steven Giordano Resignation Amid Ongoing Investigation)
62 == B-1 Bomber [03] ---- (Reason for May Groundings Revealed)
63 == West Point [05] ---- (‘Commie Cadet’ Spenser Rapone Receives OTH Discharge)
64 == U.S. Space Force ---- (Trump Orders New Service Branch)
66 == Neo-Nazi Marine ---- (LCpl. Vasilios Pistolis Found Guilty)
67 == Oregon Tuition Aid ---- (Bill Signed to Grant Funds for National Guard Members)
67 == Variable Kinetic System ---- (New Non-Lethal Weapon Purchased for Army)
68 == Navy Warrant Officer ---- (W-1 Rank to Return in 2019)
69 == Navy Sea Pay ---- (NavAdmin 143/18 Updates Rules)
70 == USMC Base Quantico 911 Monument ---- (Honors 17 Marine Deaths)
70 == USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) ---- (Delivery Accepted)
71 == USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) [15] ---- (All Negligent Homicide Charges Dropped)
72 == Army Reserve Retirement Services [01] ---- (Pre-Retirement Briefings)
73 == Warships That Will Change the Future ---- (HMS Queen Elizabeth (RO-8)

. * MILITARY HISTORY * .

74 == Soviet Troops in Cuba ---- (A 1979 Uproar Over Practically Nothing)
74 == WWII D-Day ---- (Six Facts You Never Learned in School)
76 == Desert Storm Memorial [09] ---- (Site Selected)
77 == Military & Whiskey Bond ---- (Deep-Seated)
79 == National Museum of the U.S. Navy [01] ---- (DC's Secret Amazing Museum)
80 == Rosenberg Execution ---- (Case Remains Controversial To This Day)
81 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (01 thru 15 JUL)
82 == WWII Bomber Nose Art [09] ---- (To Each His Own)
82 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (Ross F. Gray | WWII)

. * HEALTH CARE * .

84 == Fireworks & PTSD [01] ---- (4th of July Warning)
85 == Toxic Exposure | Patrick AFB ---- (Florida DOH Gathering Data)
86 == NDAA 2019 [06] ---- (Stop Another Year of TRICARE Fee Increases)
87 == Medicaid Fraud [95] ---- ($137 Billion Annually)
88 == Medicare Cataract Coverage ---- (What You Should Know)
89 == Food Poisoning [02] ---- (Tips to Avoid)
90 == Canada/Mexico Prescription Drugs [01] ---- (Increased Mail Seizures)
91 == Internet Pharmacies [01] ---- (How to Buy Safely)
92 == TRICARE Podcast 454 ---- (Protecting Your Skin - Tanzeum - Marital Status Changes)
93 == TRICARE Podcast 456 ---- (Updating DEERS - Healthy Hydration - Maintaining Dental Health)

. * FINANCES * .

94== Dumb Things We Pay For ---- (Stop Making Purchases You Don’t Need To)
96 == Insurance Bundling ---- (Pros & Cons)
96 == Social Security Benefits [05] ---- (Worth Even Less Than You Think)
97 == Regional Health Command Europe ---- (Billing Delays)
98 == Funerals [02] ---- (Cost Management)
99 == Mortgage [09] ---- (Should You Buy Mortgage Life Insurance)
100 == Sales Tax [02] ---- (Online Purchases Change)
101 == Washington D.C. Military Discounts ---- (Places to Check Out)
102 == Square CC Processing Scam ---- (Phishing Emails Target Small Businesses)
102 == Birth Certificate for a Fee Scam ---- (Online Offerings)
103 == Kidnap Scam [01] ---- (Army CID Warning)
103 == Tax Burden for Hawaii Retired Vets ---- (As of JUN 2018)

. * GENERAL INTEREST * .

105 == Notes of Interest ---- (16 thru 30 JUN 2018)
107 == Online Piracy [01] ---- (California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018)
108 == Soccer Dad Loses Control ---- (Navy Chief Plummets 14-yr Old with Fist)
108 == NATO ---- (Trump’s ‘America First’ Impact)
109 == Postal Service [07] ---- (Trump’s Privatization Proposal)
110 == Great Britain ---- (No Longer A 'Tier One' Military Power)
111 == Lincoln Memorial ---- ($25 Million Top-To-Bottom Makeover)
112 == DPRK Nuclear Weapons [21] ---- (No Steps Yet on Denuclearization)
113 == Flag Etiquette [03] ---- (Do’s & Don’ts)
114 == Plumbing Tips ---- (5 You Should Know)
115 == Shark Finning ---- (Prohibited by Florida Law)
116 == RP Military Modernization Plan ---- (Wish List)
117 == Innovative Technology ---- (Transparent Toaster)
118 == Old Goat Quiz ---- (For Those Over 60)
118 == Have You Heard? ---- (Texas cowboy | Admiral’s Aide | Blonde Men Stories)

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 – Washington Vet State Benefits & Discounts JUN 2018
Attachment - Military History Anniversaries 01 thru 15 JUL
Attachment - The Other Cuba Crisis

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RAO Bulletin Editor/Publisher:
Lt. James (EMO) Tichacek, USN (Ret) Tel: (858) 842-1111 Email: raoemo@sbcglobal.net
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RAO Baguio Director:
SSgt Terrance (Terry) Parker, USAF (Ret), PSC 517 Box 4107, FPO AP 96517-1000, Tel: Smart 0921824728 or Globe 09454073380, Email: rao.dir.baguio@gmail.com

RAO Baguio Office: Mountain Lodge, 27 Leonard Wood Road, Baguio City, 2600 Philippines
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