RAO BULLETIN 15 April 2019

[boardman]

RAO
BULLETIN
15 April 2019

THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES


Pg Article Subject
. * DOD * .

05 == POW/MIA [122] ---- (Don't Replace POW/MIA flags with Transgender Banners)
05 == DoD Tuition Assistance [09] ---- (MyCAA Spouse Program)
06 == Commissary/Exchange Merger [03] ---- (Vet Coalition Asking for More Study)
07 == PCS Moves [06] ---- (10 Rules to Get Them Done)
09 == SBP DIC Offset [54] ---- (The Time is Overdue for Congress to Repeal the Offset)
10 == SBP DIC Offset [55] ---- (More Lawmakers Needed to Back Bills Ending the Widows Tax)
11 == TRICARE Benefit Erosion ---- (Concern about the Slow Cost/Fee Increases)
13 == DoD Financial Survey ---- (2019 Results)
13 == DoD Grief Program ---- (Volunteers Needed to Test Apps That Help Deal with It)
14 == POW/MIA Recoveries & Burials ---- (Reported 1 thru 15 APR 2019 | Five)

. * VA * .

15 == VA Nursing Homes [13] ---- (Inspections Find Vets Harmed in 25 States)
17 == VA DEA Program [07] ---- (Reservist Kids Not Covered in Scholarship Program)
18 == VA Community Care [05] ---- (No Delay on Expansion Even if ‘IT’ Systems Not Ready)
19 == VA Community Care [06] ---- (New Eligibility Criteria under Mission Act)
21== VA VCS ---- (Online Shopping Site for VA Eligible Vets and their Families Launched)
21 == VA Disability Claims [03] ---- (Obesity | Cannot be Considered a Service-Connected Disability)
22 == VA Telehealth [15] ---- (Virtual Clinics | Mental Health & Primary Care Treatment)
23 == GI Bill Vet Tech ---- (A New Pilot Program to Launch in April)
23 == GI Bill Rate Increases [02] ---- (Some Are Increasing 1 AUG)
24 == Virginia Granting Freedom Program ---- (Disabled Vet Home Modification Resource)
25 == VA Disability Ratings [03] ---- (Post-9/11 Vet Ratings Far Higher Than Prior Generations)
26 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ---- (Reported 01 thru 15 APR 2019)
27 == VA Blue Water Claims [68] ---- (VA Ordered to Lift Hold on Blue Water Navy Appeals)
27 == VA Caregiver Program [54] ---- (CNY Veterans Say Program Is Broken)
28 == VA Caregiver Program [55] ---- (12 Big Changes Caregivers Will See in the Next Year)
30 == Traumatic Brain Injury [72] ---- (Study Finds VA Needs to Improve Evaluation System)
31 == VAMC Tomah WI [20] ---- (No Evidence That Opioids Were Indiscriminately Prescribed)
31 == VAMC Indianapolis IN [01] ---- (Vet Foot Cut Off Because of Administrative Errors)

. * VETS * .

32 == Arizona Memorial [11] ---- (Remains Closed | Repairs Extended to Fall)
33 == Navy Recruiting [01] ---- (If Vets Are Interested in Coming Back, Now is the Time)
34 == Vet Employment [11] ---- (Call of Duty’s Virtual Soldier’s Involvement)
35 == Veteran Hearing Loss [01] ---- (3M Loses Lawsuit on Defective Earplugs)
36 == Texas Hazelwood Act ---- (Covers Vets/Kids who have Used Up their GI Bill Benefit)
37 == Wisconsin GI Bill ---- (Benefits in Addition to Federal GI Bill)
38 == Memorial Day 2019 ---- (Carry the Load Relay)
39 == Homeless Vets [92] ---- (Nations First Homeless Veteran Statue)
40 == Homeless Vets [93] ---- (VA Closing Down Successful Echoes Park Program)
41 == GI Bill Colleges [02] ---- (Vet Groups Want “90-10 rule” Changed)
42 == Vet Fraud & Abuse ---- (Reported 01 thru 15 APR 2019)
43 == Veterans FAQ ---- (VA Compensation & Pension Follow-up)
44 == Veterans FAQ --- (Is My Wife Covered Under Tricare?)
44 == Veterans FAQ ---- (Will VA Pay Bill?)
45 == WWII Vets 189 ---- (Audie Murphy | MOH Recipient)
45 == WWII Vets 190 ---- (Young Oak-Kim | Go For Broke Combatant)
46 == Afghan Vets [07] ---- (Cam Kelsch)
47 == Obit: Ernest F. Hollings ---- (6 APR 2019 | WW2 Vet & Six Term U.S. Senator)
49 == Obit: Dick Cole ---- (9 APR 2019 | Last WW2 Doolittle Raider)
50 == Obit: Derrick Nelson ---- (8 APR 2019 | Bone Marrow Donor)
51 == Vet Suicide [28] ---- (Two More Georgia Vets Died by Suicide at VA Hospitals 5 & 6 APR)
52 == Vet Suicide [29] ---- (100’s Witness Texas VA Clinic Suicide 9 APR)
53 == Vet Suicide [30] ---- (VA's Top Official is Asking Americans for Help)
54 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled As of 16 APR 2019)
54 == Military Retirees & Veterans Events Schedule ---- (As of 16 APR 2019)
55 == Vet State Benefits ---- (Louisiana 2019)

. * VET LEGISLATION * .

55 == VA Mission Act [07] ---- (S.853 | Eliminate VA Asset & Infrastructure Review Commission)
56 == VA Presumptive AO Diseases [27] ---- (H.R.2201 | Keeping Our Promises Act)
56 == VA Dental Benefits [03] ---- (H.R.2138 | Expand Eligibility to Low-Income Veterans)
57 == VA Medical Marijuana [61] ---- (H.R.2191 | Allow in States Which Have Legalized It)
57 == CHAMPVA [04] ---- (H.R.2094 | Increase Maximum Eligibility Age to 26)
58 == U.S. Coast Guard Funding [02] ---- (H.R.367 | Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act)
58 == VA Structure [02] ---- (H.R.__/S.__ | VET OPP Act)
59 == Military Survivor Benefits [01] ---- (H.R.1911 | Gold Star and Military Survivors Act)
60 == Vet Green Alert [01] ---- (S.699 | Green Alert Act of 2019)
61 == PFAS Toxic Exposure [07] ---- (S.1023 | VA Health Care for Exposed Vets)
61 == Vet Deportations [25] ---- (H.R.___/S.___ | Veterans Visa and Protection Act of 2019)
62 == Women In Service [02] ----- (5 Bills in Congress that Could Change the Game for Women)

. * MILITARY* .

63 == Navy Submarine Program [01] ---- (Commanders Want More Submarines in the Water)
64 == Navy Submarine Program [02] ---- (Virginia-class Attack Boat Changes)
65 == USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) [22] ---- (Months of Legal Fury End in a Whimper)
68 == Navy Carrier Program [03] ---- (SECNAV Defends Plans to Mothball Truman)
69 == Navy Off Duty Dress Rule ---- (Sailors May Dress According to Preferred Gender)
70 == Army Alcohol Abuse Treatment ---- (Soldiers Can Now Get Counseling and Stay Deployable)
71== Marine Corps Hymn ---- (Stand at Attention, Face the Music and ‘SING’ the Words)
72 == America the Beautiful Passes ---- (Free for Active U.S. Military)
72 == Army APC9K Submachine Gun ---- (Weapon Selected for Security Soldiers)
73 == Feres Doctrine [12] ---- (Malpractice Case Not Among Petitions Rejected by Supreme Court)
74 == Military Draft [01] ---- (What Happens on a Man's 26th Birthday)
75 == USMC Drone Defense ---- (Corps Wants a Battle Drone that Can Kill Other Drones)
76 == Military Drinking [01] ---- (Military Leads All Professions in Days Spent Drinking Per Year)
77 == Base Housing [09] ---- (DoD is Making Moves to Fix the Privatized Housing Issue)
78 == Base Housing [10] ---- (Tenant Bill of Rights)
80 == Navy Terminology, Jargon & Slang ---- (Bogey Dope thru Bootneck)
81 == Warships That Will Change The Future ---- (INS Karmuk (P64)

. * MILITARY HISTORY * .

82 == Warriors' Circle of Honor Memorial ---- (To Open on Washington Mall Next Year)
83 == Iraq War [02] ---- (603 U.S. Deaths Accredited to Iran)
83 == Tlingit Code Talkers ---- (Feted in Alaska for World War II Role)
85 == Soviet Manchurian Invasion ---- (War Declared Same Day Fat Man Dropped on Nagasaki)
85 == Great Locomotive Chase ---- (All But 2 Union Participants Awarded Medal of Honor)
87 == War Memorials ---- (Korean War Veterans National Memorial, Washington D.C)
88 == Post WWII Photos ---- (London Bomb Damaged Area)
88 == Every Picture Tells A Story ---- (Bristol Beaufighter)
89== WWII Bomber Nose Art [28] ---- (Sentimental Journey)
89 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (16 thru 30 APR)
89 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (Joe R. Hastings | WWII)

. * HEALTH CARE * .

90 == Costly Health Problems ---- (How to Cut Costs on 7 that Strike after Age 50)
92 == Corns ---- (Identification & Treatment)
93 == Lead Poisoning ---- (A Known Hazard of Military Service)
94 == Tinnitus [03] ---- (Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment)
96== Angina ---- (A Feeling of Tightness or Pressure in the Chest)
97 == TRICARE & Divorce ---- (Benefit Impact)
98 == TRICARE Baby Care ---- (Prescribed Banked Donor Milk Now Covered)
99 == Mixing Alcohol with Medicines ---- (Know the Potential Danger)
100 == Insulin [01] ---- (Why Americans Shouldn’t Feel Grateful For $137 Insulin)
101 == Measles ---- (Get Vaccinated if Not Done Twice in Childhood)
102 == Prescription Drug Costs [28] ---- (Some Annual Rx Prices Exceed Users Retirement Savings)
103 == TRICARE Podcast 496 ---- (Donor Milk - Your Environment & Your Health - Nurse Advice Line)
104 == TRICARE Podcast 497 ---- (Children's Health Month - April Pharmacy Webinar – Breastfeeding)

. * FINANCES * .

105 == Assisted Living ---- (Costs Dependent on Care Level Needed)
107 == Reserve Pensions ---- (Delayed | Beleaguered Workforce and Outdated Technology)
108 == IRS Audit [09] ---- (Mississippi Has the Highest Audit Rate in the Country)
109 == State Tax Comparisons [06] ---- (Worst and Best for Low-Income Residents)
111 == Retiree Health Care Cost ---- (Estimated Lifetime Need as of 2019)
112 == Marriage Money Management ---- (Four Approaches)
113 == Batteries [01] ---- (Rechargeable vs. Disposable)
115 == Travel Agency Trip Scam ---- (School, Student, and Parent Trips)
116 == Project Team Scam ---- (Phishing Email Sent to your Work addee)
117 == Debt Collector Scam 2 ---- (Check Out This New Twist)
118 == SSA Uniformed Service Credits ---- (Don’t Get Too Excited)
118 == Tax Burden for North Dakota Retired Vets ---- (As of APR 2019)

. * GENERAL INTEREST * .

120 == Notes of Interest ---- (01 thru 15 APR 2019)
121 == GoFundMe Scam [01] ---- (Homeless Marine Vet Sentenced to Five Years’ Probation)
122 == Philippines Travel Advisory ---- (190409 | Alert Level 2)
123 == Fort Knox ---- (Questionable Police Action against NCO)
124 == War Crime Allegation ---- (Iraq | Lt. Jacob X. Portier)
125 == USS Gerald A. Ford [12] ---- (Trump Critical of EMALS Launch System)
127 == AUSA Scholarships ---- (40 to Be Awarded by Fall 2019 | Apply Before 31 JUL)
127 == Migrants ---- (Libyans Hijack Oil Tanker After it Rescues Them)
128 == Pirate Weapons ---- (What Researchers Are Learning)
130 == Casualty Survival ---- (Iraq/Afghanistan Lesson Learned | Stem Blood Loss)
131 == Scam Thwarting ---- (Finding Solutions to the Problem)
131 == RP~China Dispute [25] ---- (President Calls China a ‘Friend’ Amid Tensions)
132 == LinkedIn Premium ---- (Now Free for Veteran Caregivers, Fry Scholars)
133 == Children of the Greatest Generation ---- (If You Are One You Remember)
135 == Interesting Ideas ---- (Buttering Toast)
135 == One Word Essays ---- (Heroism)
135 == Have You Heard? ---- (When Insults Had Class | Harley Davidsons | A Respite)

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 – Louisiana Vet State Benefits
Attachment – Military History Anniversaries 16 thru 30 APR (Updated)
Attachment – Lead Poisoning

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