RAO BULLETIN 1 December 2018

[boardman]

RAO
BULLETIN
1 December 2018

THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES

Pg Article Subject
. * DOD * .

04 == DoD Audits [03] ---- (First Ever Audit Results)
05 == PTSD [249] ---- (Judge Allows Class-Action Lawsuit Over Discharges)
06 == Arlington National Cemetery [79] ---- (Xmas Wreaths | Volunteers Needed)
07 == Transgender Lawsuits [11] ---- (Trump Again Asks Supreme Court to Intervene)
08 == China’s Island Building [03] ---- (Great Wall of SAMS Now Exists)
09 == China’s Pacific Expansion ---- (U.S./Australia Counter at Manus Island)
10 == DoD Lawsuit | Bad Paper Discharges [01 ---- (Federal Court Ruling | Proceed)
11 == U.S. Space Force [06] ---- (Air Force Clarifies Their Cost Estimate Figures)
12 == U.S. Space Force [07] ---- (More On Air Force Cost Estimate)
13 == DoD Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 30 NOV 2018)
16 == POW/MIA Recoveries & Burials ---- (Reported 16 thru 30 NOV 2018 | Nineteen)

. * VA * .

19 == VA Secretary [85] ---- (Q&A With MOAA | 15 NOV 2018)
21 == VA BDD Program [02] ---- (DoD to VA Transition | FY 2018 Improvements)
21 == VA Accountability [55] ---- (4300 Workers Fired/Demoted/Suspended Under Trump)
22 == VA Blue Water Claims [55] ---- (Procopio v. Wilke Could Make Previous Haas Ruling Invalid)
23 == ALS [14] ---- (Many Vets with ALS Were Underpaid By VA in 2017)
24 == VA Nursing Homes [11] ---- (The Truth about the Homes)
25 == Trump VA Accomplishments ---- (VA secretary: President Trump Has Kept His Promises)
26 == VA Presumptive AO Diseases [26] ---- (Hypertension Recommended)
27 == GI Bill [267] ---- (House Hearing on Delayed/Wrong Housing Stipend Payments)
28 == GI Bill [268] ---- (GI Bill Payments Fact Sheet on Current Delay)
30 == GI Bill [269] ---- (Housing Payment Rates Update | Key Changes)
31 == VA Nursing Homes [10] ---- (Brockton MA Patient Neglect)
33 == VA EHR (16) ---- ($16B Project Already Has $350M Cost Overrun)
34 == VA Medical Marijuana [54] ---- (PTSD Impact Study on Track | Results in 2019)
35 == VA Medical Marijuana [55] ---- (Can Benefits Be Taken Away If You Test Positive?)
36 == VA Unions [05] ---- (Official Time Elimination Lawsuit)
37 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 30 NOV 2018)
40 == VAMC Washington DC [12] ---- (ER Expansion Needed to Meet Increased Volume)
41 == VA HCS San Diego [01] ---- (Dangerous Human Research Alleged)

. * VETS * .

42 == Vet Student Loan [04] ---- (Many Disabled Vets Eligible for Loan Forgiveness)
43 == Vet Student Loans [05] ---- (Lack of Info, Fear Causing Thousands of Vets To Default)
45 == Vet Drunk Driving ---- (Up Nearly 60% Since 2014)
46 == Veterans in Congress [10] ---- (116th Congress Will Seat 95)
47 == Vet Toxic Exposure | Water [16] ---- (Cannon AFB Update)
48 == PTSD Vet Stereotyping ---- (Debunking Trump’s Insinuation about Vet Gunman)
49 == SNAP [07] ---- (Proposed House Bill Cuts Could Impact Vets)
50 == Purple Hearts Reunited [02] ---- (600 Returned Over Last Six Years)
51 == WWI Vets 03 ---- (Pvt. Clifford T. Ryan)
52 == WWII Vets [177] ---- (Jim Leavelle | Dallas Police Detective)
54 == WWII Vets [178] ---- (Donald L. Seesenguth | Bomber Pilot)
54 == War on Terrorism Memorial [02] ---- (Making Progress)
55 == USS Thresher Memorial ---- (Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Project)
56 == Battle Born Memorial ---- (Vandalized Three Days after Dedication)
57 == Vet Toxic Exposure | Palomares Spain [02] ---- (VA Lawsuit A Step Closer)
58 == POW/MIA [119] ---- (WWII B-24 Liberator Pilot Remains Identified & Repatriated)
59 == POW/MIA [120] ---- (Army Sgt. Eugene G. McBride's Return Home)
60 == Obit: Ray Chavez ---- (16 NOV 2018 | Oldest Pearl Harbor Vet at 106)
61 == Obit: Oliva Hooker ---- (21 NOV 2018 | 1st Coast Guard Black Woman)
63 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled As of 1 DEC 2018)
63 == Military Retirees & Veterans Events Schedule ---- (As of 1 DEC 2018)
64 == State Veteran's Benefits ---- (Florida 2018)

. * VET LEGISLATION * .

64 == GI Bill [266] ---- (S.0000 | Veteran Education and Transfer Extension Act)

. * MILITARY* .

65 == Army Deploy-Or-Out Policy [01] ---- (New Policy Rules Released)
66 == USS Zumwalt [09] ---- (Close to Losing 155mm Guns)
68 == Nuclear Weapons Arsenal [04] ---- (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty)
68== ALTA Balloon Program ---- (Overcoming Position Shifting by Wind)
69 == Military JSC Salary ---- (Trump Suggests It Should be Increased)
70 == DPRK~US War [06] ---- (Bomber Missions Suspended)
71 == Army Medical Readiness ---- (84.7% of Generals Deployable | Up From 80% in 2016)
72 == Submarine Maintenance ---- (GAO Reports $1.5B Idle Time Cost Over Last Decade)
73 == Submarine Batteries ---- (Korean Lithium-Ion Batteries Could Double Operational Time)
74 == War On Terror ---- (Price Tag Will Likely Top $6 Trillion Next Year)
75 == Medicaid Family Care [02] ---- (Cutback Impact on Military Families)
76 == Army Grooming & Dress [01] ---- (New Army Greens)
77 == Navy Terminology, Jargon & Slang ---- (A.F.R.T.S thru Aldis)
78 == Warships That Will Change the Future ---- (INS Makar (J-31)

. * MILITARY HISTORY * .

79 == Bells of Balangiga [02] ---- (Officially Returned to their Philippine Origin)
80 == Project Medication ---- (CIA Truth Serum Use)
82 == Navy 1st Carrier Takeoff ---- (Civilian Eugene Ely’s Flight 108 Years Ago)
83 == Manila Massacred ---- (Remembering One of the Pacific War’s Nastiest Battles)
84 == Norden Bombsight Development ---- (Mary Babnik Brown’s Contribution)
86 == Every Picture Tells A Story ---- (Nose Gunner)
86 == Post WWII Photos ---- (Hitler's Former Retreat at Berchtesgaden, Germany)
86 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (16 thru 30 NOV)
87 == WWII Bomber Nose Art [19] ---- (Coconut Queen)
87== Medal of Honor Citations ---- (Pierpont M Hamilton | WWII)

. * HEALTH CARE * .

89 == TRICARE Pharmacy Policy [27] ---- (Weight Loss Drugs Now Authorized)
90 == Skin Cancer ---- (Non-Melanoma)
92 == Medicare Advantage [09] ---- (Places Where It Now Costs $7,000+ a Year)
93 == Aging [04] ---- (Health Problems That Strike After Age 50)
94 == Prescription Drug Costs [13] ---- (Prospects for Lower Cost Legislation Looking Up)
96 == Prescription Drug Costs [14] ---- (Pfizer to Raise Prices on 41 Drugs in JAN 2019)
96 == Prescription Drug Costs [15] ---- (Government Role In Regulating Drug Prices)
97 == Prescription Drug Costs [16] ---- (Trump’s Latest Proposal to Reduce Costs)
99 == Flu Shots [12] ---- (Where to Obtain Free or at Reduced Cost)
100 == PTSD Treatment | Meditation ---- (DoD Experiment Results)
101 == Croup ---- (Symptoms & Treatment)
102 == TRICARE Podcast 476 ---- (TRICARE Open Season Q&A)
103 == TRICARE Podcast 477 ---- (Open Season Enrollment & Options)

. * FINANCES * .

104 == Retirement Plan Contribution Limits ---- (2019 Changes)
105 == Tax Changes 2018 ---- (Itemized Deductions, Exemptions, & Child/Dependent Credits)
106 == Tax Changes 2018 [01] ---- (Deductible Interest)
107 == Home Renting [01] ---- (Reasons You Should Rent One in Retirement)
108 == Supermarkets [01] ---- (Tricks of the Trade to Make You Spend More)
109 == SSIA [05] ---- (1 JAN Increase to $318 Monthly)
109 == Social Security Q & A ---- (181116 thru 181130)
110 == Military Targeted Scam ---- (Riskiest for the Military Community)
112 == Credit Score Scam ---- (How It works)
113 == Sweepstakes Scam [01] ---- (Publishers Clearing House)
113 == Tax Burden for Maryland Retired Vets ---- (As of NOV 2018)

. * GENERAL INTEREST * .

116 == Notes of Interest ---- (16 thru 30 NOV 2018)
117 == Iranian Navy [02] ---- (Submarine Fleet Growing)
118 == Drones | Aerial [05] ---- (Ion Engines Power Silent Drone Into First Solid State Flight)
119 == China’s Offensive Capability [05] ---- (3rd Carrier Announced)
119 == Japan Wartime Brothels ---- (Smoldering Dispute with Korea Revived)
121 == Jordon Lawsuit ---- (Fathers of 3 Troops Killed File Suit)
123 == Car Smell Fixes ---- (Seven to Make it Smell Swell)
124 == Household Tips [05] ---- (Baking Soda Uses)
126 == Retiree Moving [01] ---- (Great Reasons Not To)
127 == Solar Storms ---- (AUG 1972 Event Exploded Sea Mines)
128 == Housecleaning Tips ---- (12 That Will Save You Time and Money)
130 == One Word Essays ---- (Awe)
130 == Interesting Ideas ---- (Bookshelf)
131 == Military Word Find Game ---- (Veteran Disabilities)
131 == Have You Heard? ---- (Subtle Truths | Snake Model | Prostitutes)

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.
3. Recipients of the Bulletin are authorized and encouraged to forward the Bulletin to other vets or veteran organizations.

. * ATTACHMENTS * .

Attachment – Florida Vet State Benefits
Attachment – Military History Anniversaries 01 thru 15 DEC
Attachment – Veterans in the 116th Congress

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