Bulletin 160201 (PDF Edition)

RAO BULLETIN 1 February 2016

PDF Edition

THIS BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES

Pg Article Subject * DOD * .

05 == GTMO Prison [03] ------(Pentagon Submits Closure Plan) 06 == DoD Fertility Services ------(Sperm/Egg Freezing for Future Use) 07 == DoD Mental Health Programs [01] -- (Significant Changes Proposed) 07 == Military Family Benefits ------(Force of the Future Initiative) 08 == MCAS Futenma Okinawa [07] ------(Anti-move Candidates Lose) 09 == DoD 2017 Budget ------(Timeline) 09 == DoD Email ------(Inbox Size Limit Enforcement Begins) 10 == DOD Tuition Assistance [03] ------(University of Phoenix Probation) 11 == State of Defense 2016 ------(USA/USN/USAF/USMC Overview) 11 == DoD Lawsuit ~ PTSD VN [02] ------(Discharge Upgrade Settlement) 12 == DoD Lawsuit ~ Purple Heart ------(Denied | Friendly Fire) 12 == DoD Causality Reporting ------(Civilians | Iraq & Syria) 14 == Commissary Funding [25] - (Are They Safe | Threats Seem Constant) 15 == Selective Service System [01] ------(Registration for Women 50:50) 15 == Commissary Prices [01] ------(New Pricing Models to be Tested) 17 == AAFES Online Pricing [01] --- (Furniture Pricing Mistake Exploited) 18 == DoD Fraud, Waste, and Abuse ------(Reported 16 thru 31 Jan 2016) 18 == POW/MIA Recoveries ------(Reported 16 thru 31 Jan 2016)

* VA * .

18 == VA Accountability [16] ---- (Demoted Rubens & Graves 2nd Appeal) 20 == VA Prescription CoPay ------(Tiered Rx System for 2017) 21 == VA Medical Marijuana [17] ------(21 Lawmakers Write McDonald) 22 == VA Secretary [40] ------(Response to Sen. McCain Criticism)

23 == VA Secretary [41] ------(VA Needs to be Principle vice Rule Based) 24 == VA Secretary [42] ------(Reform is Like Turning the Titanic) 25 == VA Appeals [15] ------(McDonald Makes 2nd Plea to Lawmakers) 26 == VA Appeals [16] ------(McDonald’s Statement on Need to Reform) 27 == VA Incarcerated Vets Benefits ------(Disability Payments) 28 == VA Data Breach [59] ----- (61% Incident Decrease Nov to Dec 2015) 29 == VA Whistleblowers [37] ------(Disclosures Skyrocketed in 2015) 31 == VA Whistleblowers [38] ------(Spying on Email Complaint Probe) 33 == VA Whistleblowers [39] - (Whistleblower Opponent Paid to Resign) 34 == VA Hiring ------(Veterans Limited to Lowly Positions) 36 == Shad [08] - [No Major Difference in Vet’s Mortality Rates/Diseases) 37 == AO Compensation | Non-Vietnam [04] ----- (List Expansion Sought) 38 == VA Lawsuit | Macias~Otto ------(35 Years of Unpaid Benefits) 38 == VA Clinic Knoxville TN ----- (Letter: Our VA Clinics are Excellent) 39 == VA Clinic Jacksonville VA - (Extremely Thorough and Professional) 40 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ------(Reported 16 thru 31 JAN 2016) 43 == VAMC West Los Angeles [15] ----- (Revised Plan Looks Promising) 45 == VARO Fort Smith AR ------(Now Open)

* Vets * .

45 == Veterans Affinity Fraud ------(Spotting Veterans Fundraising Scams) 47 == Desert Storm Memorial [04] ------(National Mall Area 1 Proposed) 47 == Wounded Warrior Project [02] ------(Where is the Money Going???) 49 == Veteran ID Card [04] ------(Implementation in 2017) 49 == Tomb of the Unknowns [09] ------(Blizzard Conditions) 50 == Operation Take Command ------(7-11 Franchise Contest) 50 == CT Vet Business Preference ------(State Contract Bids) 51 == Vet Toxic Exposure ~ Fentress NALF – (Perfluorinated Compounds) 52 == Vet Burial Honors ------(Families Should be Aware of in Advance) 52 == Stolen Valor ------(Reported 160115 thru 160131) 53 == World War I Memorial [08] ------(Design Winner Announced) 55 == Vietnam Vets [14] ------(Mike Kirchen) 56 == WWII Vets 99 ------(Hanley~Fiske) 58 == Obit: Yazhe~Ernest | Navaho Code Talker------(19 Jan 2016) 59 == Obit: Smith~William Y | USAF General------(19 Jan 2016) 60 == Obit: Dixon~Alyce | Oldest Female Vet ------(27 Jan 2016) 61 == Obit: Coates~Barry | VA Wait Time Victim ------(23 Jan 2016) 62 == Retiree Appreciation Days ------(As of 29Jan 2016) 63== Vet Hiring Fairs ------(1 Feb thru 14 Mar 2016) 64== Vet State Benefits & Discounts ------(Montana 2016)

* Vet Legislation * .

64== VA Bonuses [30] -- (Veterans Administration Bonus Elimination Act) 65 == VA Facility Safety [02] ------(Senate Passes S.2422) 66 == POW/MIA [69] ------(Resolution to Create New Committee) 66 == Vet Bills Submitted to 114th Congress ------(151216 thru 151231)

* MILITARY * .

67 == Expeditionary Fast Transports ---- (Bow Structure Design Problems) 69 == Army Manning Levels ------(Future of the Army Report) 70 == Navy Intelligence ------(OIC Not Allowed to Know any Secrets) 71 == Military Tattoo Criteria [04] -- (Marines Will Have More Flexibility) 72== Military Tattoo Criteria [05] ------(MARADMIN 198-07) 73 == B-1 Bomber [01] -- (Canceled, Revived, Converted, Misunderstood) 75 == Looking Ahead to 2016 ------(USA) 77 == Looking Ahead to 2016 ------(USAF) 79 == Looking Ahead to 2016 ------(USMC) 81 == Army Retention Program [01] ------(New Re-Enlistment Rules) 82 == USAF Job Titles ------(No Review of “man/men” References) 83 == Military Enlistment Standards 2015 [12] ------(Medical Physical) 83 == Medal of Honor Citations ------(Holcomb~John N | VN)

* MILITARY HISTORY * .

85 == Aviation Art ------(Safe Harbor) 85 == Military History ------(Cambodia | Mayaguez Incident at Koh Tang) 87 == WWII Ads ------(Nash / Kelvinator) 87 == Military History Anniversaries ------(01 thru 14 Feb) 88 == D-Day ------(Distribution of Invasion Forces) 88 == WWII Prewar Events ------(1936 Olympics SS Troops Relax) 89 == WWII PostWar Events ------(1946 Poland War Orphans) 89 == Spanish American War Image 83 - (Captain Dennis Geary in Cavite) 90 == WWI in Photos 136 ------(Mud Flats in Flanders, Belgium, in 1918) 90 == Battle of Okinawa ------(Machinato Inlet Crossing) 91 == Ghosts of Time ------(Then & Now’ Photos of WWII Sites (09)

* HEALTH CARE * .

91 == TRICARE Reform [01] ------(Stuck in a Death Spiral) 92 == TRICARE Vision Benefits [03] ------(Eye Exams) 93 == PTSD Assistance [01] ------(Ways You can Help) 95 == Hepatitis C [04] ------(Gilead Sciences Inc. Price Gouging) 96 == TRICARE Prime [35] ------(Right of First Refusal) 96 == Tricare OTC Demo Project [04] ------(OTC Coverage Here to Stay) 96 == Seasonal Affective Disorder ------(Brought On by Light Deprivation) 97 == Chapped Lips ------(Effective Tips for Restoring Chapped Lips) 98 == Sleep Disorder [03] ------(Weighted Blanket Therapy) 100 == TRICARE Help ------(Q&A 160201)

* FINANCES * .

102 == IRS 2016 Filing Season ------(Opened 19 JAN) 104 == Verizon Vet Discount ------(15 Percent on Monthly Wireless Service) 104 == IRS Impersonators ------(Vet Alert) 105 == SBP | Special Needs Children ------(New Policy Released)

105 == SNAP [03] ------(Program Change to Impact 500k Adults) 107 == COLA 2017 [01] ------(Dive into Red Continues) 107 == Rally to Benefit Veterans -- (22 Vet Charities slated to Split Proceeds) 108 == Saving Money ------(Eyeglasses III | Slashing the Cost) 110 == Cable Company Discount Scam ------(How it Works) 111== OPM Data Breach Letter Scam ------(How it Works) 112 == Balikbayan Boxes ------(Tax Exemption) 113 == Tax Burden for Michigan Residents ------(As of Jan 2016) 114 == Tax Burden for California Retired Vets ------(As of Jan 2016) 116 == Retiree State Taxes ------(What to Expect in South Carolina) 116 == Thrift Savings Plan 2016 ------(Returns as of 29 Jan 2016)

* GENERAL INTEREST * .

118 == Notes of Interest ------(16 thru 31 Jan 2016) 119 == Japan~China Dispute [01] ------(Territorial Water Incursions) 120 == Voter-ID ------(Trial Could Have Ramifications Across U.S.) 121 == Gulf War ------(Iraq Invasion | Was it a Mistake?) 122 == Israel's Memorial to 9/11 ------(9/11 Living Memorial Plaza) 123 == Winter Weather Safeguards ------(Be Prepared and Stay Safe) 124 == Photos That Say it All ------(Backrest) 125 == Most Creative Statues ------(Bratislava, Slovakia | Men at work) 125 == Interesting Inventions ------(High-Tech, Heated Shoes) 126 == Moments of US History ------(Bridget Bardot & Pablo Picasso 1956) 126 == Parking ------(Revenge Tactic #12 against Inconsiderate Parkers) 126 == Brain Teaser ------=------(Which One is It?) 127 == Have You Heard? ------(Smart Women) 127 == Have You Heard? ------(Some People) 128 == Help!!! ------(Things that might make you say it (05) 128 == Brain Teaser Answer ------(Which One is It?)

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 [email protected].

* ATTACHMENTS * .

Attachment - Veteran Legislation as of 31 Jan 2016 Attachment - State of Defense 2016 Attachment - Montana Vet State Benefits & Discounts JAN 2016 Attachment - Military History Anniversaries 1 thru 14 FEB Attachment - Retiree Activity\Appreciation Days (RAD) Schedule as of 29 Jan 2016

TO READ and/or DOWNLOAD THE ABOVE ATTACHMENTS Refer to any of the following: -- http://www.nhc-ul.com/rao.html (PDF Edition w/ATTACHMENTS) -- http://www.veteransresources.org (PDF & HTML Editions w/ATTACHMENTS) -- http://frabr245.org (PDF & HTML Editions in Word format) -- http://veteraninformationlinksasa.com/retiree-assistance-office.html (HTML Edition)

-- http://thearmysecurityagency.com/rao.html (PDF Edition w/ATTACHMENTS)

* DoD *

GTMO Prison Update 03 ► Pentagon Submits Closure Plan

Defense Secretary Ash Carter has sent President Barack Obama a plan to close the U.S. military detention center in Cuba and move remaining detainees to a U.S. alternative. “Not everyone in GTMO can be safely transferred to another country, so we need an alternative,” Carter said 14 JAN in Miami. “I have therefore framed for the president a proposal to establish an alternative location. That plan will propose bringing those detainees to an appropriate, secure location in the United States.” Carter’s plan presents a list of potential options for where on U.S. soil the Pentagon would put the “worst of the worst” Guantanamo detainees, but does not recommend a specific site. A senior administration official said on condition of anonymity that the president’s national security team is in the “final stages of reviewing the proposal,” submitted by the Pentagon this month. “No specific site is selected for potential detention in the United States,” the official said.

Ash Carter GTMO Prison, Cuba

Hours before Carter spoke, the Pentagon transferred 10 Yemeni detainees to Oman, trimming the population of Guantanamo by about 10 percent. Now 93 detainees remain, the first time the total has been under 100 since 2002, shortly after the prison opened. Three more remain to be transferred to fulfill the Obama administration’s announcement that 17 would leave in early 2016. Administration officials believe that cutting Guantanamo’s population to under 100 individuals would mollify lawmakers who have blocked any transfers to U.S. soil. But opponents have made clear they’ll continue their opposition. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) said in a 13 JAN statement in response to reports of the latest transfer: “Any Obama administration decision to transfer a large number of Yemeni detainees from Guantanamo to Oman would represent a thinly veiled attempt to undercut the will of Congress and would further endanger the American people.”

The Obama administration has been working on the closure plan since last year, but the Pentagon has repeatedly delayed its delivery to Congress; first, to allow the Defense Department to survey potential sites, and again when the plan was determined to be too costly, undermining the White House’s argument that closing Guantanamo would save money. Carter spoke 14 JAN at the change of command ceremony for U.S. Southern Command, where retiring Gen. John Kelly has overseen Guantanamo for three years. At the Pentagon last week, Kelly told Defense One, “Bombing

the living shit out of ISIS in Iraq and Afghanistan, Syria, that would maybe irritate them more than the fact we have Guantanamo open.” For terrorist groups and rights activists alike, he said, “What tends to bother them is the fact that we’re holding them there indefinitely without trial … it’s not the point that it’s Gitmo. If we send them, say, to a facility in the U.S., we’re still holding them without trial.”

In his final State of the Union, Obama vowed to keep pushing to close Guantanamo: “It’s expensive, it’s unnecessary, and it only serves as a recruitment brochure for our enemies.” But when asked before the address if Congress would prevent the president from shuttering the detention center, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said, “I sure hope so … it’s the perfect place for terrorists.” [Source: Defense One | Molly O'Toole | January 14, 2016 ++] *********************************

DoD Fertility Services ► Sperm/Egg Freezing for Future Use

Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced 28 JAN that the Pentagon will start covering sperm and egg freezing for troops who want to preserve their gametes for future use. In a speech on "Force of the Future" initiatives that addressed changes to maternity and paternity leave as well as improved child care services, Carter said the Defense Department will launch the pilot preservation program and promised to explore widening the department's coverage of fertility services. “We can help our men and women preserve their ability to start a family, even if they suffer certain combat injuries,” Carter said. “That’s why we will cover the cost of freezing sperm or eggs through a pilot program for active- duty service members.”

According to Carter, the benefit will be offered to any service member who requests it as well as troops anticipating a deployment. He added that the egg- and sperm-freezing program not only will give troops who deploy “peace of mind,” it also will provide “greater flexibility” for service members to decide when they want to start a family. “For women who are midgrade officers and enlisted personnel, this benefit will demonstrate that we understand the demands upon them and want to help them balance commitments to force and family. We want to retain them in the military,” Carter said.

The majority of military personnel are in the prime of their child-bearing or fathering years: Nearly half of all enlisted personnel are under age 26, with the next largest group, 22 percent, being ages 26 to 30. More than 42 percent of officers are between the ages of 26 and 35, according to Defense Department data. Women made up 15 percent of the active-duty force of 1.3 million in 2014. More than 1,300 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan suffered injuries to their groin regions and genitalia that would require advanced reproductive surgeries. Some advocacy groups and military spouses have pressed for improved fertility services for service members, saying the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments should cover advanced reproductive technologies for troops whose infertility is related to their military service as well as egg and sperm freezing prior to a combat deployment.

Seven military treatment facilities offer IVF and artificial insemination to active-duty personnel and their spouses at cost if they meet eligibility criteria. Those services and others, including sperm extraction and embryo preservation, are available at no charge to severely wounded personnel on active-duty and their spouses. Tricare, the military's civilian health benefits program, covers diagnoses of illnesses that can cause infertility and correction of any medical issues that might be the source of the problem but does not cover IVF or artificial insemination. The Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides health care to former service members with service-connected conditions, offers diagnostic services and treatment for some conditions but does not provide IVF or other advanced fertility services.

Carter said the initiatives are among a larger effort to make the military a more “family-friendly employer.” “By providing this additional peace of mind for our young service members, we provide our force greater confidence about their future,” Carter said. According to a Defense Department fact sheet, the two-year pilot will cover the cost of freezing sperm or eggs through Tricare. After the test program is complete, DoD will assess its impact, including cost and recruiting and retention benefits, and either renew the program or allow service members to pay out of pocket for

continued storage. Carter did not provide details about the estimated cost of the initiatives. [Source: MilitaryTimes | Patricia Kime | January 29, 2016 ++]

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DoD Mental Health Programs Update 01 ► Significant Changes Proposed

The Pentagon is poised to make significant changes to its mental health benefits for troops, families and retirees, to include eliminating limits on inpatient services and allowing Tricare to cover hormone therapy for transgender individuals, In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on 1 FEB, the Defense Department will propose several changes to mental health services to better align the military health program with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. DoD is seeking public comment on the proposed changes, which include doing away with time limits on inpatient mental health stays and annual limits for stays at residential treatment centers.

The proposed rule also would eliminate a 60-day limit on partial hospitalization, annual and lifetime limits for substance use disorder treatment and presumed limitations on weekly psychotherapy and family therapy sessions. But the proposed rule also contains a provision that would require Tricare to cover all "medically necessary and appropriate care for the treatment of gender dysphoria," with the exception of surgery, which would still not be covered. Under the rule, transgender service members, family members and retirees would no longer have to pay out of pocket for hormone replacement therapy. Earlier this month, the Washington Blade newspaper quoted Pentagon spokesman Matthew Allen as saying that Defense Secretary Ash Carter will decide this spring whether to lift the ban on transgender individuals serving openly.

On 29 JAN, Defense Department spokesman Air Force Maj. Benjamin Sakrisson said the announcement in the Federal Register is not a harbinger of a change to the ban. "This rule being put up for public comment is in no way related to a decision by the secretary to allow transgender troops to serve openly," Sakrisson said. "It is simply an attempt to align Tricare benefits with the Mental Health Parity Act and other existing legislation." LGBT advocacy groups estimate that 12,500 transgender individuals serve in the military. Last February, Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning, formerly known as Bradley Manning, incarcerated at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for sending classified documents to WikiLeaks, was granted access to hormonal treatment to transition to becoming a woman. Manning had filed suit against the federal government to get the treatments. [Source: MilitaryTimes | Patricia Kime | January 29, 2016 ++]

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Military Family Benefits ► Force of the Future Initiative

Two months after his first wave of changes, Defense Secretary Ash Carter's Force of the Future Initiative aims to make military service more family friendly. Maternity and paternity leave, childcare services, and reproductive medical services are among changing benefits.  Active duty female members of all services will now have 12 weeks of paid maternity leave. Last year, the Navy began authorizing 18 weeks of paid maternity leave, while the Army and Air Force offered only 6 weeks. Carter's new policy, aimed at providing consistency among the services, will split the difference - increasing 6 weeks for the Air Force and Army, while cutting 6 weeks from the Navy and Marine Corps programs.  Increased paternity leave to 14 days of non-continuous leave from the previous 10. Currently, three weeks of adoptive leave is granted to one parent of a dual military couple. DoD is seeking congressional approval to provide two weeks of leave for the other parent.

 Childcare Development Center (CDC) operation hours will be extended to overlap typical work shifts and accommodate military work schedules. CDCs will be required to provide a minimum of 14 hours of continuous coverage.  DoD will also expand reproductive services to active duty servicemembers. Egg and sperm cryopreservation will be available through a pilot program within TRICARE. These are important steps for many wounded warriors, male and female.

The stress of military service on families is cited as one of the biggest reasons servicemembers leave the military. Secretary Carter's latest announcement aims to help retain the best and the brightest by instituting uniform, family- friendly policies. [Source: MOAA Leg Up | January 29, 2016 ++]

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MCAS Futenma Okinawa Update 07 ► Anti-move Candidates Lose

Mayors committed to U.S. military base realignment plans in Okinawa and Iwakuni each won re-election this past weekend, giving the Japanese government a political boost against those opposed to the moves. Atsushi Sakima defeated Keiichiro Shimura on 24 JAN to remain mayor of Ginowan City, home of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa. The U.S. and Japan have agreed to close Futenma, which is in a densely populated part of the island and garnered protest after a helicopter crashed into a nearby college building in 2004. However, the plan to move Futenma’s functions to Camp Schwab, in the island’s rural east, galvanized opposition that resulted in Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga’s landslide victory in 2014.

Aerial views of MCAS Iwakuni on mainland Japan (left) and MCAS Futenma in Okinawa, Japan

Shimura had been supported by Onaga, who favors moving base functions off-island and has attempted to thwart the bilateral realignment plan through permit revocations and other moves. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Shimura’s loss showed that opposition to the U.S./Japan realignment plan isn’t as strong as reported by some polls, during a press conference 25 JAN in Tokyo. “The reality is that the candidate, who ran [against the relocation], was defeated,” said Suga, who later added that the economy and other factors also factored into the vote. Sakima hasn't voiced support for the Camp Schwab move but hasn't opposed it either, according to Japanese media reports.

Okinawa, with a population of approximately 1.4 million, is home to about half of U.S. forces in Japan. The island is prized for its strategic proximity to several hotspots in the region, but the U.S. military footprint has also garnered significant opposition since the island reverted to Japan from the U.S. in 1972. The U.S.-Japan realignment plan calls for thousands of Marines to transfer from Okinawa to Guam sometime in the next decade. The plan also includes the Futenma relocation and the transfer of the Navy’s Carrier Air Wing 5 from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, west of Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture, to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. Opposition in Iwakuni to the transfer and expansion of the base there has been more muted than the protest movement in Okinawa. On 24 JAN, Iwakuni Mayor Yoshihiko

Fukuda easily gained re-election with 72 percent of the vote against Atsuko Himeno, who opposes the air wing transfer. [Source: Stars and Stripes | Erik Slavin | January 25, 2016 ++]

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DoD 2017 Budget ► Timeline

The White House announced that the president's budget request will be delivered to Congress on 9 FEB. Once the budget request is received, the ball gets rolling on the defense bill. Below is MOAA's estimated timeline of the FY 2017 defense bill process: DB budget timeline

 Feb 9: The president submits his annual budget proposal to Congress. MOAA expects to see another military pay raise cap, more Basic Housing Allowance cuts, and proposals to significantly overhaul military health care. MOAA will begin analyzing the impact of the proposals on currently serving and retired members and families and begin preparing fact sheets and brochures to articulate MOAA's positions to Congress and the public.  Late March: Six weeks after the president delivers his budget to Congress, congressional committees are required to submit their “views and estimates” of spending and revenues within their respective jurisdictions to the House and Senate Budget Committees. In essence, these represent requests for the budget levels needed to provide for the nation's defense.  April 11-13: In the middle of the defense bill process, MOAA will invite Chapter and Council leaders from across the country to Storm the Hill to meet with their elected officials on military personnel and benefits issues.  April - May: The House and Senate Armed Services Committees are expected to begin work drafting their respective versions of the FY 2017 defense bill.  May - June: Full House and Senate pass their respective versions of the defense bill.  July - October: House and Senate negotiators work to resolve differences between their respective versions.  July-August: MOAA provides its members detailed information to use when visiting their elected officials as they return home to do district work during the August recess.  October-December: Final defense bill passed by House and Senate and becomes law.

[Source: MOAA Leg Up | January 22, 2016 ++]

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DoD Email ► Inbox Size Limit Enforcement Begins

Trimmed budgets has the Defense Department's IT overlords telling service members to trim their email inboxes. This month, the Pentagon began enforcing inbox size limits in response to increasing storage needs, according to an Army press release. In addition to the expense of storing that much data, the increasing volumes have affected performance and efficiency of email software. “Since February 2015, the number of Defense Enterprise Email mailboxes [with] more than four gigabytes had been increasing at a rate of approximately 4,000 accounts per month,” said John Howell, Army product director for enterprise content collaboration and messaging. That growth has been deemed too costly and unsustainable, so the Defense Information Systems Agency (the Pentagon’s IT wing) intervened. Mailboxes now generate warnings as the limit is approached or reached. Once the inbox exceeds limits, users will lose the ability to send or receive emails.

Commands have the authority to manage their inbox accounts to grant flexibility while restraining costs, according to an Army press release. Limits depend on a number of factors including a user’s rank and job, as well as a particular

command’s needs. The Army said it will regularly assess the situation to ensure limits match requirements. If your mailbox gets too big for its britches, or you simply hope to get Outlook moving a little faster, DISA offers a number of tips for shedding those pesky excess bytes. DISA says, “Prior to creating any local storage files and moving oldest (rarely/never accessed) mail into those files, the user can perform some easy ‘house cleaning’ by doing the following tasks":  Remove attachments from your calendar (view as a list, then sort by size for maximum efficiency).  Empty the Sent Items, Junk E-Mail, and Deleted Items folders.  Sort your Inbox by size, and clean up the largest items.

"These activities in-and-of themselves may provide a significant change in folder size, especially if they contain large attachments," DISA reports." [Source: Army Times | Kyle Jahner | January 21, 2016 ++]

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DOD Tuition Assistance Update 03 ► University of Phoenix Probation

The probationary status on the University of Phoenix has been dropped. On 15 JAN the University of Phoenix was notified by the Department of Defense that it would be removed from the probationary status on which it was placed in October and would once again be eligible to accept funds from military students using tuition assistance benefits. The university has repeatedly come under fire for its recruitment practices targeting veterans and active-duty military, which some critics have called “predatory.” A cause for concern is the sheer volume of federal funding that ends up in the hands of University of Phoenix, and what they do with it. In fiscal year 2014, the University of Phoenix enrolled roughly 9,400 students using the program, who took approximately 28,000 courses, costing the government more than $20 million, reports Military Times. Among veterans, the school has an even larger base. During that same period, more than 49,000 students using the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill attended the school, costing more than $344 million in government funds.

Nonetheless, the military has green lit the school to again accept tuition assistance funds. According to a statement provided to Task & Purpose by a Department of Defense official, “the removal of probationary status was warranted based on the Department’s internal review, the University’s response to the Department’s concerns as set forth in multiple potential non-compliance notifications including the Department’s letter dated October 7, 2015, the active engagement and cooperation by representatives of the University of Phoenix, and other relevant materials.” Following the drop in probationary status, the University of Phoenix will be subject to a “heightened compliance review” for a period of one year, notes the Defense Department statement.

In the Oct. 7 letter, the DoD notified the university, which is a subsidiary of the Apollo Education Group, that it would be placed on a probationary status due to its use of official DoD “seals or other trademark insignia” as well as its failure to give proper notice to officials before going on military bases. The letter did state that “the University of Phoenix has responded to these infractions with appropriate corrective action at this time.” According to the letter, both the Federal Trade Commission and the California State Attorney General were reviewing the university to determine if it was “engaged or are engaging in deceptive or unfair practices in or affecting commerce in the advertising, marketing, or sale of secondary or postsecondary educational products or services or education accreditation products or services.”

In an email to Task & Purpose, a statement attributed to Timothy P. Slottow, the university’s president, said, “Our commitment to compliance, transparency and continuous improvement remains constant. We are grateful to leaders at the Department of Defense and in Congress for supporting a clear process and high standards for all educational institutions, and for ensuring military students are able to use their educational benefits for career-relevant programs at University of Phoenix.” Tuition assistance is offered to all branches of the military and allows active duty, enlisted, officers, and warrant officers to pursue off-duty education at the military’s expense. The program will fund a service member’s tuition up to $250 per semester credit hour or $166 per quarter credit hour, and cannot exceed $4,500 per fiscal year. [Source: Task & Purpose | James Clark | January 19, 2016 ++]

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State of Defense 2016 ► USA/USN/USAF/USMC Overview

Can you feel the strain? The Army wants more troops. The Air Force wants more money and newer planes. The Navy wants more ships and is battling over what to do with the fleet it has. And the Marines — well the Corps isn’t sure what comes next, but they’re staying in the fight. Spend big, fight small. Be ready to roll everywhere, but stay out of a big war anywhere. Destroy the Islamic State, check down Russia and China, prepare for nuclear war, buy long-range bombers, defend cyber networks and satellites, patrol the seas, and expand covert special ops missions to capture and kill Islamic State leaders. And while you’re at it, modernize the workforce, open up to women, honor commitments to families, and do a better job connecting with the American public. The state of defense, from top to bottom, is everywhere. It’s a time of changes, to the force and its mission. But there is clear priority at the Pentagon: the war against ISIS. To read more on how the Defense Department intends to cope with current day mission requirements refer to the attachment to this Bulletin titled, “State of Defense 2016”. [Source: Defense One | January 2016 ++]

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DoD Lawsuit ~ PTSD VN Update 02 ► Discharge Upgrade Settlement

Almost two years ago, advocates filed a class action lawsuit against the Department of Defense seeking records for how often veterans with "other than honorable" or "bad" discharges applied for discharge upgrades due to their PTSD diagnoses. Now the DOD will be turning over that information. Last week, the U.S. District Court in Connecticut approved a settlement which requires the Department of Defense to disclose on a quarterly basis the number of applications each military branch receives when a veteran is seeking a discharge upgrade and the outcome of each. This is important because veterans without honorable discharges don't get service connected benefits like health care and disability compensation.

The Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School represented the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Vietnam Veterans of America and the National Veterans Council for Legal Redress. The VVA said that thousands of Vietnam veterans were wrongfully discharged because they suffered from PTSD, at a time when the disorder was not medically accepted. Michael Wishnie is the Director of Yale's Veterans Legal Services Clinic. In a statement, he said the settlement will allow the public to know whether the DOD is fulfilling its obligations under what's known as the Hagel memo. In 2014, then Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel issued a directive that required military record correction boards to give "liberal consideration" to veterans with PTSD who were seeking discharge upgrades. The settlement will also require the DOD to reach out to veterans who may now be eligible for service connected benefits. [Source: WNPR News | Lucy Nalpathanchil | January 20, 2016 ++]

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DoD Lawsuit ~ Purple Heart ► Denied | Friendly Fire

Former Marine Paul A. Hernandez was walking point on a search and destroy mission in 1969 near Da Nang, South Vietnam, when he was seriously injured in an ambush. Although there is no doubt the shrapnel that scarred the Denver Marine's knee entered his body during a fierce firefight with the Viet Cong, the Navy refused Hernandez the Purple Heart because he couldn't prove the injury wasn't caused by "friendly fire." But a lawsuit Hernandez filed 21 JAN in U.S. District Court says he deserves the medal because Congress enacted a law that said soldiers injured during friendly fire incidents also are entitled to be awarded a Purple Heart.

His quest for a Purple Heart began in 2006, but has been stalled repeatedly, according to the lawsuit filed by Broomfield attorneys Richard Borchers and Hilary Holland. After getting referred back and forth from one Navy office to another over the course of a decade, Hernandez' attorney received a final letter on 7 DEC. "We have repeatedly requested his service record and have been unsuccessful in obtaining the requested documents. As a result, we are unable to process his case due to lack of information and will be administratively closing his case," the letter said. The civil lawsuit asks a federal judge to intervene by ordering the Navy to fulfill his request for a Purple Heart. He is also asking for attorney's fees. "Defendants have failed to follow the regulations that have been promulgated by the Department of the Navy," the lawsuit says.

Following in the footsteps of his father who had been a Marine, Hernandez joined the Marine Corps on Nov. 15, 1968, and was trained at Treasure Island at San Francisco. The rifleman was assigned to the First Battalion 26th Marines 9th MAB, Delta Company outside of Da Nang. On Oct. 14, 1969, he was leading a patrol on a "search and destroy" mission when another Marine in the unit saw movement in the tall grass and immediately fired an M-79 grenade launcher. A declassified document attached to the lawsuit says that 26 Marines were ambushed by six "VC," or Viet Cong soldiers in which one of the enemy soldiers was killed and a second was injured. Four VC were seen running away from a "hooch." Hernandez was injured in the legs with shrapnel, taken to various hospitals in South Vietnam, Japan and the United States. His military records describe his injury. During his service, Hernandez was awarded two Bronze Stars, among other awards.

His 2006 request for a Purple Heart was denied in April of 2007 on the basis that "records indicate that you sustained non-hostile injuries while serving in the Republic of Vietnam." He hired an attorney in 2012 and obtained affidavits from unit members Joseph Fisher and Alan Knight about the firefight. After convalescing from the wound, Hernandez was released from active military duty on Nov. 13, 1970. [Source: The Denver Post | Kirk Mitchell | January 22, 2016 ++]

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DoD Causality Reporting ► Civilians | Iraq & Syria

As the U.S. military prepares to expand its operations against the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria, it has altered how and when it discloses sensitive information about when it kills civilians with airstrikes. In recent days, U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East from its headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., announced the results of investigations into 10 airstrikes “alleged to have resulted in civilian casualties and determined to be credible.” The first five were announced 15 JAN, and the second five were disclosed a week later. In each case, military officials released just a sentence or two of information.

The recent disclosures varied from earlier cases of civilian casualties because the military did not release documents detailing what happened in the incidents. Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder, a Central Command spokesman, said that was by design. “There are varying levels of information available for each allegation deemed credible,” he said in a statement released to The Washington Post. “Balancing against the need to release information quickly and transparently, U.S. Central Command determined that releasing general information about completed civilian casualty

reviews would be the most efficient method to keeping the public informed. In accordance with our commitment to transparency, we are working to release the assessment findings of the remaining closed allegations as soon as possible. ”

Smoke rises after an apparent airstrike near the Syrian village of Kobane in October 2014.

Ryder added that the process to declassify and redact documents associated with the cases can take months, so it made sense to release the limited information available now separately, and ahead of the documents. But the decision also means the documents will likely only be released in response to Freedom of Information Act requests, which have historically taken Central Command many months, and sometimes years, to respond to fully. Ryder said the military encourages “those interested in finding out more about the individual cases to submit a Freedom of Information Act request.”

How the air war against the Islamic State has expanded rapidly, in one graphic

In one example of civilian casualties disclosed before the new decision, the U.S. military disclosed in November that an A-10 attack plane had likely killed at least four civilians after dropping a bomb on two vehicles near Al Hatra, Iraq, eight months earlier in March. At the time, the military released 59 pages of documents that detailed how the deaths had occurred. They said that analysts had assessed the vehicles to be legitimate military targets, but a review of video afterward showed that four people whom the military was not aware of exited one of the vehicles after the bombs were released, but before they detonated. “Post-strike imagery analysis of onboard weapons system video footage indicated that four additional personnel whose status was unknown, and previously undetected, exited the vehicles after the aircrews had released weapons on the target and immediately before the weapons impacted the area,” the investigation found. “Video footage review indicates the aircrew had no opportunity to detect the presence of the likely civilians in the target area prior to weapons impact.”

By comparison, the military said in one investigation disclosed last week that it examined an airstrike carried out more than five months earlier on July 11 near Raqqa, the Syrian city that has become the de facto capital of the Islamic State. “During counter-ISIL strikes, it was assessed one civilian was killed,” the news release said of the incident, using one of the acronyms for the militants. With no additional detail provided, it concluded: “A post-strike review revealed a secondary explosion from a vehicle crossing a bridge nearby the intended target; this explosion resulted in one civilian likely killed.”

The decision to change how civilian casualties are disclosed comes as Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter presses for more involvement from coalition partners in the fight against the Islamic State fight. In Paris last week, he met with defense ministers from six other countries significantly involved in military operations, and said an even larger meeting will be held in Brussels next month to which he has invited officials with all 26 outside nations involved in the military campaign, along with Iraq. “Every nation must come prepared to discuss further contributions,” Carter said of the countries invited to attend. Ryder said there is no connection between the timing of the change in how civilian casualties are disclosed and the expansion of military operations planned. “Although there’s been a lengthy coordination process, we’ve been working to release this information as quickly as possible, and January was when we were able to make it happen,” Ryder said. Six of the 10 incidents disclosed this month with likely civilian casualties occurred in July. The others occurred between April and June. [Source: The Washington Post | Dan Lamothe | January 26, 2016 ++]

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Commissary Funding Update 26 ► Are They Safe | Threats Seem Constant

The FY 2016 Defense Budget proposed privatizing the military commissary system over several years. The Pentagon’s main goal was to eliminate the $1.3 billion annual DoD subsidy for the commissary system. The House version of the FY 2016 Defense Authorization Bill didn’t include the proposed budget cut or the privatization concept. But the Senate version did — cutting the FY 2016 commissary budget by $322 million and requiring DoD to submit two reports to Congress. The first, due by Feb. 1, was to be on the viability of privatizing the system. If viable, and validated by the Government Accountability Office, a second report was to provide a plan to do so. The threat to this high-value benefit caused understandable uproar among military beneficiaries.

Multiple studies have concluded privatization inevitably would lead to significantly higher prices; lower patronage not only at commissaries but also at exchanges and other base facilities that benefit from commissary traffic; eventual closure of the commissaries; and seriously adverse effects on exchange revenues, which are needed to fund base gyms, libraries, and other morale, welfare, and recreation activities. MOAA, The Military Coalition, and others worked hard to articulate these concerns to House and Senate leaders and generate grassroots input from commissary patrons. In the end, the House and Senate compromised, and the final FY 2016 Defense Authorization Act:  Reduced the FY 2016 commissary budget cut from $322 million to a far more manageable $30 million;  Instead of a plan to privatize the system, required a DoD plan to make delivery of commissary and exchange benefits “budget neutral” (i.e., no cost to DoD) by the end of FY 2018, also to be validated by the GAO;  Authorized DoD to conduct pilot programs to evaluate ways to achieve commissary/exchange budget neutrality; and  Most important, specified that such initiatives must (a) maintain high levels of customer satisfaction, (b) provide high-quality products, and (c) sustain the current level of savings for customers.

MOAA and The Military Coalition supported these provisions, in full knowledge that making the program budget- neutral while still achieving the same levels of patron savings and satisfaction and product quality is functionally impossible. Subsequently, the new deputy chief management officer for DoD acknowledged this reality. He also acknowledged previous DoD proposals were aimed at simply cutting the budget, regardless of the risk to the

commissary program. Further, he pledged that the department now has accepted the first priority must be maintaining the current level of benefit. Rather than seeking any specific savings target, he said future initiatives would be aimed at seeking possible business-practice efficiencies that still would sustain the same benefit level, and DoD would accept whatever level of budget savings might be realized within that mandate.

Refreshing words, to be sure. But it’s not as if we’ve never heard them before. During the George W. Bush administration, there were multiple Pentagon proposals to cut commissary funding in various ways. After being rebuffed multiple times, those officials also pledged not to do so again. The reality is there have been dozens of proposals to curtail, privatize, or eliminate the commissary benefit going back more than 40 years. Are commissaries finally safe? Yes — but only until the next administration’s political appointees tasked to cut the defense budget start asking, as have so many of their predecessors, why the Pentagon is in the grocery business. The answer they’ll get, as all of their predecessors ultimately were forced to acknowledge, is the commissary provides a crucial non-pay benefit whose cumulative compensation and retention value is greater than its cost to DoD.

As Brooke Goldberg, a MOAA deputy director of Government Relations, testified at a 13 JAN House Armed Services Committee hearing, grocery savings at the commissary provide the equivalent of a 9-percent pay raise for an E-5 family of four with eight years of service. That’s a pretty big benefit bang for your commissary buck. The commissary benefit, aside from some selected closures and changes in hours, is pretty much the same as it was 40 years ago, despite dozens of interim attacks. It’s certain more attacks will come in the future. But the odds are the compelling arguments in favor of the commissary benefit will continue to prevail over the arguments against it — as long as we stay vigilant and vocal. [Source: MOAA | Steve Strobridge | January 15, 2015 ++]

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Selective Service System Update 01 ► Registration for Women 50:50

The VFW attended a press conference 29 JAN with Selective Service System Director Lawrence Romo, who confirmed that the Pentagon has yet to make a recommendation to Congress to consider changing the registration requirement, but he did give it a 50:50 chance of occurring, now that the combat exclusion clause on women has been eliminated. With few exceptions, all 18 to 25-year-old American male citizens, as well as documented and undocumented immigrants, are required to register. Failure to do so is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, as well as being rendered ineligible for federal student loan grants, federal government employment, and employment with many state and local governments. The Selective Service System is a small, 124- employee independent agency within the Executive Branch. Right now, 16 million 18 to 25-year-old American males are registered; adding women would more than double their workload, but Roma said, if tasked, they could handle the additional workload with about 40 new employees and a slight increase to their $23 million annual budget. Learn more about the Selective Service System at: https://www.sss.gov. [Source: VFW Action Corps Weekly | January 29, 2016 ++]

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Commissary Prices Update 01 ► New Pricing Models to be Tested

Defense officials have begun charting a new course for the future of commissaries and exchanges, laying out their plans in a fact sheet provided to some military service organizations. But details are minimal, and military advocates are calling for the process to be fully transparent to commissary and exchange customers. Officials established a new board, the Defense Resale Business Optimization Board, which includes the leaders of the commissary and

exchange systems. According to the DoD fact sheet, the board has begun its work. It is unclear whether the separate boards that traditionally have overseen commissary operations and exchange operations have been disbanded.

"The first order of business is to firmly define tangible and intangible benefits across the resale enterprise and establish a current baseline against which optimization results will be evaluated," states the fact sheet. The goal is to maintain current benefits while finding more efficient ways to operate to achieve "significant savings for the taxpayer." These definitions and benchmarks are critical, said Joyce Raezer, executive director of the National Military Family Association. "How do they define the benefit, so they can measure whether or not they're reducing it? How will they determine the tangible and intangible benefits? How will they determine the benchmarks?" she said. "And who's speaking for the people who need the commissaries? It has to be transparent to the customer." Defense officials did not immediately respond to a Military Times request for comment.

This fiscal year, $1.4 billion in taxpayer funds goes to the Defense Commissary Agency for operating the stores, allowing groceries to be sold at cost. A 5 percent surcharge paid by customers at the registers covers the cost of store construction and renovation. The fact sheet is not clear as to "how much of the current system we're changing, and to what end," Raezer said. "We think they're going to continue to look for ways to chip away at the benefit, and there's a mood in Congress to let them," she said. "We don't see the strong understanding in Congress that the benefit is the savings. That's why these benchmarks are so important."

The DoD fact sheet refers to using "at least two pricing pilots" to test various recommendations for reducing the amount of taxpayer dollars needed to operate the commissary system. As part of the fiscal 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress gave DoD the flexibility to try such pilot programs. At the same time, lawmakers showed their support for commissaries by adding $281 million back into the system's budget — in spite of DoD's request to reduce that funding. At the same time, the NDAA requires DoD to develop a plan to operate the military resale system without any taxpayer dollars by fiscal 2019. That plan would have to be submitted to Congress and evaluated before it is approved. DoD "recognizes that there are significant barriers to meeting the budget neutrality challenge without reducing the patron benefit, closing commissaries, and affecting system synergies, which would likely threaten the viability of the exchanges and [morale, welfare and recreation] programs," the fact sheet noted.

Defense officials also are proposing legislative changes for fiscal 2017 that would make this temporary flexibility permanent. "These proposals, if accepted, could also lay the groundwork for converting the defense commissary system to operating within a nonappropriated fund business framework," according to the fact sheet. Raezer said officials may be looking at a regional pricing model, as well as at the idea of a true commissary private label brand. "We do know the savings vary depending on geographic area," she said. "Do people in higher-cost areas need more savings? Do we settle for 30 percent savings everywhere [compared to local prices], or 15 percent savings everywhere?" As far as a private label program, DoD officials "still don't get that military families are getting name- brand goods at private label prices," Raezer said. The military exchange stores offer a variety of products through their own private label program.

Such programs require funding and staff to develop and manage. The idea is that while these private label brands cost less for the customers than comparable national brands, stores could mark up prices on the items and use any profits toward operating costs. But under current law, all items in commissaries must be sold at cost from the manufacturer or distributor. So it does the Defense Commissary Agency no good to offer a private label program under its current pricing system, said Peter Levine, DoD's deputy chief management officer, in a 27 OCT speech to the American Logistics Association. Levine also made it clear in that October speech that DoD does not believe a merger of the commissary and exchange systems is necessary in order to achieve savings out of the resale operations.

The DoD fact sheet states that the department does not intend to consolidate the commissary and exchange systems; reduce the resale benefits to meet artificial budget goals; or reduce the portion of exchange system profits that flow into other military MWR programs. The fact sheet noted that the two top defense officials with oversight of the resale system — the undersecretary for personnel and readiness and the deputy chief management officer — "are jointly committed" both to optimizing the system and preserving "benefit levels and quality-of-life programs." Raezer said

it's critical for personnel officials to be involved in any discussions that may define — or redefine — military resale benefits. "People with 'personnel' in their title … we like them to be advocates for personnel," she said. [Source: MilitaryTimes | Karen Jowers | January 4, 2016 ++]

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AAFES Online Pricing Update 01 ► Furniture Pricing Mistake Exploited

Over New Year’s weekend, 5,006 customers ordered furniture at cut-rate prices from the ShopMyExchange.com website — then learned that their orders had been canceled. That’s because those discounts, totaling upward of 80 percent on many items, were a mistake made by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, when some pricing was done on 1 JAN. When Military Times wrote about that mistake, a number of people commented. Some noted that customers should have realized it was a mistake. Many asserted that even if it was a mistake, AAFES owed it to its customers to honor the discount — and some wondered whether federal law requires that in such instances. It doesn’t, according to experts we contacted.

While the Federal Trade Commission Act covers deceptive and misleading actions and practices in commerce, cases like these are more typically simple mistakes made by the retailer. “Accordingly, it’s up to the retailer’s discretion whether they will honor the mistakenly advertised price or provide consumers that bought the product with some other type of compensation,” said Mitchell Katz, an FTC spokesman. Moreover, there is no Defense Department- wide policy addressing retail pricing errors, said DoD spokesman Air Force Maj. Ben Sakrisson. AAFES itself has no set policy; it handles these incidents on a case-by-case basis, said AAFES spokesman Chris Ward. “Fortunately, it doesn’t happen enough for there to be a set policy in place,” he said. “This has been a gray area for consumers,” said Linda Sherry, a spokeswoman for Consumer Action, a consumer education and advocacy group. “When it’s a clear mistake, I don’t think there’s any law that covers it.”

Consumers have the option of filing complaints with their state’s attorney general’s office or consumer advocacy office, Sherry said. But the bottom line is that while some retailers may choose to honor the erroneous price to avoid ill will among customers, they “don’t have to.” She noted that retailers could offer another discount, and indeed, that’s the route AAFES is taking — affected customers have been notified about the mistake, and have been offered one- time discounts of 30 percent off their next furniture order.

Word got out quickly about the cut-rate furniture prices that were offered until 3 JAN, when AAFES discovered the mistake. Looking at comments about this incident and similar mistakes by other retailers, some customers clearly know there has been an error and hope to get the deal before the mistake is caught. And some people actually troll for such mistakes, and when they find them, swoop in to take advantage in an excessive way. Look at the numbers: About half of the furniture orders placed with AAFES that weekend were for multiple items, and many of those orders contained duplicates of the same item. One order contained 53 units across 32 unique items, said Ward, the AAFES spokesman. A total of 5,006 AAFES customers placed a total of 6,212 furniture orders that weekend, including dining room sets, sectional sofas and other large items. About 1,900 of those customers placed more than one order. In contrast, for the exchange service’s online Thanksgiving weekend sales, 1,012 customers placed 1,047 furniture orders.

Sherry noted that when retailers honor erroneous prices, other customers likely will pay for it down the line. Military exchanges aren’t like commercial retailers whose profits go to corporate shareholders. The exchanges squeeze

every dollar they can in operating costs so they can contribute more profits to military morale, welfare and recreation funds that support your installation’s programs. One more thing to keep in mind: Military regulations prohibit exchange customers from making a purchase in order to sell an item to unauthorized customers. It’s also illegal to use exchange purchases to produce income. We all look for great deals. But when you order dozens of pieces of furniture from the exchange, to include sets of furniture and duplicates, what’s your real intention? [Source: MilitaryTimes | Karen Jowers | January 16, 2016 ++]

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DoD Fraud, Waste, and Abuse ► Reported 16 thru 31 Jan 2015

Fairchild AFB — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on 25 JAN blasted the Air Force for spending $40,000 on an 11-foot model of the Fairchild Air Force Base. The model was built to preserve the base’s history before some of its buildings get torn down, but Paul faulted it as a waste of taxpayer dollars. Paul in his latest “Waste Report” series called the expenditure “troubling,” and highlighted the irony of tearing down 16 underutilized buildings at the Washington state base only to spend $40,000 on a model of the base. Paul, a 2016 Republican presidential candidate, said while the Air Force is seeking to do the right thing by reducing costs of operating the buildings, it has nevertheless invested resources in “dubious historic preservation activities.” He also noted that the base is not being shut down and has limited public access, so the average person would not likely see the model anyway. “This seems to be an effort to preserve for posterity the fact that this base, or at least the flight line, existed during the Cold War." A solicitation for work on the model said its purpose was to comply with federal law requiring the Air Force to mitigate the impact that tearing down the buildings would have on history. Paul, a fiscal conservative, has made cutting national debt one of his key campaign platforms. [Source: The Hill | Kristina Wong | January 25, 2016 ++]

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POW/MIA Recoveries ► Reported 16 thru 31 Jan 2016

"Keeping the Promise", "Fulfill their Trust" and "No one left behind" are several of many mottos that refer to the efforts of the Department of Defense to recover those who became missing while serving our nation. The number of Americans who remain missing from conflicts in this century are: World War II (73,515) Korean War (7,841), Cold War (126), Vietnam War (1,627), 1991 Gulf War (5), and Libya (1). Over 600 Defense Department men and women -- both military and civilian -- work in organizations around the world as part of DoD's personnel recovery and personnel accounting communities. They are all dedicated to the single mission of finding and bringing our missing personnel home. For a listing of all personnel accounted for since 2007 refer to http://www.dpaa.mil/ and click on ‘Our Missing’. If you wish to provide information about an American missing in action from any conflict or have an inquiry about MIAs, contact:  Mail: Public Affairs Office, 2300 Defense Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 20301-2300, Attn: External Affairs  Call: Phone: (703) 699-1420  Message: Fill out form on http://www.dpaa.mil/Contact/ContactUs.aspx

Family members seeking more information about missing loved ones may also call the following Service Casualty Offices: U.S. Air Force (800) 531-5501, U.S. Army (800) 892-2490, U.S. Marine Corps (800) 847-1597, U.S. Navy (800) 443-9298, or U.S. Department of State (202) 647-5470. The remains of the following MIA/POW’s have been recovered, identified, and scheduled for burial since the publication of the last RAO Bulletin:

Vietnam

None

Korea

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced the identification of remains of two soldiers who had been missing in action since the Korean War. Returning home for burial with full military honors on a date and location to be determined are:

-- Army Pfc. Roy A. Henderson, 18, of Newark, Ohio, was declared MIA in North Korea on July 27, 1950. He was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division.

-- Army Cpl. Kenneth R. Stuck, 24, of Hummelstown, Pa., was declared MIA in North Korea on Nov. 2, 1950. He was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division.

World War II

None

[Source: http://www.dpaa.mil | January 15, 2015 ++]

* VA *

VA Accountability Update 16 ► Demoted Rubens & Graves 2nd Appeal

Two former senior executives with the Veterans Affairs Department who were demoted after allegedly abusing their positions to get plum job assignments have appealed the decision -- again. Diana Rubens and Kimberly Graves were senior executives and regional directors with the VA accused of using their titles to force subordinates out of jobs they wanted for themselves, according to a department's inspector general report from September. The VA tried to demote the women in October, but the case was dismissed in December on account of a technicality after the department didn't provide them with all the necessary information in the allotted period. The VA earlier this month again tried to discipline the women. And again, they appealed the move to the Merit Systems Protection Board, which will determine whether the demotions stand.

"We'll see," VA secretary Bob McDonald said in a recent interview with Military.com. "Both ladies have appealed and we'll see if our calibration of punishment sticks." The secretary acknowledged that it may not -- a move that would further infuriate Republican lawmakers who have criticized him for not firing the employees. The board "could very well overturn even the demotions," McDonald said. Such a scenario is sure to inflame an already contentious relationship between Congress and the VA over how the department has responded to incidents of alleged corruption. Rep. Jeff Miller, a Republican from Florida and chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, has said he'd like to see Rubens and Graves fired, if not prosecuted. He said the VA's decision to demote rather than dismiss the women showed it's not "committed to real accountability for corrupt employees." The Merit Systems Protection Board will issue a decision on whether to uphold or overturn the demotion of two former senior executives by 1 FEB.

Kimberly Graves Diana Rubens

The VA's inspector general forwarded its report to the U.S. Attorney's Office for possible criminal charges, but the office in December declined to prosecute. McDonald defended his decision during the recent interview. Regardless of what congressmen say or demand or even what his own department's investigators report, McDonald said he won't fire agency employees unless he believes the case against them is solid and the dismissal will stick. "If you're a member of Congress, you can accuse people of anything. You have no evidentiary standard," he said. "If you're an IG [inspector general], the same thing. You can write up a report with all kinds of innuendo and not have to substantiate it." According to the IG, Rubens got herself into the job of director of the VA's Philadelphia Region and Graves as directors of the St. Louis, Missouri, region by forcing the previous directors to take other jobs. In both cases the women were assuming jobs with less responsibility but were retaining their higher, senior executive service-level salaries. Between the two they also picked up more than $400,000 from the department through a relocation assistance program for senior executives.

When brought before Congress under subpoena to testify about the IG claims both Graves and Rubens declined to do so, citing their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. In demoting the two, the VA cut their salaries $50,000 by stripping them of their senior executive status -- though each will still earn more than $120,000 a year -- and also transferred them to other regions as assistant directors. McDonald said he knows the decisions are unpopular with Congress, but stands by the call made by Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson, who he has known since they were cadets at West Point more than 40 years ago. The secretary said Gibson previously served as chief executive officer of AmSouth Bancorporation, one of the largest banks in the South, and later successfully headed the USO, where he more than doubled contributions to the organization. "I have immense confidence, trust and even love for him," McDonald said. "When he tells me he's gone through the evidence and the evidence does not support firing but supports demotion, I believe him." [Source: Military.com | Bryant Jordan | January 26, 2016 ++]

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VA Prescription CoPay ► Tiered Rx System for 2017

Under new rules proposed earlier this month by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), most veterans can expect to see $1 - $4 in savings per prescription for outpatient medications, starting next year. The new regulations will

change the VA's drug payment schedule for veterans with non-service connected conditions in priority groups 2 through 8, to a three-tiered system, similar to the TRICARE pharmacy program. Under the current system, these veterans pay a flat fee of $8 - $9 per medication for a 30-day supply, with copayments capped at $960 per year. Starting in 2017, the VA will implement a three-tier copayment system, capping the annual maximum for copayments at $700:

Tier Prescription Drug Type Copay (30 Day Supply) 1 Preferred Generic Drugs $5 2 Non-Preferred Generics And Over-The-Counter $8 3 Brand Name $11

Because many medications are generics, most veterans should see the new system reduce their out-of-pocket costs. Those with service-connected conditions in priority group one - veterans with disability ratings of 50 percent or more or unemployable - will still be exempt from paying copays under the new rule. VA wants to encourage veterans to use one pharmacy instead of shopping around at multiple pharmacies to fill medications. By using one pharmacy at lower drug costs, VA anticipates veterans will be more likely to take the medications they're prescribed. VA, in turn, will be able to collect better patient data and better manage patient health. [Source: MOAA Leg Up | January 29, 2016 ++]

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VA Medical Marijuana Update 17 ► 21 Lawmakers Write McDonald

Twenty-one lawmakers have written Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald urging him to let VA doctors discuss marijuana as a potential medical treatment in states where it is legal. Under a VA policy that expires on 31 JAN, VA doctors are not allowed to discuss medical marijuana with their patients or recommend it as a treatment. Senators and representatives — 19 Democrats and two Republicans, including Rep. Joe Heck of Nevada, a physician and Army Reserve brigadier general who chairs the House Armed Services personnel panel — want a new policy that “removes barriers that would interfere with the doctor-patient relationship” in states where medical marijuana is legal.

The policy, lawmaker say, “disincentivizes doctors and patients from being honest with each other.” “You are in a position to make this change when the current directive expires at the end of this month,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand D- NY), Sen. Steve Daines (D-MT), and others wrote 27 JAN to McDonald. “We ask that you act to ensure that our veterans’ access to care is not compromised and that doctors and patients are allowed to have honest discussions about treatment options.” Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, and 17 states have laws regulating oils derived from marijuana plants. However, marijuana possession and use continues to be a crime under federal law.

Last year, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to the Veterans Affairs spending bill that would have required VA to change its policy on physicians discussing medical marijuana with patients. House lawmakers had introduced similar legislation, but the provision was stripped from the final version of the comprehensive spending bill. Also in 2015, Gillibrand and Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rand Paul (R-KY) sponsored a bill seeking reclassification of marijuana as a Schedule II drug, which would allow researchers to study the plant's effectiveness as a medicine without having to go through the long bureaucratic process currently required. In November, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced a bill that would repeal all federal penalties for possessing and growing marijuana. Sanders' bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee but has no co-sponsors.

The VA recommends that its physicians use "evidence-based" practices — therapies proved by scientific research to be effective — to treat mental and physical health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and pain. There has been no research in the U.S. on the effectiveness of medical marijuana for relieving symptoms of PTSD or other conditions, although some veterans groups and marijuana legalization advocates say it does help relieve symptoms of combat-related PTS and anxiety. Last January, the state of Colorado gave a $2 million grant to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies to conduct research on using marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress. Dr. Sue Sisley, who is spearheading that research, is expected to start her work this year. In July, Colorado health officials voted against adding PTSD to the state’s list of eligible ailments for medical marijuana. Voting members of the Board of Health said there was not enough research to support its use as an effective treatment.

Additional lawmakers who signed Wednesday's letter to McDonald were: Booker, and Sens. Barbara Boxer, D- Calif.; Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; and Reps. Sam Farr, D-Calif.; Jared Polis, D-Colo.; Chellie Pingree, D-Maine; Steve Cohen, D-Tenn.; Justin Amash, R-Mich.; and Mark Pocan, D-Wis. [Source: Military Times | Patricia Kime | January 27, 2016 ++]

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VA Secretary Update 40 ► Response to Sen. McCain Criticism

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert A. McDonald on 14 JAN dismissed criticism that he hasn’t done enough to clean house at his agency since the 2014 scandal over long waiting times for veterans to get health care services, coloring such attacks as noise from the political machine. “That’s a red herring,” Mr. McDonald said of a letter criticizing his leadership penned Wednesday by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). Mr. McCain’s letter demands answers as to why two VA staffers accused of misconduct at the Phoenix VA Health Care System – the epicenter of the wait list scandal – are being allowed to return to work at the VA.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert A. McDonald speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new VA Central-Western Massachusetts specialty care clinic on the campus of UMass Medical School at 377 Plantation Street in Worcester on 14 JAN 2016.

Asked about the letter Thursday during a visit to Worcester, Mr. McDonald did not directly address the situation regarding the two employees. “Since I’ve been secretary we’ve terminated over 2,500 people,” he replied, later clarifying that not all those employees had been fired but that in “a lot” of cases they retired after being charged by an administrative investigatory board. “We can’t stop them (from retiring),” he said. “The Constitution says that.” The VA was thrown into turmoil in April 2014 when it was reported that at least 40 veterans died while on a waiting list for care in Phoenix. An internal VA audit that summer found problems nationwide, including instances in which secret waiting lists were kept to make official wait times look shorter. Mr. McCain said in a statement Wednesday that Mr.

McDonald is “singularly responsible for the VA’s refusal to take action and its failure to expeditiously hold personnel responsible for the gross mismanagement and neglect of our veterans” in Phoenix and around the country.

Asked about the statement Thursday, Mr. McDonald was unfazed. “Sen. McCain and I were together at the State of the Union address,” he said. “Certainly we want to bring people to justice, but what we’re not going to do is invent justice.” Mr. McDonald said he believes people are being held accountable, and that critics fail to acknowledge the standards of evidence he must prove to mete out discipline. “If you’re a member of Congress and you run a hearing, there is no evidentiary standard in law. You can accuse anyone of anything,” he said. “(But) our judgment has to stand up on appeal.” Mr. McDonald directed a reporter to a section of the VA website that details accountability actions within the agency. According to the site, 62 cases investigated by the inspector general resulted in criminal convictions in 2014, while six senior executives had exited federal service as of June 2015. “Ask Cathedral Henderson if he’s been disciplined,” Mr. McDonald said, referring to a Georgia VA manager indicted last summer on 50 counts that he ordered his staff to falsify medical records of veterans waiting for outside medical care. “We have a process in this country called due process, and the wheels of justice turn,” he said. “Sometimes it takes time.”

Mr. McDonald, 62, a former army captain who served as president of Procter & Gamble from 2009 to 2013, chalked up much of the criticism he’s faced to politics. “We’re in the midst of a political campaign and in politics there are multiple sides,” Mr. McDonald said. He said a statement made by Mr. McCain that senior VA officials gave inaccurate testimony to Congress was not true. “(She) did not lie,” he said of Skye McDougal, a VA executive who was accused of lying to Congress about wait times in 2015. After Mr. McCain voiced outrage at her being tapped to head a VA system in his state last fall, she accepted a different position in Missouri that lawmakers there are now fighting. Mr. McDonald said the question posed to Ms. McDougal by Congress was a “very technical” one and said that she gave an inaccurate answer because she didn’t hear it properly. “There was no malfeasance, no intent to deceive,” he said. “Only in the political spectrum would you think there was an intent to deceive, and our people aren’t political. They care about veterans. “

Mr. McDonald also defended his agency’s handling of discipline in the cases of Diana Rubens and Kimberly Graves, VA executives an inspector general report last year concluded used their positions to transfer themselves into cushier jobs that came with hundreds of thousands of dollars in relocation pay. Many called for the two to be fired, but they were demoted instead. Mr. McDonald noted that the Justice Department chose not to prosecute the women and lauded the efforts of his enforcer, Deputy VA Secretary Sloan D. Gibson, a classmate of his at West Point and a man of ‘tremendous integrity.’ “He said that the evidence showed that those two individuals should be demoted, so he demoted them,” Mr. McDonald said, adding there was every incentive but the evidence to go further. “He (told Congress) he’s not going to do something to be politically expedient; he’s going to do the harder right rather than the easier wrong.” Mr. McDonald said he believes that politicizing the discipline issue does a disservice to veterans. “Let’s get everybody to focus on caring for veterans,” he said shortly before an aide, citing time constraints, ended the Telegram & Gazette interview. “Let’s not use veterans as political pawns.” [Source: Telegram & Gazette| Brad Petrishen | January 14, 2015 ++]

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VA Secretary Update 41 ► VA Needs to be Principle vice Rule Based

Veterans Affairs officials want to speed the benefits appeals process, simplify their websites and hotlines, and fix lingering problems with outside care programs — all within the next 11 months. Department Secretary Bob McDonald unveiled an ambitious list of goals for his department in 2016 during a Senate hearing Thursday, saying the moves build on continuing reform efforts already underway. “Our goal is to be the No. 1 customer service agency in government,” he said. “We know we have a lot to do to get there.” The hearing 21 JAN before the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee came at McDonald’s request, to provide more information to lawmakers about the corporate-style

MyVA restructuring launched more than a year ago. Many of those efforts so far have been internal planning steps, but McDonald is promising that veterans will see significant changes in their interactions with VA in the year to come.

Several of the goals point to continued issues of contention between Congress and the department. The number of pending benefits appeals cases has ballooned to more than 400,000 in recent years, even as the first-time claims backlog has dropped by more than 400,000 cases. McDonald said he wants “a simplified appeals process, enabling the department to resolve 90 percent of cases within one year” by 2021. The move would likely limit veterans’ ability to continually update their disability evidence but would provide quicker resolution to a process that averages more than three years for a decision.

The secretary also touted plans to expand health care options outside the department in coming months, in response to criticism from lawmakers over the slow and erratic implementation of the new VA Choice Card program. “Our objective is that by the end of 2016, a veteran can go wherever they want (for health care) and it will be paid for,” McDonald said. Doing that will require an overhaul of several outside care reimbursement programs, and consolidating them into a more efficient bureaucracy.

But both of those goals will require congressional cooperation and action, commodities that are difficult given the partisan infighting on Capitol Hill and the shortened legislative session this election year. “You can have all the greatest ideas … but if you can’t do what you need to do, we’re just talking to each other,” said Sen. Jon Tester (D- MT). Committee chairman Sen. Johnny Iskason (R-GA) acknowledged that the appeals overhaul alone “will take significant legislative willpower, but it's not impossible.” Other department goals — such as updating the vets.gov website, modernizing VA contact centers and hotlines, increasing training for employees — won’t require outside help. McDonald promised cultural changes throughout the department, repeating promises to put veterans at the center of all programs and priorities. “We have an organization that is rules based, and we need to get an organization that is principles based,” he said.

But lawmakers have been critical of the progress so far on that promise. McDonald fielded several complaints from senators of too few public firings of problem employees, and concerns that accountability issues threaten to derail his larger reform efforts. “It’s the little things that get you, not the big ones,” Isakson said. “I admire your vision … but if we don’t have a recognized system of accountability, it’s not going to work.” McDonald promised to continue working closely with lawmakers in coming months, both on the proposals unveiled Thursday and ones coming as part of the president’s budget proposal, to be unveiled 9 FEB. [Source: MilitaryTimes | Leo Shane | January 21, 2016 ++]

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VA Secretary Update 42 ► Reform is Like Turning the Titanic

McDonald told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee 21 JAN that he and other top leaders are turning the VA around, "providing more and better care than ever before" and holding employees accountable, including firing about 2,600 workers since he took office 18 months ago. The VA has struggled to respond in the nearly two years since a scandal emerged in Phoenix over chronic delays for veterans seeking medical care, and falsified records covering up the long waits. Similar problems were soon discovered at VA medical centers nationwide, affecting thousands of veterans and prompting an outcry in Congress. Despite the scandal, his "vision for VA (is) to become the No. 1 customer-service agency in the government," McDonald said.

McDonald praised passage of a 2014 law intended to make it easier for veterans to receive private care, noting that VA authorized 12 million private appointments last year alone. The move to private care was intended to alleviate chronic delays many veterans face in getting treatment at the VA's nearly 1,000 hospitals and outpatient clinics, or to make it easier for veterans who live far away from a VA health site. Bolstered by the new law, the VA hired more than 41,000 people last year, bringing the total number of employees to more than 340,000, McDonald said. The new hires included 14,000 health care workers, 1,300 of them doctors and 3,600 of them nurses. Still, McDonald said the agency is plagued by "critical shortages" in health care, including 34 vacant positions directing VA medical centers

nationwide. "Negative news articles" published since the wait-time scandal broke out in Phoenix have hampered recruitment efforts and made it difficult for the VA to hire and retain qualified workers, McDonald said. Employment applications are down by about 75 percent compared to two years ago, he said.

Many Republican lawmakers have urged the VA to fire more workers to demonstrate what they say is sorely needed accountability at an agency hamstrung by career employees who face few consequences for wrongdoing. Lawmakers were flabbergasted last year after two high-ranking VA officials were demoted rather than fired amid allegations that they forced lower-ranking regional managers to accept job transfers against their will and then stepped into the vacant positions themselves. Disappointment turned to anger after it was revealed that even the demotions were rescinded following a paperwork mix-up. "Frankly, this ineptness clearly illustrates that VA can't even slap a wrist without missing the wrist," said Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

Earlier this month, the VA said that the two senior executives, Diana Rubens and Kimberly Graves, were demoted to general workers within the Veterans Benefits Administration. Rubens, a former top official at the VA's Washington headquarters, now serves as assistant director of the VBA's Houston regional office. Graves, a former director of VBA's 14-state North Atlantic Region, serves as assistant director in Phoenix. Both received unspecified pay cuts. Senators appeared generally sympathetic to McDonald's message, in contrast to often contentious hearings in the House. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said McDonald has a tough job. Reforming the VA "is like turning the Titanic," he said. [Source: Associated Press | Matthew Daly | Jan 21, 2016 ++]

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VA Appeals Update 15 ► McDonald Makes 2nd Plea to Lawmakers In his second plea to Congress in a week, Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald on 27 JAN said his department’s benefits appeals process is “failing veterans” and asked lawmakers for a massive overhaul to fix the process. “Decades worth of law and policy layered upon each other have become cumbersome and clunky,” McDonald said in a statement to House lawmakers and the press. “Most importantly, it is now so antiquated that it no longer serves veterans well as many find it confusing and are frustrated by the endless process and the associated length of time it can take to get an answer.” The Cabinet secretary said he needs both legislation and resourcing to “put in place a simplified appeals process” to handle the cases in a matter of months, instead of years.

McDonald’s call echoed comments he made to the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee on 21 JAN during a hearing on department reforms. He said that with lawmakers’ help, officials could reduce the processing time for appeals cases to less than a year by 2020, much quicker than the current three-year average wait for decisions. VA officials have worked in recent years to clear the backlog of first-time benefits applications after intense public criticism about the waits facing veterans seeking disability payouts. Over the last three years, the number of cases pending for four months or more has dropped from more than 612,000 to fewer than 80,000 this week. But officials missed their publicly stated goal of reaching zero by the end of 2015. At the same time, the number of appeals — cases where veterans believe claims processors have misunderstood the severity of their injuries and shortchanged their benefits payouts — has risen by more than one-third, to 440,000 cases.

VA officials have blamed the rise on the growing number of veterans filing benefits claims, noting the percent of cases heading to appeals has held steady at around 12 percent in recent years. They also note that administrative moves alone to certify and transfer appeals usually take more than two years. Veterans also have the option of adding new illnesses and disabilities as the appeals process drags on, giving them the opportunity to receive larger payouts but also lengthening the wait on decisions. McDonald called the current wait times for veterans in the process “unacceptable.” The VA secretary says he wants a new appeals process “with the timely and fair appeals decisions veterans deserve, and adequate resourcing.” House lawmakers have begun work on legislation to reform the appeals

process. A bill sponsored by Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) would create a “fully developed appeals” process, limiting introduction of new evidence and arguments but guaranteeing quicker processing time and decisions.

Mirror legislation is expected to be introduced in the Senate in coming days. The proposal could become the basis of the type of reform McDonald wants, and has support from key lawmakers from both political parties. But Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-GA) last week warned that getting an overhaul plan through Congress in an election year “will take significant legislative willpower, but it's not impossible.” McDonald said plans are underway to move on upgraded mail systems and digitized records that will speed the process some. Staff is undergoing retraining to better handle those cases. “But (those steps) will not be enough,” he said. “We must also look critically at the many steps in the current complex appeals process used by VA and by veterans and their advocates to design a process that better serves veterans.” [Source: Military Times | Leo Shane | January 27, 2016 ++]

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VA Appeals Update 16 ► McDonald’s Statement on Need to Reform

Last week I presented to the Senate Veterans Affairs’ Committee the way forward for the important transformation of the Department of Veterans Affairs—what we call MyVA. We aim to improve our care and services to all Veterans. In order to do that, I made clear that we would need Congress’ help in legislating a fair, streamlined, and comprehensive process for new appeals, as well as providing much needed resources to address the current pending inventory of appeals. I look forward to working with all stakeholders to design an appeals process that better serves Veterans.

VA will need legislation and resourcing to put in place a simplified appeals process that enables the Department to resolve the majority of our appeals in a reasonable timeframe for Veterans.

The appeals process we currently have set in law is failing Veterans—and taxpayers. Decades worth of law and policy layered upon each other have become cumbersome and clunky. Most importantly, it is now so antiquated that it no longer serves Veterans well as many find it confusing and are frustrated by the endless process and the associated length of time it can take to get an answer.

In 2012, VA made the commitment to end the disability claims backlog. It took too long for Veterans to receive a decision on their claim. Our commitment has resulted in transformational change. The disability claims backlog has been driven down to fewer than 82,000, from a peak of 611,000 in March 2013. At the same time, we have fully transitioned to a paperless, electronic processing system, eliminating 5,000 tons of paper a year. Last year, we decided 1.4 million disability compensation and pension claims for Veterans and survivors – the highest in VA history for a single year and that comes on the heels on two previous record-breaking years of productivity.

As VA has become more efficient in claims processing, the volume of appeals has increased proportionately. While it remains true that 11-12 percent of Veterans who receive a disability rating file for an appeal, more processed claims means more appeals. This is VA’s next challenge.

The current pending inventory of appeals stands at more than 440,000 and is estimated to grow rapidly. Right now, Veterans who file an appeal wait an average of three years for appeals to be resolved by the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and an average of five years for appeals that reach the Board of Veterans Appeals’ (Board), with thousands lasting much longer. That’s unacceptable.

We are applying lessons learned from the transformative change that allowed us to reduce the disability claims backlog. Like our work with the claims processing, the appeals process will need changes in people, process and technology. Upgraded technology will make changes to our mail system and paper records, and incorporate some efficiencies in the way appeals are managed and processed. Retraining and increased staff will be necessary. But

they will not be enough. We must also look critically at the many steps in the current complex appeals process used by VA and by Veterans and their advocates to design a process that better serves Veterans.

A new appeals process would provide Veterans with the timely and fair appeals decisions they deserve, and adequate resourcing that permits the VBA and the Board to address the growing inventory of appeals.

VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald

[Source: VA Media Advisory | January 27, 2016 ++]

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VA Incarcerated Vets Benefits ► Disability Payments

Clay Hull has a stubborn sense of justice. After an improvised explosive device blast in Iraq ended his time in the military, he fought the Army and the Department of Veterans Affairs over the amount of compensation they awarded him for his injuries. "If I'm in the wrong, I'll admit it. But I'm not going to let somebody just push me around, especially the VA," he says. It was complicated and drawn out, but Hull now gets the maximum the VA pays for disability. The money pays for his mortgage, support for his young son and feed for the livestock on Hull's 3 acres in south central Washington — 2 1/2 hours from Seattle. He has a day job as a shipping clerk and then comes home to work on his place. He's currently fixing a fence that runs along his property line.

Clay Hull, along with his 4-year-old son William, feeds the cows on his 3-acre farm in Selah, Wash. After Hull was incarcerated for 18 months, the Department of Veterans Affairs sent him a bill for $38,000 in benefits it says he wrongly received. Clay Hull kept meticulous records of the paperwork he sent to the VA.

Four years after he moved in, Hull went to prison on a weapons charge. Hull notified the VA he was in prison. The VA was supposed to review Hull's disability payments to see if they should be reduced until he got out. But during Hull's entire 18 months in prison, the full VA payments kept coming. In February 2014, when Hull was settling back into normal life, he received a letter from the VA: The agency wanted all the money back. "Thirty-eight grand and they were wanting it in a lump sum payment," Hull says. "There was no negotiating with them. They would just shut off all benefits until they were repaid." Hull couldn't pay. While in prison he had spent the money on his mortgage and child support for his son. He says he had done his part by filing the right paperwork. Now the VA was threatening him. "After the stress they caused, I'm sorry to have ever been a vet or served this country," he says.

Hull took his paperwork to Leo Flor, an attorney and veteran who served eight years in the Army. At the time, Flor worked for the Northwest Justice Project, a publicly funded legal aid program in Washington state. The first thing he had to do in Hull's case was deal with the threat to cut off his benefits. "This is the money they use to buy groceries; this is the money they use to put gas in their cars," Flor says. He won that round, but getting Hull's benefits restarted was only the beginning. Flor, who has worked with a lot of vets in this situation, had to prove that Hull's overpayment was the VA's mistake.In 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs says it overpaid 2,200 incarcerated vets more than $24 million. Money it then tried to get back. The VA puts the burden on veterans. Vets are expected to file all the

right paperwork — and do it from behind bars. "It's not a system that's designed to be used while you're incarcerated and have your ability to speak by phone and have your ability to use the Internet gone," Flor says.

When Hull was in prison he was obsessive about keeping track of his correspondence with the VA. He made copies of every note he mailed them. In those letters he told them he was in prison and explained why he needed the benefits to support his family. He even kept receipts for money he withdrew to buy the stamps. "You're always afraid you're going to lose an important piece of paper. And you have duplicates of so many things in so many different areas you end up with a stockpile of paper. I've honestly gone through at least a case of printing paper just making copies of things," he says. All that paper meant Hull had a chance. And so he appealed. The VA benefits system is set up to accommodate incarcerated veterans who have financial responsibilities. If it had worked, it's possible Hull would have been granted an exception to pay for his mortgage and his child support.

That request was never addressed, leaving Hull with a debt. On March 5, 2014, Flor sent the VA all of Hull's records. Then on Dec. 18, 2014, the VA sent Hull another notice of intent to collect the debt. Flor was incredulous. It was as if the VA hadn't read anything he'd sent. On Dec. 23, 2014, Flor sent the entire package of records to the VA again. Eventually, Hull received a short letter in the mail. "June 4, 2015 — that's when they sent it," Flor says. "It says, 'This is to inform you that your request for waiver of your compensation pension debt has been approved by the committee on waivers and compensations.' "Finally, after a year and a half, Hull's $38,000 debt was erased.

The VA says it knows this is an issue. "Without a doubt, we need to do a better job making sure that doesn't happen," says Dave McLenachen, the VA's acting deputy undersecretary for disability assistance. He says the VA is swamped. The agency settled 3 million claims for benefits adjustments just last year. "The month after we get the notice, we should be doing it quickly and doing the benefit adjustment to keep any debt as small as possible," says McLenachen. "There's no disagreement here. But given the resources available to us, we get to them as quickly as possible." That still leaves many veterans like Hull on the hook to prove their case and win, or forfeit their benefits to pay back the debt.

Hull kept his home, but he's still angry over what he views as a betrayal of a promise by the VA. "I'd worked awful hard, you know this place is paid for with blood money, my blood. Trying to get a future for him," he says, indicating his son, "and these a******* at the VA were gonna wipe that out in one fell swoop, because they didn't open up my mail, didn't read it, or just lost it, or just didn't care, and then thought they had an easy target." The VA says it's working with the Social Security Administration to help better identify incarcerated veterans who are receiving disability payments. Hull still has one more battle to fight. He's in court trying to overturn the weapons charge that landed him in prison in the first place. [Source: NPR KUOW | Gordon King | January 27, 2016 ++]

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VA Data Breach Update 59 ► 61% Incident Decrease Nov to Dec 2015

In its December monthly report to Congress, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) has reported a near 61 percent decrease in PHI-related healthcare data breaches since November. This is a welcomed change to last month’s 36 percent increase in PHI-related healthcare data breaches. According to the report, December saw only 240 PHI-related healthcare data breaches compared to November’s 616. Consequently, the number of potentially affected individuals also dropped from November to December, with the VA reporting only 394 affected veterans in December and 693 reported in November.

Although there was a significant decrease in the number of PHI-related healthcare data breaches this month, the VA did have to send more data breach notification letters to VA patients. However, the VA did not need to provide as many free credit monitoring services, indicating that potentially less sensitive financial information such as Social Security numbers were disclosed this month. That said, the breakdown of reported events remained relatively consistent. In both November and December the VA reported 47 lost or stolen device incidents. There were slightly

fewer lost or stolen PIV cards in December, as well as a modest uptick in the number of mishandled incidents and mis-mailings. In December there were 78 mishandled incidents and 169 paper mis-mailings. Additionally, there were 3 pharmacy mis-mailings in December.

As usual, the VA also documented a few representative cases which occurred throughout the month. One such incident entailed an inventory report which accounted for a few missing items. However, the Data Breach Response Service found that no data breach had occurred and no VA health information had been breached. The month of December also saw the typical mis-mailing incident, where a veteran receives the wrong results in the mail. For example, in one reported December incident, Veteran A received Veteran B’s lab results in mail correspondence between himself and his primary care provider. He alerted his Privacy Officer who then asked Veteran A to return the lab results. Veteran B received a data breach notification letter per HIPAA regulations. Additionally, mailing staff received additional training to help prevent future similar incidents.

There were also a few reported mishandled incidents throughout the month. For example, a member of the housekeeping staff reportedly found a file containing documents with 58 VA patient names and Social Security numbers. In one case, a copy of a patient’s EKG report containing full name, Social Security number, date of birth, and EKG date were left at an old ICU desk. Upon investigation, the VA found that there was no way to determine who was responsible for this breach. Employees have received further privacy education. Additionally, the 58 potentially affected individuals were provided with HIPAA data breach notification letters and were given free credit monitoring services. [Source: HealthIT Security | Sara Heath | January 19, 2016 ++]

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VA Whistleblowers Update 37 ► Disclosures Skyrocketed in 2015

When Bob McDonald was sworn in as secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department, one of his first promises was to protect the employees who aimed to shed a light on waste or wrongdoing within the agency. “At VA, we take whistleblower complaints seriously and will not tolerate retaliation against those who raise issues which may enable VA to better serve veterans,” McDonald said in September 2014, shortly after being sworn in as secretary. “We depend on VA employees and leaders to put the needs of veterans first and honor VA’s core values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect and excellence.”

Now in year two of his tenure, McDonald appears to have succeeded at least in creating a culture in which whistleblowers feel comfortable reporting inappropriate behavior. While whistleblower disclosures have climbed in recent years, they skyrocketed in fiscal 2015. The uptick, according the Office of Special Counsel, a small, independent agency tasked with protecting whistleblowers and federal employees from improper personnel actions, has been driven in large part due to an onslaught of new cases from VA. OSC received 755 whistleblower disclosures in fiscal 2015, a whopping 56 percent increase over the previous year. The agency received nearly 2,000 disclosures from employees across government last fiscal year, a 27 percent surge from fiscal 2014.

U.S. Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner testifies before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing in July 2014.

The numbers are staggering, and to some represent a reality far different than the one McDonald describes when he depicts a department well on its way to fixing the widespread, systemic shortcomings that have embroiled the VA

since they were unveiled -- by whistleblowers -- in 2014. “This uptick in VA whistleblower cases proves that instances of misconduct and retaliation are still all too common within the department,” said Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, “which is why our committee will remain vigilant in our oversight of VA. Thankfully, under the leadership of Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner, the Office of Special Counsel has had a successful track record of intervening to stop retaliation against VA whistleblowers in a number of high profile and important cases.”

VA’s contribution to OSC’s workload has not just come from whistleblowers. Employees at the department filed 1,400 claims of prohibited personnel practices last fiscal year, a 41 percent increase over 2014. Miller said his concern lies largely with VA’s retaliation against whistleblowers, an area in which OSC has also focused. Eight of every 10 favorable actions OSC won for federal employees last year involved reprisal. “When VA leaders refuse to discipline those who retaliate against whistleblowers,” Miller said, “it sends a dangerous signal that retaliation has no consequences. If efforts to reform the department are to ever be successful, VA leaders must fix this injustice.” To others, the growth of whistleblower and other cases at OSC does not necessarily reflect a proportional escalation of malfeasance in government, but instead a renewed culture in which employees feel safer calling out problems at their agencies.

Under OSC’s previous leadership, said Tom Devine, a whistleblower advocate and legal director at the Government Accountability Project, those with stories to tell about waste, fraud and abuse in government developed a cynicism toward the system. Lerner’s predecessor, Scott Bloch, was forced out of his job -- and later pleaded guilty in court -- after he withheld information from Congress. The job was vacant for three years before Lerner took over. “Whistleblowers are generally willing to stick their necks out if they think it’ll make a difference,” Devine said. Since Lerner became head of OSC, he added, they have renewed confidence they can do so. The numbers support that theory; since 2011, when Lerner took over, total cases at OSC have increased by 52 percent. OSC attributes this to the precedent set in recent years.

“As OSC obtains more positive outcomes for whistleblowers,” said Nick Schwellenbach, a spokesman for the agency, “our results promote confidence and more employees are willing to step forward to file a claim or make a disclosure of wrongdoing.” Even as OSC’s workload has increased, the success rate for those bringing cases to the agency has picked up even more rapidly. It resolved 278 cases favorably for employees in fiscal 2015, a nearly 60 percent increase over the previous year, and a more than 800 percent increase since fiscal 2008. The spike in cases has not been easy for OSC, an agency of about 140 employees, to handle. Congress increased its budget in the recent omnibus spending bill by 5 percent to $24.1 million, but the agency said that boost does not keep pace with inflation or the inundation of new cases. Schwellenbach said the agency plans to hire more staffers to take on the backlog of cases, which has ballooned in recent years but remained stagnant in fiscal 2015.

About 2,000 cases were still outstanding at the beginning of October, and OSC has warned Congress that number could grow even with the funding increase. While the caseload has doubled since 2008, the OSC budget has increased just 31 percent in the same timeframe. The tide could be turning in OSC’s favor, as advocates and lawmakers alike see the value in OSC funding. Even Miller, a fiscal conservative and supporter of a balanced budget amendment, has written letters to the House Appropriations Committee to voice his support for increasing the OSC budget. To many, spending at the agency represents an opportunity for a strong return by rooting out waste and abuse. “It’s less of a

traditional cost,” said GAP’s Devine, “and more of an investment in improving government efficiency.” [Source: GovExec.com | Eric Katz | January 19, 2016 ++]

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VA Whistleblowers Update 38 ► Spying on Email Complaint Probe

A key House committee is investigating a complaint that the Department of Veterans Affairs is spying on whistleblowers by diverting their emails to the secretary's office in Washington, D.C. And while the VA denies the charge, several whistleblowers backed up that complaint in interviews with the Washington Examiner the week of 18 JAN. The House Veterans' Affairs Committee has received a complaint from an anonymous VA whistleblower who had trouble sending a work email to her personal email, after which an IT worker told her the VA was blocking certain email functions. A further investigation revealed a list of other VA employees with similar restrictions, which appears to include known VA whistleblowers from around the country.

The list of names was titled "Sec Divert Internal," and the anonymous whistleblower told the Examiner that the IT worker believes emails from those workers are being sent to the VA secretary's office in Washington, D.C. A screenshot made available to the Examiner shows a list of names that includes Scott Davis, a VA whistleblower out of Atlanta who has testified about VA incompetence and has given several TV interviews:

When contacted by the Examiner, Davis said he's had email problems for some time at the VA. He said he also thinks the "Sec Divert Internal" code means his emails and those from other whistleblowers are being closely watched, despite claims from the VA that they are supporting whistleblower complaints about corruption at the beleaguered department. "I think it's a shame they're monitoring whistleblowers," he said. The VA acknowledged to the Examiner on 20 JAN that some emails are being flagged and diverted to Washington. But a VA spokesperson said headquarters isn't spying on whistleblowers, and is instead trying to route their complaints more quickly to senior officials. "As part of the Secretary's commitment to changing the culture of VA to provide better customer service to Veterans and to empower employees, because it is their work that makes VA better for our veterans, certain emails received by the secretary and deputy are immediately forwarded to VA's client relations team for priority review and quick action," the spokesperson said.

The VA also said the list had been called "divert" up until last September, after which it was changed to "priority." The spokesperson said the "divert" code name was "potentially confusing and misleading." But whistleblowers told the Examiner that the VA's explanation doesn't ring true, and Davis said outright it was "horse s--t." "It's clear in my estimation that none of this had anything to do with helping whistleblowers," he said. "I would argue it had the exact opposite intent, which is retaliating." Davis cited two main reasons for his skepticism. First, he said it doesn't seem plausible that whistleblower complaints have been given priority at the scandal-ridden VA, in large part because very little has improved there. Over the last two years, whistleblowers have complained about everything from disregard for veterans to the inability to fire corrupt officials.

Secondly, Davis said that in his experience, senior officials in Washington receive his emails, and report back to his superiors in Atlanta. He said in practice, the "divert" list is a way for the VA to keep tabs on whistleblowers and retaliate against them. The VA's explanation also doesn't address complaints that some email functions are closed to these whistleblower employees. But when pressed on these questions, the VA declined to respond to the Examiner in more detail.

A third whistleblower on the list who spoke with the Examiner said he's been routinely harassed by senior VA officials, and blocked from meeting with members of Congress seeking information about VA mismanagement. He said the VA closely watches for interaction between employees and members of Congress, and said after a recent meeting he finally had with members, he was put on leave without pay. This whistleblower added that it's disturbing to be on a special list of emails that appear to be going to VA headquarters in Washington, and said that seems to go directly against the VA's pledge not to harass or intimidate whistleblowers. And while the VA says it's trying to help, this whistleblower said he takes no comfort in that. "Should I be flattered or creeped out?" this whistleblower said in an interview. "Are they spying on my work email, or keeping me from reporting abuses to Secretary McDonald?" [Source: Washington Examiner | Pete Kasperowicz | January 21, 2016 ++]

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VA Whistleblowers Update 39 ► Whistleblower Opponent Paid to Resign

A former Department of Veterans Affairs hospital director was paid $86,000 to resign after Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson determined he had retaliated against a whistle-blowing subordinate who reported him for doing little work, The Daily Caller News Foundation found. Other offenses that preceded the payoff for Japhet Rivera included having sex with a female VA employee and then repeatedly talking about the goings-on to her daughter, who also worked there. When the daughter said she didn’t want to hear it, he wrote that she might have to “live the rest of your life without a mom,” the VA said in Rivera’s firing paperwork.

The VA has repeatedly told Congress in recent years that it doesn’t need new management powers to fire bad workers, but Rivera, a high-level, non-union employee, prevented his firing on a technicality by appealing to the Merit Systems Protection Board. The MSPB is a small federal panel that hears cases involving allegations of violations of civil service employee rights. Instead of removing the director of the VA Illiana Healthcare System in Danville, Illinois by firing after Gibson’s own investigation found serious misconduct, the VA then paid him the $86,000 lump sum, plus expenses, in exchange for his resignation, while telling no one what had happened. VA spokeswoman Walinda West did not dispute the settlement’s existence.

“They tried to fire me, but because of my rights to go to the MSPB to review the case, an administrative law judge reviewed the case and she was about to send me back to work for a couple of [reasons],” Rivera told The DCNF. “One was the VA failed to provide all the information that they used to make a decision. It really wasn’t all that important … but at any rate they didn’t provide it to me, so that was a major” reason the judge sided with him, Rivera said. “She was going to return me to work and the VA said they just wanted me out of there,” Rivera said. “Under the agreement for my resignation, the VA gave me seven months of pay and all my expenses. … They also paid for the attorney’s fees and basically everything.” The firing-turned-jackpot came in May 2015, only 14 months after Rivera arrived at the Illinois hospital in March 2014, with the VA paying his moving expenses when he arrived, on top of a $147,000 annual salary.

Rivera was previously deputy director of the VA Caribbean Healthcare System in Puerto Rico, and he said the department promoted him to a director role in rural Illinois to get him out of Puerto Rico where he was being investigated for other misconduct allegations. Rivera said the Puerto Rico investigation was retaliation against his own whistle-blowing, triggered by reporting his new boss there for misusing VA resources to ship personal belongings. The new boss had been similarly shuffled to Puerto Rico from elsewhere in the department. With his boss wanting him gone, he was “detailed” to “Orlando where I was in a hotel collecting a per diem to do a job that a secretary could do,” Rivera told The DCNF. He was then exiled to Kansas, an apparent punishment that turned into a promotion when he was made director at the Illinois hospital. By May 2015, barely a year later, Rivera was no longer there, leaving Illiana searching for its fourth director in seven years. But the VA refused to tell the local paper, the News-Gazette, what happened with Rivera, and whether he was fired or quit.

In October 2015, the response to a Freedom of Information Act request by the News-Gazette revealed some of the story. Among other incidents with female employees, Rivera repeatedly sent “detailed information about your personal romantic relationship with” a VA employee to that woman’s daughter, who was a “student trainee” at the VA, Gibson wrote in April 2015. In December 2014, there had been an “administrative investigation into whether you were engaging in inappropriate relationships with other VA employees,” Gibson continued. In January 2015, the human resources officer also reported Rivera to the regional VA headquarters for being generally AWOL, saying he was “not responding to emails, not signing correspondence and not making timely decisions.” The regional headquarters told Rivera who it was that had tattled on him, and Rivera called the HR person in for a “private meeting” where he said he “heard about [her] complaints regarding your failure to do your work and subsequently told [her] you were

preparing paperwork for [her] termination.” This “could reasonably be perceived as retaliatory and is conduct unbecoming a Senior Executive,” Gibson wrote.

The next month, Gibson wrote that “Your lack of remorse and your failure to take any responsibility for your misconduct have convinced me that you are not an appropriate candidate for rehabilitation … the only appropriate penalty is your removal,” noting that he would be placed on paid leave while he prepared appeals to various bodies. Soon after Rivera filed an appeal, the VA shifted from firing him to paying him a huge sum of cash, plus paying for his lawyer’s work on the appeal, all while saying nothing negative about him publicly. Rivera, who said some of his comments were taken out of context in the firing paperwork, is still living off the settlement money, though he says he can’t find new work, and splits his time between Florida and Puerto Rico. He said he believes the department gave him the settlement, and later omitted that fact from the local paper’s FOIA request, because it did not want to give Congress the impression that it did not have the ability to get rid of problem employees. The VA has actively opposed several bills to make it easier to fire bad VA workers.

In August, three months after Rivera’s departure, VA Secretary Bob McDonald acknowledged to Congress that he knew it was not allowed to pay off bad government employees to quit. He also said he already had the “tools” he needed to fire them. Gibson, who was deposed as part of Rivera’s appeal, told Congress last month that “we make it clear consistently that retaliation against a whistle-blower will not be tolerated.” “I don’t think it’s impossible” to fire whistle-blower retaliators, but union-backed protections and appeals boards make it very hard, he said.

Gibson’s letters to Rivera show a mass of evidence, as many of Rivera’s communications were electronic. Multiple lengthy investigations had been conducted, and they moved to fire him on three separate charges, some including multiple instances of misconduct each. They only needed some to stick. The HR manager reported him for neglect of duty and he immediately called her in to his office and told her she would be fired, Gbson wrote–begging the question of what standard of proof is needed to fire a retaliator, short of having all interactions between VA staffers video recorded. Asked “what additional legislative authority you need to … discipline retaliators,” Gibson declined to call for changes to the existing personnel system. [Source: The Daily Caller | Luke Rosiak | January 17, 2016 ++]

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VA Hiring ► Veterans Limited to Lowly Positions

Virtually the only jobs explicitly reserved for veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs are toilet-cleaning “housekeeping aides,” a Daily Caller News Foundation analysis of data from USAjobs.gov found. Filling the janitorial jobs with veterans helps the VA meet its hiring goals without intruding on a lucrative union giveaway that favors current government employees over everyone else for the majority of open positions. The VA is currently advertising for 3,000 positions, some seeking multiple people each. Only about 50 job ads, seeking an estimated few hundred workers, are accepting applications exclusively from veterans. And of those, all but a handful would have a returning hero trade a rifle for a mop and $13 an hour. At the same time, more than a thousand vacancies, many with no highly specialized skills required, were being advertised as open only to current civil servants.

Housekeeper is also the most frequent job being advertised for, so it goes a long way to helping the department pump up its numbers with vets. Meanwhile, job postings that are often better paid and less dirty but have similarly low educational requirements, like motor vehicle operator (https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/420529500) , secretary ($67,000), and supply clerk ($40,000), are for current union members. Motor vehicle operators can make twice as much as housekeeping aides whose job description includes (for $11 an hour) “Collecting trash and waste materials,” “Cleaning bathroom areas,” and “Changing cubicle curtains on a scheduled basis.” (https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/425588600), TheDCNF compiled a database of all the Veterans Affairs job ads currently open on USAjobs.gov and closely analyzed them, especially looking at to whom the pool of applicants was limited. Twenty-one percent of the ads explicitly said they were limited only to current federal or agency employees. Of course, it would only be reasonable to fill a supervisor job in a specialized, complex unit by

promoting one of the rank and file from that unit. However, that was almost never the scenario in those ads. The jobs were restricted not to people working in highly specific units, but variously to anyone currently on the VA payroll, at a particular VA hospital, or the entire federal bureaucracy. And only 1 in 10 bureaucrat-limited openings was even for a supervisory role.

Seventeen percent of job ads said they were open to current employees and to veterans under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA), which allows vets to apply for positions that otherwise are available only to current employees. But, as TheDCNF reported 14 JAN, what job-seeking veterans don’t know is that a clause in VA’s collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees requires the agency to give “first and full consideration” to current federal employees before hiring veterans. Fifty-eight percent of job ads accepted applications from the general public. And two percent were restricted to veterans only. The “housekeeping aide” jobs, making up the vast majority of those two percent, actually must be reserved for veterans under a 1960s law that says that “[i]n examinations for positions of guards, elevator operators, messengers, and custodians in the competitive service, competition is restricted to preference eligibles as long as preference eligibles are available,” using the terminology for qualified vets (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/3310).

The VA can choose to restrict other jobs to veteran applicants only by announcing its intention to fill the job using a Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment but it rarely does so (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans- employment-initiative/vet-guide). And even some jobs that could fall under the 1960s law’s language, such as a $51,000 security assistant (https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/424949000), are not reserved for veterans and are advertised specifically to current government employees. As a rare example of reserving other jobs for veterans, a Michigan hospital decided to wall off medical assistant jobs for them (https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/423805200). Veterans said the limiting of so many jobs to current federal civil servants shows that the VA has become a self-perpetuating, union-backed jobs program for career bureaucrats. They contend managers support the status quo because they fear employees who are vets are less likely to quietly go along with sloppy practices and more likely to turn whistleblower when they witness conduct detrimental to their brothers in arms.

Richard Hill, a VA doctor for 20 years who is also a veteran, told TheDCNF that “the leadership believes the VA exists for them and their staff. The veterans are just a nuisance. Employees, especially doctors and nurses who are themselves veterans, identify with the veterans and cause trouble. It is that simple.” One-third of the VA workforce is made up of veterans, but the department told theDCNF it doesn’t know how many are in positions of authority where they’d be able to improve the agency from within, versus working menial jobs. Vets can advance in a system that relies heavily based on tenure, but they can’t immediately rise up after being hired in low level jobs because of “time in grade” requirements. And it can be difficult for vets with years of training and experience to start at the bottom. The agency can also invoke the VRA appointment authority to hire vets in jobs that weren’t initially earmarked exclusively for them, but only if they have been able to apply, meaning the job was advertised and not marked as for employees only. Invoking VRA after casting a broad net is less preferable to vets and implies that the agency may be using it in cases where the only other applicants were members of the public–or current employees whom managers did not want to promote, and were seeking a way around the union rule on competitive hiring.

A decade-old document obtained by TheDCNF said 58 percent of VA’s blue collar workers are veterans, indicating that the percentage of white-collar workers is significantly lower than one-third. Only 13 percent of top hospital administrator jobs are filled by vets. Though the federal government obsessively breaks down every job category by race every quarter, its efforts at analyzing veteran hiring appear to be such a low priority that, in 2016, the latest data listed on FedsHireVets.gov ( http://www.fedshirevets.gov/hire/hrp/reports/index.aspx ) is from 2013, and even then, it does not break it down into useful categories. [Source: The Daily Caller | Luke Rosiak | January 17, 2016 ++]

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Shad Update 08 ► No Significant Difference in Vets Mortality Rates/Diseases Secret biological and chemical warfare tests conducted on U.S. Navy ships in the 1960s do not appear to have affected the health of participating sailors and Marines, according to a report released earlier this month. The Institute of Medicine study found that troops who took part in Project Shipboard Hazard and Defense, or SHAD, which was part of a larger chem-bio program known as Project 112, had no significant difference in mortality rates or diseases than veterans of comparable age or time in service. However, the researchers noted, the study was limited by data availability as well as the passage of time and passing of veterans. Much of the measurement readings and information on the concentrations of contaminants still remain classified, and many Project SHAD veterans are in their 70s and 80s or have passed away, according to the report, published by the non-profit Institute of Medicine, a division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Project SHAD was designed to study ship vulnerability to chemical and biological warfare and develop ship-board procedures to respond to such an attack. More than 5,900 sailors and Marines participated in the tests. Most of them were unaware of the nature of the experiments, which spanned nearly a decade and involved spraying biological agents, simulated agents, tracers and even mosquitoes on ships and their crews and then decontaminating them with a sporicide that is a known carcinogen. The tests remained secret until the late 1990s, when veterans began seeking health care and disability compensation for illnesses they believed were related to the experiments. The Defense Department released fact sheets on the tests in the early 2000s but still has not declassified much of the related material.

A light tug, crewed by U.S. Navy sailors, participates in Project Shipboard Hazard and Defense, or SHAD, which was part of a larger chem-bio program known as Project 112.

Veterans Affairs Department studies and a 2007 Institute of Medicine report found no evidence of increased incidents of disease among Project SHAD veterans, with the exception of a higher risk of heart disease among sailors who served on the general yard auxiliary ship George Eastman. But SHAD participants and lawmakers challenged the methodology of the study and in 2010, Congress ordered another Institute of Medicine review. The most recent report found there is no increased risk of any disease for the studied veterans, including the George Eastman crew. David Tollerud, an environmental health sciences professor at the University of Louisville who chaired the most recent SHAD review committee, said the members recognize the limitations of studies that look at a population over time, adding that the report’s negative findings ‘cannot unequivocally rule out some potential effect from the SHAD testing.’ “However within the limits of the data available, the results of the analysis provide no evidence that the health of SHAD veterans is significantly different from that of similar veterans,” Tollerud wrote.

Retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jack Alderson served as commodore for five Army tug boats that participated in Project SHAD. He has had multiple melanomas, open heart surgery, prostate cancer and allergies and respiratory issues he said began after he received Project SHAD-related vaccines. Now 83, he continues to advocate for participating veterans and said he takes issue with the IOM’s most recent findings. “They didn’t take into account any of the sailors who died before 1979 and they didn’t look at our medical records, because they can’t find them,” Alderson said. “When we first went to the VA for medical care, many of us were turned away. No one believed that the government would do that to its service members,” he added.

Project 112 was a series of experiments designed to test the military's readiness against biological and chemical attack. It involved all branches of the service, with the maritime portion dubbed Project SHAD. The ship-board tests took place in the North Atlantic, open water of the Pacific Ocean and Marshall Islands, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the California coast. Alderson remembers military aircraft spraying a variety of substances over the tugs, later identified as E. coli, Coxiella burnetii, an organism that causes Q fever, and Bacillus globigii, a microbe used as an anthrax simulant. Some tests involved barges of rhesus monkeys, which were sprayed with sarin nerve gas and VX, an extremely toxic nerve agent.

Jack Barry served in the Army chemical corps for five years and later worked as a biological test officer for the Department of Defense on Project 112/Project SHAD. He believes that participating troops were not exposed to actual chemical or biological weapons but added that they did come into contact with simulants and decontaminants that are known to cause illness. Barry said the most recent IOM report does not take into account the psychological impact of having participated in the tests. "It says nothing about post-traumatic stress disorder from having participated and having lifelong worries about your health," Barry said. “What’s so baffling to me is there were so relatively few sailors involved. I don’t know why VA just doesn't give them the benefit of the doubt and award health benefits and disability compensation."

VA provides health care to Project 112/Project SHAD veterans but they do not have any special priority in the tiered patient identification system. No diseases are considered to be presumptive for disability compensation related to Project SHAD; all veterans claims for Project 112/Project SHAD are decided on a case-by-case basis. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) has pressed for transparency on Project 112/Project SHAD since he was voted into office in 1999. The congressman, who pressured the Defense Department to release information about the secret experiments, said he will continue to advocate for veterans of the tests despite the most recent report findings. “The DoD has admitted that it tested harmful chemical and biological agents by spraying them on ships and sailors, exposing them without their knowledge to … some of the most deadly chemicals on Earth: VX nerve gas, Sarin nerve gas and E. Coli,” Thompson wrote in an email to Military Times. "Our country owes it to those still living to make sure they get the treatments and benefits they have earned.”

The number of Project SHAD veterans continues to dwindle, but Alderson said he will not stop fighting for shipmates who have chronic pain, respiratory and cerebrovascular diseases. “Nowadays, even though almost all of us have health care, some still have to make co-payments for service-connected conditions, and others deserve disability payments,” Alderson said. “If they aren’t going to take care of us, at least they could acknowledge our service to the country.” [Source: Military Times | Patricia Kime | January 26, 2016 ++]

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AO Compensation | Non-Vietnam Update 04 ► List Expansion Sought

Two Virginia senators are teaming up to help vets who did their duty decades ago and who are now paying the price. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are pushing the VA to expand its list of which Vietnam veterans who receive treatment and benefits related to exposure to Agent Orange. During the war, the United States sprayed an estimated 20 million gallons of chemical herbicides and defoliants collectively known as Agent Orange on Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The effects on veterans more than four decades later have been well-documented: increased rates of cancer, including acute and chronic leukemia and Hodgkins and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, as well as nerve, digestive, skin and respiratory disorders. Yet, many who served on Navy ships in the vicinity are ineligible for help from the Department of Veterans Affairs. That's because VA policy states that "Blue water veterans are not presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides unless they set foot in Vietnam or served on ships that operated on the inland waterways" between 1962 and 1975.

Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine want change. They've joined 12 other senators in sending a letter to VA Secretary Robert McDonald to administratively change what they call ‘inconsistent and burdensome

regulations.’ "Regardless of whether they served on land or at sea, those who've fallen victim to Agent Orange deserve access to the same benefits and compensation," said Warner. "We owe these great defenders of our liberty no less." "There's nearly 4,000 in Virginia who served on ships, in bays, and harbors and estuaries, as well as in the territorial waters within 12 miles of the Vietnamese coast who are suffering from Agent Orange," said Kaine. "And so, is it a surprise that some of these blue water vets have Agent Orange exposure? Absolutely not." A spokesman at the Hampton V.A. told 13News Now: "Local facilities make no determinations on Agent Orange. Veterans who wish to be considered for Agent Orange related compensation must file a full claim like all other Veterans." [Source: ABC- 13 News Now | Mike Gooding | January 15, 2016 ++]

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VA Lawsuit | Macias~Otto ► 35 Years of Unpaid Benefits

A decorated Vietnam veteran trapped behind the tatters of the Cuban trade embargo has sued the United States for 35 years of unpaid veteran's benefits. Otto Macias, born in Cuba, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1964. He spent three years in Vietnam and was honorably discharged. He became a U.S. citizen in 1976 and in 1980 he received permission to visit his family in Cuba. During that visit, he suffered a breakdown and was hospitalized. Since 1981, he has been living with relatives in Cuba, unable to care for himself. His VA benefits were terminated in August 1981. His lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims seeks the veteran's benefits he has been denied for 35 years.

His attorney told Courthouse News that the Cuban embargo, whatever its intentions, should not interfere with a disabled Army veteran receiving disability benefits. "[Macias's] story, in many ways, is the story of the Americas," Macias' attorney Jason Flores-Williams said. He called Macias, "one of the millions caught in the grinder of the New World." According to the Veterans Benefits Manual, the Veterans Administration follows Treasury Department policies on paying benefits to people living in Cuba. Since the Treasury has updated its policies due to improved U.S.- Cuba relations, Macias says there is no justification for withholding his benefits. He seeks payment of the benefits and a review of VA policies concerning the Cuban embargo. The Veterans Administration did not immediately reply to a request for comment. [Source: Courthouse News Service | Victoria Prieskop | January 15, 2016 ++]

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VA Clinic Knoxville TN ► Letter: Our VA Clinics are Excellent

The presidential candidates have all made promises to improve the situation at many Department of Veterans Affairs facilities. I recently was introduced to the system, and my experience was eye opening. The Sevier County service officer got me started. His concern was evident from the very start. He personally went with me to the Sevier County clinic. The clerk was warm and friendly. The next step was assignment of a primary care physician. I was assigned to Dr. Thompson, and an appointment was set up. In the interim I went to the Knox County VA clinic to fill an eyeglass prescription. The young lady at the optical store was very helpful, taking me past every set of frames until I found a pair I was happy with. I received the glasses by mail in one week.

My appointment with Dr. Thompson was also an excellent experience. He's a dedicated Southern gentleman from Mississippi, like the family doctor we all knew as children. He was concerned about my back condition and ordered X-rays. The clerk at the Sevier County clinic made the appointment at the Knox clinic. When I arrived at the clinic a young lady took me through the check-in process and directed me to the X-ray department. I have had my back X- rayed numerous times over the years, but not as thoroughly as this. The young lady was kind and very professional, putting me in various positions to get a complete overview. There may be problems at some VA facilities, but Sevier County and Knox County are not among them. The politicians who seek to change the VA should not look at those

who serve the veterans. These dedicated individuals are, as Abraham Lincoln said, caring "for him who shall have borne the battle."

William T. Voight, Seymour

[Source: Knoxville News Sentinel | Ltr to the Editor | January 25, 2016 ++]

Knoxville Outpatient Clinic

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VA Clinic Jacksonville FL ► Extremely Thorough and Professional

Veterans Affairs clinics across the country, which have been under fire since an audit found hundreds of veterans nationwide died waiting for medical care, are making changes to improve treatment for veterans. Northeast Florida clinics are among those working to improve medical care, and one local Navy veteran is praising the Jacksonville facility and its staff for his speedy recovery. Bill Nightingale had a life-threatening emergency last year. "I had a heart attack and flat-lined in St. Vincent's," Nightingale said. After multiple stents and a defibrillator, Nightingale continued his care at the VA outpatient clinic in Springfield, and he said his experience was incredible. “I didn't even have a chance to sit down before they brought me back in cardiac and started checking me out," Nightingale said. "These people are extremely thorough and professional" (http://www.news4jax.com/health/local-vet-praises-care-at-va- clinic).

Jacksonville Outpatient Clinic

Nightingale said VA clinics get a bad rap because of the "waiting list" revelations. He said the Jacksonville VA clinic is different and he had nothing but good things to say about it. "This place is not like what you hear on TV,” Nightingale said. “This place is top-notch. I couldn't ask for anything better." Melinda Screws, the chief medical officer for the Jacksonville VA, acknowledged that the clinics have gone through some problems, but said they're making changes. "We are listening to their concerns and we're communicating that and we're trying to problem-solve to provide the access they need,” Screws said. Screws said Jacksonville is one of the fastest-growing healthcare markets for Veterans Affairs with a nearly 20 percent growth rate since 2014.

To meet the rising demand for veteran care, the VA clinic in Springfield added more space to its facility, hired more practitioners and now offers more healthcare services. Nightingale said he's more than satisfied with his care and that the quality of the staff is what keeps him coming back for treatment and medication. "You feel like family when you walk in,” he said. “I want to ask, 'Where is dinner?'” The staff said it's the heroes who keep them motivated. “Even though they say 'thank you' to us, we also want them to know how much we appreciate them,” said Dana Turner, a physician assistant at the VA clinic. "A lot of our staff members are veterans or their family members served,” Screws said. “So we have that connection, and they really love the mission.” [Source: WJXT News4Jax | Crystal Moyer | January 25, 2016 ++]

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VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ► Reported 16 thru 31 JAN 2016

Memphis VAMC - Federal prosecutors say two men have been sentenced to prison for defrauding the Memphis VA Medical Center of more than $1 million. The U.S. attorney's office said 25 JAN that Andre Reddix and Ronnie White pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy in September. White received two years and six months in prison on Dec. 11. Reddix received the same sentence 21 JAN. The men were each ordered to pay back more than $1.1 million. Prosecutors said Reddix was a VA employee whose duties included using a company credit card to buy supplies. In August 2007, Reddix created false purchase orders for White's company, White Pharmaceuticals, while White made fake invoices matching the purchase orders. Reddix used the credit card to pay White, and the men split payments from more than 300 fraudulent transactions. [Source: The Associated Press | January 25, 2016 ++]

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Springfield MO – Four days after her death, a Springfield woman was indicted 19 JAN for embezzling more than $280,000 from federal benefits designated for disabled veterans. Beverly Sue Wright, 64, of Springfield, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, according to a release. Shortly after announcing the charges, the Office of the United States Attorney Western District of Missouri learned Wright had died Friday. "Based on the obituary notice, she passed away on Friday the 15th. Of course this was a long weekend," said Don Ledford, public affairs officer with the U.S. Attorney's Office. "Today (Tuesday) is our first day back in the office. This was presented to a grand jury this morning so we had not received news of her death until after the indictment was returned."

Ledford said after the U.S. Attorney's office receives a death certificate, a motion will be filed with the court to dismiss the indictment According to a release announcing the indictment, Wright acted as a federal fiduciary for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from 2005 to 2013. She was assigned as legal custodian for veterans who were deemed to be incompetent to handle their financial responsibilities. As a VA-appointed fiduciary, Wright held joint bank accounts, wrote checks for debts and bills, created budgets, and was accountable for the veterans’ finances, according to the release. Tuesday's indictment alleged that, between September 2009 and November 2012, Wright embezzled $280,228 that was administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, cautioned that the charge contained in this indictment was simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury. This case was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General. [Source: Springfield News- Leader | Jackie Rehwald | January 19, 2016 ++]

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Greenville, Tenn. – Following a 13-day trial in U.S. District Court, a jury convicted Ricky Anthony Lanier, 48, and his wife Katrina Reshina Lanier, 43, both of LaGrange, N.C., of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and major fraud against the United States. Sentencing is set for 9:00 a.m., on June 20, 2016, in U.S. District Court in Greeneville. Ricky Lanier faces a possible sentence of up to 60 years in prison and $1 million in fines; Katrina Lanier

faces a possible sentence of up to 50 years in prison and $750,000 in fines. The Laniers agreed to forfeit their interests in approximately $170,000 in funds seized from bank accounts as well as five houses in Kinston, N.C., purchased with proceeds of the fraud.

According to the evidence presented at trial, the Laniers conspired from November 2005 to April 2013 to defraud the United States government through a scheme to fraudulently obtain federal contracts intended to be awarded to businesses lawfully participating in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) program and the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 8(a) Business Development program. The scheme involved false representations that JMR Investments was eligible as an 8(a) business and that Kylee Construction was eligible as an SDVOSB and an 8(a) business. Ricky Lanier, who had previously owned and operated an 8(a) business receiving government contracts, became ineligible to participate in the 8(a) program after that business graduated from the 8(a) program in 2008. Lanier used a friend and service-disabled veteran as the purported owner of Kylee Construction, representing that the friend was involved in the daily management of the business, even while the friend was working for a government contractor in Afghanistan. The Laniers used a business owned by Ricky Lanier’s college roommate, JMR Investments, as a front to obtain construction contracts from the National Park Service and other federal agencies under the 8(a) program, misrepresenting the friend’s involvement in the management and operation of the business. The scheme also involved sub-contracting out all or almost all of the work on the contracts in violation of program requirements. Among other contracts, Ricky Lanier defrauded the National Park Service in connection with a contract to replace a wastewater treatment facility at the Tremont Institute in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, falsely representing that subcontractor costs were over $400,000 more than they actually were, resulting in the award of a contract for $1.1 million when all work on the project was performed by a Kodak contractor for $550,000. Lanier also fraudulently obtained a $1.3 million construction contract at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center which had been set aside for SDVOSBs.

As a result of the false representations, Kylee Construction was awarded over $5 million in government contracts and JMR Investments was awarded over $9 million in government contracts, to include contracts for construction at the VA Medical Center at Mountain Home, Tenn., and in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Laniers received almost $2 million in financial benefit from the scheme, using accounts of the shell companies for payment of personal expenses. Nancy Harr, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee said, “The integrity of the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business program is vital to its continued success. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will aggressively pursue and prosecute those who attempt to defraud that federal program and therefore the United States.” “Consistent with Public Law 109-461, awarding contracts to Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) firms is the highest priority within the Small Business programs for VA. Today’s guilty verdict is indicative of the hard work and successful relationships between VA OIG, DOJ, and our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the SDVOSB program, and deter those who attempt to defraud our government,” said Special Agent in Charge Monty Stokes, VA, Office of Inspector General, Southeast Field Office.

Kevin Kupperbusch, Special Agent in Charge, SBA, Office of Inspector General (OIG), stated, “Effective partnerships among several law enforcement agencies as well as aggressive investigative efforts were key in bringing these defendants to justice. These convictions should serve as a deterrent to others who intend to take advantage of disabled military veterans and defraud the Federal Government through its various contracting programs.” Law enforcement agencies participating in the joint investigation included the VA, OIG; SBA, OIG; with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neil Smith and David Gunn represented the United States at trial. [Source: DOJ | News Release | January 17, 2016 ++]

-o-o-O-o-o-

Columbia, SC – For years Dennis Paulsen of Blythewood played in a Saturday baseball league at Owens Field, pumped iron at a local gym and shot pool at Jillian’s in the Vista. He ran in the Marine Corps Mud Run. While doing all that, Paulsen, 45, was collecting a combined $9,400 monthly in tax-free Veterans Administration and Social Security benefits for being severely impaired due to multiple sclerosis, according to government evidence in a federal

trial being held this week at the U.S. courthouse in Columbia. In a closing argument to the jury on 21 JAN, Paulsen’s lawyer, Melvin Bannister, asserted that for years while collecting benefits, Paulsen actually has suffered a doctors- diagnosed case of multiple sclerosis but that it has been in remission. Even so, he has his ups and downs because of the disease, Bannister said. It is true that Paulsen played sports, but afterward, he “suffered for it, and he had to go home and rest,” said Bannister, who asked the jury not to believe the “outright lies” told by many of the prosecution’s 25 witnesses.

Dennis Paulsen leaving federal court this week in a wheelchair

On 22, Judge Margaret Seymour instructed the jury on the law in the case – Paulsen faced two counts of stealing from the government, one count involving the Veterans Administration and the other, the Social Security Administration. The case is unusual in that such a large amount of alleged fraud – a combined $1.5 million in VA and Social Security benefits, mostly from the VA – by one person is rarely brought to trial or even investigated by the government. A major reason is that after a disability case is diagnosed and someone’s status is established, the government rarely investigates to verify that someone’s disability is what they claim.

Multiple sclerosis, known by its initials MS, is a fatigue-inducing nervous system disease that can affect the brain, spinal cord, vision and balance. After being diagnosed in the early 1990s with 30 percent disability because of multiple sclerosis, Paulsen had his impairment rating sharply increased in the late 1990s by the Veterans Administration. To get that kind of diagnosis, Paulsen reported inability to use his hands and feet, loss of balance and the need for daily help. But Paulsen was actually faking symptoms to get increased monthly checks, government prosecutors said. Two years ago, the Veterans Administration began investigating Paulsen after getting a tip from his ex-wife’s stepfather. The stepfather said Paulsen’s disabilities weren’t what he claimed and that the Blythewood man was actually leading an active life, according to government witnesses. “Everyone is entitled to benefits, but what you are not entitled to do is lie, cheat and steal to get them,” assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson told the jury in his closing argument.

After doing an initial probe in 2014, VA and Social Security criminal agents Paul Lee and Neal Dolan launched an investigation of Paulsen that, before it was finished, involved undercover agents, video surveillance, tracking him to places like Jillian’s, retrieving surveillance videos from banks and the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. The videos were played to the jury and showed Paulsen doing activities he shouldn’t have been able to do with the impairments he claimed. Key pieces of evidence were photos and writings from an Internet blog kept by Paulsen’s former wife, Christine Paulsen, from about 2006-2011. During that time, Dennis Paulsen was receiving his major benefits. In that blog, Christine Paulsen had inserted photos of her husband playing numerous adult sports and being highly active. She also had written glowing notes about how proud she was of him. She also told the jury that Paulsen told her he was exaggerating his symptoms to game the system, prosecutor Richardson said.

But in 2012, the Paulsens began to fight. She moved out, taking their two children with her. In 2014, they got a divorce. She was a government witness during the trial, telling the jury what an active life he had led. But her testimony, Bannister told the jury, was tainted. “Why are we here? It’s the same old story you have heard many, many times – a woman scorned,” Bannister said. “She has convinced the government and its agents to prosecute her ex- husband.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Day wrapped up closing arguments, telling the jury Paulsen actually does have a case of MS. But it is a mild case of the disease, not the severely debilitating form Paulsen claims to have. “MS

can cover a broad spectrum; the question is, does it affect his life?” Day said. According to evidence, Paulsen had joined the U.S. Navy in the late 1980s, intending to become a SEAL. But Navy doctors determined that he had a case of multiple sclerosis and mustered him out. He began receiving disability benefits and in the late 1990s, was diagnosed as wholly disabled. The Social Security Administration joined in the diagnosis. As result, he got a sizeable monthly check.

During the trial, Paulsen testified for more than four hours, telling the jury he did in fact have a severe case of multiple sclerosis. In 2004, he moved from Virginia, where he had been diagnosed originally, to Blythewood. According to government witnesses, Paulsen learned he was being investigated in 2014. Almost immediately, he began to use his wheelchair and schedule appointments with VA doctors, according to prosecution evidence. Bannister told the jury that news of the government’s investigation and stress over his wife and children leaving him caused a relapse. During the closing arguments 21 JAN, Paulsen listened with his eyes closed and often laid his head on his arms on the defense table.

On 26 JAN Dennis Paulsen, was convicted of stealing more than $1.5 million from the United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs and the Social Security Administration following his seven-day jury trial in federal court in Columbia. United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated the maximum penalty Paulsen faces is imprisonment for up to 20 years and fines of $500,000, along with forfeiture of the more than $1.5 million. Senior United States District Judge Margaret B. Seymour of Columbia presided over the trial and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. [Source: The State & DoJ Press Release | John Monk | January 21 & 26, 2016 ++]

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VAMC West Los Angeles Update 15 ► Revised Plan Looks Promising

Veterans will have access to permanent supportive housing, free legal assistance, family counseling and innovative mental health treatment under a new plan for the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center campus announced 28 JAN. Many of the new services will be funded or staffed by UCLA under an agreement that allows its baseball stadium to remain on VA property but allows veterans to use the facility. VA Secretary Robert McDonald and attorney Ron Olson announced the plan, which is part of last year’s legal settlement between veterans and the VA, at the West Los Angeles campus. “It’s with the strength of our partnerships and the momentum from the last year that allows me to announce today that we have finalized the master plan for the future use of VA’s 388 acres here in LA,” McDonald said. “Veterans of Los Angeles deserve a VA campus that can be a home for those who need one or a home away from home for those who come here for their medical care.”

The American Legion, part of a coalition of seven congressionally chartered veterans service organizations that closely followed development of the conceptual plan, is guardedly upbeat about the future for the campus. “We’re optimistic, but cautious,” said Larry Van Kuran, commander of The American Legion Department of California and co-chairman of the veteran’s coalition. “Now the VA is at a critical point. And the question is, are they going to follow through?” Attorney Gary Blasi, one of the attorneys who represented veterans in a lawsuit challenging VA’s mismanagement of the West Los Angeles campus, is impressed by how much the master plan has improved since it was released in draft form in October. “It really is completely different and much more impressive and exciting,” Blasi said. “I think the plan – assuming the VA can pull it off – has the potential to make the campus a point of pride and a model rather than a national embarrassment.” A transformed West Los Angeles VA campus also has the potential to significantly reduce veterans homelessness considering the Greater Los Angeles area has the highest concentration of homeless veterans in the nation. The plan unveiled Thursday calls for initially establishing 1,200 units of permanent supportive housing on the campus – with work on 490 units to begin almost immediately.

Most of the private businesses that had negotiated sweetheart leases to use campus space for everything from a hotel laundry facility to school bus storage are gone as a result of last year’s legal settlement. Other non-veteran tenants, including UCLA and the Brentwood School, are being asked to contribute significantly more in order to stay. UCLA has paid just $60,000 a year for exclusive use of a baseball stadium built on a portion of the 387-campus by The American Legion. It will now pay $300,000 a year to use the stadium as part of the university’s new commitment to contribute about $1.5 million a year in cash for campus improvements. The university also is expected to donate $2 million in services over the next decade. This means new services including a counseling center to help veterans and their families, a legal clinic that can help veterans with benefits claims and discharge upgrades, and a Center on Excellence for Addiction and Mental Health that will treat veterans with these co-occurring disorders. UCLA will staff all of these centers. This level of increased commitment is a start, Van Kuran said. “UCLA can bring a lot more to the table than they have been.”

Under an agreement that is still being finalized, Brentwood School will open its private athletic complex to veterans for a substantial portion of each day. The facilities also were built on acreage leased from VA. Initial efforts to create housing will involve transforming existing buildings that have been idle or underutilized. A 62-bed transitional housing center located in what is known as building 209 can become permanent supportive housing in the near future. Nearby buildings also are earmarked for renovation, which means that as many as 490 additional housing units could be available to veterans within a couple of years, Blasi says.

Much of the work on the revised master plan was done by VA in partnership with a nonprofit established by the legal team that sued VA. The nonprofit, Vets Advocacy, Inc., paid for and provided VA with an environmental review in order to expedite housing on the campus. Vets Advocacy also retained an urban planning firm, Johnson Fain, to provide extensive technical and planning comments on the draft plan. VA will dedicate 150 of the first 490 housing units to veterans who have suffered military sexual assault. Veterans for aging veterans and former servicemembers with the most pressing medical needs also will be a priority. Overall, the plan calls for up to 3,500 veteran housing units at the West LA campus by the end of the decade, depending upon need.

Making this happen quickly will require VA to rely on the private sector for help. “We’re trying to work with the (VA) secretary to figure out how to leverage private-public partnerships rather than relying on the highly inefficient VA contracting bureaucracy,” Blasi said. That may mean VA leases the land at no cost to nonprofit groups such as the Skid Row Housing Trust in return for the group building and operating permanent supportive housing for veterans. Congress will have to authorize a leasing arrangement that allows nonprofit groups to play a role in developing the housing. The American Legion supports such relationships provided there are restrictions that prevent the property from being transferred to private ownership. “The VA and Congress are not going to fully fund the master plan,” Van Kuran said of the need for the relationships. “It’s a funding source, but it must be a controlled funding source.”

Such relationships also are an important reason the Legion is advocating for an oversight board comprised of knowledgeable veterans that can ensure veterans interests remain the focus at the West Los Angeles VA. “We’ve got to be the watchdog group. We can’t be subordinate to third-party groups that want to use the leases for their own purposes,” Van Kuran said.

Thursday’s announcement came on the one-year anniversary of the settlement of a lawsuit filed by veterans over misuse of the West Los Angeles campus. The land was given to the federal government in 1888 with the express purpose of housing disabled veterans. At its peak, the West Los Angeles VA was home to about 4,000 veterans as well as a post office, churches, theaters and a 10,000-volume library. VA quietly shuttered those facilities and pushed mentally disabled veterans to the streets in the 1960s and 1970s. By the time the lawsuit was filed in 2011, private businesses were leasing a substantial portion of the campus. The proceeds from those leases are missing and part of an ongoing federal investigation. Part of the settlement reached last year required VA to develop a master plan for returning the campus to its intended mission within a year. The draft plan, released in October, drew more than a 1,000 comments, Blasi says. An earlier draft drew only 29 comments.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) and chairman of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee, visited the campus earlier this month to assess VA’s plans. Throughout the last year, The American Legion helped lead an effort to expand the number and geographic reach of public meetings about the plan in order that veterans throughout the Los Angeles area could have a say. Veterans advocates don’t see the master plan as the finish line, however, considering it will take several years to rebuild the campus. But there is a sense of hope, even with the forthcoming presidential election and the prospect of a change at the helm of VA.

“We have a solid plan and it’s no longer a secret that the campus is there and has been a wasted resource for veterans,” said Blasi, who credits McDonald for his commitment to returning the West Los Angeles VA to its intended use. “We will still have to have people raising hell and exposing malfeasance if it occurs. We aren’t going anywhere,” Blasi added, referring to the team of attorneys who pursued this case pro bono. “And veterans groups will continue to hold the VA’s feet to the fire. “ [Source: American Legion Online Update | Ken Olsen | January 28, 2016 ++]

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VARO Fort Smith AR ► Now Open

The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs opened one of eight planned regional offices in Fort Smith on Jan. 6, 2016. For veteran assistance contact Eric Siddons, 616 Garrison Ave., Fort Smith, AR Tel: 479- 966-5295. The regionalization is part of an initiative under the agency’s first-ever long-term strategic plan that was approved by Gov. Asa Hutchinson in June. The Fort Smith office is the fifth of eight new district offices to open that will bring agency veteran service officers closer to the veterans and counties they serve. Before the plan was implemented, veterans from across the state seeking assistance from a state veteran service officer had to travel to North Little Rock. Part of the agency’s long-term strategic plan is to strengthen the overall effectiveness in the veteran service officer network. Beyond additional offices, the plan also provide staff with training, accreditation to gain access to the federal Veterans Affairs system and provide day-to-day support. Established in 1923, the agency’s purpose is to serve Arkansas’ veterans and their eligible dependents through advocacy and education to access federal and state benefits, high-quality long-term nursing care and burial honors, according to information provided by the agency. [Source: NAUS Weekly Update | January 15, 2016 ++]

* Vets *

Veterans Affinity Fraud ► Spotting Veterans Fundraising Scams

It seems like everywhere you look these days, there’s a sketchy character with a sub-regulation haircut and 5 o’clock shadow and standing on a median at a traffic light, carrying a bucket of cash, and wearing ACUs with patches removed and usually the wrong kind of boots. They’ll say they’re collecting money for veteran’s organizations and charities.

Reality is they may not be. Acting on a tip earlier this month, law enforcement traced a suspect to a bar in Portland, Oregon. He was wanted in Ohio for embezzling up to $100 million in charitable donations, which he collected primarily from Navy veterans. The scam is an old one: Analysts refer to it as “affinity fraud.” This is a common form of fraud in which the criminal gains the victims’ trust by exploiting supposed commonalities – a shared racial, ethnic or religious heritage, membership in the same church, or in this case, an affiliation with the military and veterans. Bobby Thompson – an alias (authorities still aren’t certain of the suspect’s real name), is accused of stealing millions in small contributions, mostly to the U.S. Navy Veteran’s Association, a legitimate charity in Tampa, Florida. The alleged crime spanned some 40 states. Donors thought their donations – often from $5 to $50 – were going to help needy veterans. Instead, prosecutors say, they simply lined Thompson’s pockets.

Judith E. Bell. Scam National Veterans Services. Digital image. Flicker. N.p., 15 Aug. 2014. Web Access https://www.flickr.com/photos/jhandbell/14741147759

Veterans tend to trust other veterans over just about anyone else. And most of us live up to that trust. In some cases, however, veterans are hired as sales representatives, specifically to gain the trust of other veterans. These recently retired officers and NCOs then go back to their former colleagues and leverage the trust and bond others have with them to form business relationships. In 99.9 percent of the cases, there is no fraud going on. Other times, there is, but the veteran may not be in on the game. Perhaps he just used his own influence to gather other veterans together in a seminar, and then turned it over to a guest speaker. In other cases, the veteran is in on the scam. And in still other cases, the con-man is lying about being a veteran. The tragedy is this: So many legitimate veterans support organizations are doing terrific work in many niches. The criminals make it much more difficult for the legitimate operators to raise the much needed money for these charities to function.

There are really two levels of fraud you have to worry about: The first is agent-level fraud. This occurs when you have a legitimate charity that hired a bad, dishonest agent or representative. The agent then pockets some or all cash donations, and may launder other donations or misdirect them to his own bank account. In other cases, the whole organization may be corrupt. You can have a hard-working, honest representative, but the charity’s executive director may be corrupt or incompetent. She could be stealing money from the organization, or she may be a weak executive who has failed to implement the necessary accounting controls within the organization.

To guard against agent-level fraud, give directly to the organizations, rather than via an agent, if at all possible. For example, a credit card donation on a secure website of a reputable and well-known charity is better and safer than a cash donation, handed to an agent you may barely even know. To guard against organizational fraud, stick to charities you are already familiar with – particularly agencies whose effective work you’ve seen first-hand. You can also use http://www.charitynavigator.org, an online resource for investigating and evaluating charity organizations. A few other tips:

 Don’t give directly to a telethon or other pitch that involves a middleman or intermediary. A significant portion of your donation will go to the cost of the event or fundraising drive itself. Instead, do your own investigation, and give directly.  Be careful of charities with names that sound very close, but not quite alike. Unscrupulous people will attempt to exploit donor confusion by naming themselves very similarly to established and reputable charities.  Verify the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status of charitable organizations independently.  Compare executive compensation to the mission. Executive director salaries at the average charity that CharityNavigator.com tracks exceeds $150,000 per year. In some cases, large charities can warrant paying a capable and experienced executive competitively with the private sector. A huge salary for the director of a small and/or inefficient charity should be a yellow flag – your money may be better donated elsewhere.

[Source: Military authority Newsletter | Jason Van Steenwyk | January 2016 ++]

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Desert Storm Memorial Update 04 ► National Mall Area 1 Proposed

The VFW spoke before the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission 28 JAN in support of the proposed National Desert Storm Memorial. The VFW fully supports its creation, as authorized by Resolution 305, which was approved by delegates attending the 115th VFW National Convention in St. Louis, Mo. Getting commission approval is another step in a multilayered process that’s required for any new monument or memorial in Washington, D.C. The eight commissioners were in agreement that the Desert Storm Memorial should be located in Area 1, which encompasses a large portion of the National Mall, as well as across the Potomac River heading towards Arlington National Cemetery. Whether or not the new memorial will be permitted to be built within the portion identified as “The Reserve” is still to be determined. The Reserve is the most coveted area, as it currently encompasses the Vietnam, Korea, World War II, and the District’s World War I monuments. Learn more about the Desert Storm Memorial at: http://www.ndswm.org. [Source: VFW Action Corps Weekly | January 29, 2016 ++]

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Wounded Warrior Project Update 02 ► Where is the Money Going???

A CBS News investigation into a charity for wounded veterans, the Wounded Warrior Project, looks into how the charity spends its donation money. What caught our attention is how the Wounded Warrior Project spends donations compared to other long-respected charities. For example, Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust spends 96 percent of its budget on vets. Fisher House devotes 91 percent. But according to public records reported by "Charity Navigator," the Wounded Warrior Project spends 60 percent on vets. Where is the money is going? In its commercials, Wounded Warrior Project appeals to the American public's generosity, and it works. In 2014 alone the group received more than $300 million in donations.

Army Staff Sergeant Erick Millette (left) and Wounded Warrior Project CEO Steven Nardizzi (right)

"Their mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors, but what the public doesn't see is how they spend their money," said Army Staff Sergeant Erick Millette. Millette came home from Iraq in 2006 with a bronze star and a purple heart -- along with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD. Initially, he admired the charity's work, and participated in its programs. He took a job as a public speaker with Wounded Warrior Project in 2013. But after two years, he quit. "You're using our injuries, our darkest days, our hardships, to make money. So you can have these big parties," he told CBS News. Millette said he witnessed lavish spending on staff. "Let's get a Mexican mariachi band in there, let's get maracas made with [the] WWP logo, put them on every staff member's desk. Let's get it catered and have a big old party," he described. "Going to a nice fancy restaurant is not team building. Staying at a lavish hotel at the beach here in Jacksonville, and requiring staff that lives in the area to stay at the hotel is not team building," Millette continued.

CBS News spoke to more than 40 former employees who described a charity where spending was out of control. Two of those former employees were so fearful of retaliation they asked that their faces not to be shown on camera. "It was extremely extravagant. Dinners and alcohol, and just total accessm" one employee explained. He continued, saying that for a charitable organization that's serving veterans, the spending on resorts and alcohol is "what the military calls fraud waste and abuse." According to the charity's tax forms, spending on conferences and meetings went from $1.7 million in 2010, to $26 million in 2014. That's about the same amount the group spends on combat stress recovery -- its top program.

A Colorado Springs resort where a 2014 WWP conference was held &Capt. Ryan Kules, WWP Director of Alumni

Former employees say spending has skyrocketed since Steven Nardizzi took over as CEO in 2009. Many point to the 2014 annual meeting at a luxury resort in Colorado Springs as typical of his style. "He rappelled down the side of a building at one of the all hands events. He's come in on a Segway, he's come in on a horse." About 500 staff members attended the four-day conference in Colorado. The price tag? About $3 million. "Donors don't want you to have a $2,500 bar tab. Donors don't want you to fly every staff member once a year to some five-star resort and whoop it up and call it team building," said Millette. Wounded Warrior Project declined CBS News' repeated interview requests for Nardizzi, but offered their Director of Alumni and a recipient of their services, Captain Ryan Kules. Kules denied there was excessive spending on conferences. "It's the best use of donor dollars to ensure we are providing programs and services to our warriors and families at the highest quality." When asked why conferences were held at five-star resorts instead of cheaper options, Kules provided the same answer. "Like I said, it's to make sure we are aligned and can build as a team. Be able to be able to provide the best quality services."

"WWP and those donor dollars trained me to speak and be a voice, and that's exactly what I'm doing," said Millette. "I'm sorry, but I'll be damned if you're gonna take hard-working Americans' money and drink it and waste it." Kules also told CBS News the charity did not spend $3 million on the Colorado conference, but he was not there and was unable to say what it did cost. He also denied that the charity spends money on alcohol or engages in any other kind of excessive spending. To view the CBS Evening News report go to http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/former- wounded-warrior-employees-accuse-charity-of-wasting-millions. [Source: CBS News | Chip Reif & Jennifer Janisch | January 26, 2016 ++]

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Veteran ID Card Update 04 ► Implementation in 2017

Congress passed legislation for a new veterans ID card last summer, but it will likely be another year before any are issued. The Department of Veterans Affairs has begun drafting regulations for production and issuing of the ID cards, designed to give veterans easy proof of their military service for non-federal activities. Legislation authorizing the cards, sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) passed through Congress without objection last July. He argued that veterans needed the option for a veterans ID to help individuals who have to carry around copies of their discharge paperwork to get discounts or services at a host of private businesses. Veterans requesting the IDs would have to pay a small, yet-to-be-determined fee, to cover production costs. But Veterans Affairs officials said it will likely still be months before anyone gets the new cards. The rule-making process is expected to take at least another year, with production and issuing times still to be decided.

“This is a lengthy process that requires time for a public comment period as well as approval from the Office of Management and Budget,” officials said in a statement this week. “VA currently estimates the program will be implemented in 2017.” That’s a disappointment for veterans who had hoped to ditch their DD-214s for the next trip to the hardware store or for local restaurant deals. Advocates have complained that practice is both inconvenient and unsafe, given the personal information included on official military documents. No veterans will be required to get the IDs, and the cards will not replace medical IDs or official defense retiree cards. Supporters called it a simple way to honor veterans’ service. [Source: Military Times | Leo Shane | January 26, 2016 ++]

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Tomb of the Unknowns Update 09 ► Blizzard Conditions

"The Tomb Guards maintain a constant vigil at the Tomb no matter the weather conditions," states the group's Facebook page. Members of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as "The Old Guard" are staying with the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery despite blizzard conditions slamming the area. Major cities, roadways and airports along the East Coast were largely immobilized 23 JAN by a massive and deadly snowstorm that showed no signs of letting up. Public transportation in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., was shut down as local officials called on residents to hunker down and stay off the streets for a second day. As of early Saturday, more than 60 million people were under blizzard, winter storm or freezing rain warnings. The storm's effects stretched from Georgia to Massachusetts, according to Weather.com. Despite the blizzard conditions, the guards remained in place. The images that they have shared are a stirring depiction of how dedicated our nation's soldiers are. [Source: Arkansas Herald | January 24, 2016 ++]

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Operation Take Command ► 7-11 Franchise Contest

If you’ve always dreamed of owning a franchise, 7-Eleven might help you get started. The Dallas-based home of the Big Gulp is launching its second annual “Operation Take Command” contest for veterans looking to open their own convenience store. One winner will get a 7-Eleven franchise valued at up to $190,000. Interested veterans can enter online at www.VeteransFranchiseGiveaway.com now through Feb. 26, 2016. The winner will be announced in June. To qualify, you must be age 21 or older, a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, an honorably discharged veteran, have excellent credit and at least three years of leadership, retail or restaurant experience. More than 6,000 former troops entered last year’s contest, say company officials. This year the top 25 will be invited to submit a video on why they deserve a 7-Eleven franchise. Up to seven will be selected from this pool for the semifinal competition. Through votes on 7-Eleven’s Facebook page, the public will select three finalists to be interviewed by 7-Eleven’s franchise department management and narrowed to one winner. [Source: Military Times | Jon R. Anderson | January 23, 2016 ++]

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CT Vet Business Preference ► State Contract Bids

The Connecticut Veterans Chamber of Commerce, a 501(c) (6) organization founded by a retired Marine in 2013, wants to add business-owning veterans as a protected class for state contracting purposes. Currently, businesses owned by veterans don't get preference of any kind when bidding on state contracts in Connecticut. As the only veterans organization that is registered to lobby for business-owning veterans, the CT Vets Chamber of Commerce plans to promote the issue in the upcoming legislative session of the Connecticut General Assembly, which begins 3 FEB. While there's currently no specific preference for businesses owned by veterans, any owner of a certified small business, including a veteran, qualifies for the state's small business set-aside program, now called the Office of Supplier Diversity.

A portion of the state budget dealing with contracted goods and services is required to be spent through Connecticut small and minority-owned businesses. "By statute, 25 percent of such spending is set aside for small businesses and 25 percent of that portion is for minority business enterprises," said Jeffrey Beckham, staff counsel and director of communications for the Department of Administrative Services. Michael Zacchea, founder of the Vets Chamber, said he'd like to see a 10 percent bid preference for businesses owned by veterans in determining the lowest bidder for state contracts, meaning that if a business owned by a veteran comes in 10 percent over the lowest bid, it would get the contract. He also wants 5 percent of state contracts to go to veteran-owned businesses. "That would go a long way toward creating economic value both for the state and the state's veteran business owners," Zacchea said by phone Tuesday. He added that it also would put Connecticut on a competitive basis with 18 other states, most notably New York.

New York is the "most aggressive" in this regard, according to Zacchea, who said 8 percent of all New York state contracts are supposed to go to veteran business owners under a 2014 law. It's too soon to know whether veteran business owners actually are getting those state contracts, he said, but he called New York "the benchmark for veteran contracting." Though Zacchea acknowledged that Connecticut has come "a long way since talking about veteran- owned business creation in state." The state has been "a very willing partner" in this regard over the past several years, he said. Zacchea is also the founder of the Entrepreneur Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities at the University of Connecticut. The issue of veteran businesses owners becoming a protected class is not new. It's come up in other legislative sessions but never passed. Zacchea called it a "Catch-22 situation," given there's "never been any data to support it." By that he means there's no firm data on the number of veteran business owners in the state.

A state-led initiative started in 2014 to compile a database of all veteran-owned businesses has more than 700 businesses on the list so far, although there are 31,000 veteran-owned businesses in the state, according to the 2012 Survey of Businesses Owners. Zacchea suggested that to identify who the veteran business owners are in Connecticut, a box could be included on state business applications or some sort of identifier could be added to tax forms. He said the CT Vets Chamber of Commerce has the technology capability to keep track of a database of all the veteran-owned businesses. Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Sean Connolly has proposed a Center of Excellence as one way to reimagine and take advantage of the expansive campus for veterans in Rocky Hill. Ideally, Zacchea would like the CT Vets Chamber of Commerce to be headquartered at the center, if it comes to fruition, and to run a veteran business incubator out of the facility. [Source: The Day | Julia Bergman | January 25. 2016 ++]

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Vet Toxic Exposure ~ Fentress NALF ► Perfluorinated Compounds

High levels of contaminants from a firefighting foam that was used for decades at Fentress Naval Auxiliary Landing Field were found in its well water during a recent laboratory test, leading Navy officials Wednesday to tell workers to drink only bottled water until a permanent solution is available. It’s unclear how much of a health risk the contaminants pose, although some studies have indicated there’s an elevated risk for cancer in animals and damage to human liver cells and an association with thyroid disease. Other studies have shown exposure may cause elevated cholesterol levels and low birth weight in humans.

The Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t regulate perfluorinated compounds, the contaminants, but it considers them an “emerging contaminant” that could threaten health or the environment. The EPA is studying the contaminants to figure out whether regulations for acceptable levels are needed. The man-made chemicals are readily absorbed after oral exposure and accumulate primarily in the serum, kidney and liver, according to an EPA fact sheet. “Right now, the health effects are completely unknown,” said Liz Nashold, regional environmental director for Navy Region Mid-Atlantic. Navy officials said they’ll work with their local, state and federal counterparts in the coming weeks to determine whether wells in nearby residential areas are affected. Restoration of the groundwater will be addressed by the Navy Environmental Cleanup Program.

Fentress is the only Navy installation in Hampton Roads with well water that used the firefighting foam, Nashold said. A water sample was sent to a laboratory Dec. 30 to test for the compounds as Navy officials began testing sites that may have been affected. The EPA requires monitoring for emerging contaminants only for water systems that serve more than 10,000 people. Laboratories only recently were able to analyze samples for the contaminants, according to the Navy. “We’ve gone above and beyond any requirements, any state and federal requirements, because we want to make sure we have high-quality drinking water for the sailors and civilians that are on Fentress Air Field,” Nashold said. About 50 people work at Fentress, in rural eastern Chesapeake near the Virginia Beach line. It’s used

by Navy pilots in Virginia Beach and Norfolk to practice aircraft carrier landings and does not have any homes on site. [Source: The Virginian-Pilot | Brock Vergakis | Jan 20, 2016 ++]

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Vet Burial Honors ► Families Should be Aware of in Advance

Planning funerals for military veterans and retirees can be overwhelming for their families, and the Defense Department’s director of casualty and mortuary affairs wants family members to familiarize themselves in advance when possible to know what to expect with military funeral honors. Deborah S. Skillman said families should learn about military funeral honors eligibility ahead of time to know what choices are available. She also recommends that family members should ensure they have access to the veteran’s discharge papers, also called DD Form 214, to prove eligibility. It’s also critical for family members who want military funeral honors to tell their funeral director, who can make the request for them, she said. The honors are not automatic, and must be requested through the veteran’s branch of service, she noted. “Families [also] need to know DoD is going to be there when the honors are requested,” Skillman added. DoD policy is mandated by law to provide a minimum of a two-person uniformed detail to present the core elements of the funeral honors ceremony, and one service member must represent the veteran’s branch of service, she said. The core elements comprise playing Taps, folding the American flag and presenting the flag to the family.

Burials with military funeral honors can be conducted at national, veterans’ or private cemeteries, she said. “While DoD is required to provide a [two-service-member] detail, policy encourages each service secretary to provide additional elements, such as the firing team and pall bearers, if resources permit. However, full honors are always provided for active duty deaths,” Skillman said. "Military honors may consist of three rifle volleys by a firing team," she said, and added that veteran service organizations often participate in burials with military honors to serve as pall bearers and to provide a firing team. The Veterans Affairs Department also offers other benefits, such as headstones, Skillman said. “We want to honor every eligible service member,” Skillman said, “and make sure [the services] are there to render honors.” [Source: DoD News, Defense Media Activity | Terri Moon Cronk | January 14, 2016 ++]

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Stolen Valor ► Reported 160115 thru 160131

Rep. Graham Hunt - A Washington state lawmaker who served in the Arizona Air National Guard has altered his official online biography after a newspaper raised questions about medals he claimed to have earned. Until recently, Republican Rep. Graham Hunt of Orting listed three medals that a military personnel center has no record of him receiving, The Seattle Times reported. A military spokeswoman cautioned that the center's records are sometimes incomplete, but Hunt nevertheless deleted references to the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. He also deleted a reference to having been a "combat veteran" of Iraq and Afghanistan. Hunt has described himself as having been "wounded in combat" but grows vague when asked for details. He said he was knocked down by explosions but cannot remember where. He also says he cannot remember the names of units he deployed with to Iraq and Afghanistan, and he declined to elaborate on service-related injuries for which he said he is receiving disability benefits.

Hunt, 36, heads U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign in the state. He told the newspaper he did not mean to list medals he had not received and took down the references until he could find documentation, which he said might be lost in boxes or at a relative's house. He agreed he had made a mistake in listing the Iraq medal — mixing it up with a similarly named award he did earn. He said he never intended to mislead anyone about his military record. "Honestly,

I don't even care to list any honors or awards I have received, because frankly I don't think they are that important to the public in the first place," he said. Hunt said he's frustrated he has been unable to locate documents proving he was awarded the Afghanistan medal and the commendation medal, but he declined requests from The Seattle Times to sign a waiver allowing fuller disclosure of his military records, including a complete copy of his discharge papers.

Rep. Graham Hunt, R-2

Whether he earned the medals aren't the only questions to have been raised about his military record. In May 2014, a dramatic Iraq war photo was posted to his Facebook page, showing two kneeling U.S. soldiers, one man consoling the other. The post said, "This picture of me was taken after a mortar attack in 2005," and added: "Background has been modified, but I think combat camera captured the moment pretty well. I surely have not forgotten that moment." But Hunt wasn't in the picture, which was a doctored version of a 2003 Associated Press photograph of two military policemen from Ohio. The photo was later removed from his account. Hunt told the newspaper a campaign volunteer had posted it without his knowledge.

Military records show Hunt served in the Air National Guard from 1998 to 2005, assigned to Sky HarborAir National Guard Base in Phoenix, according to Lt. Col. Belinda Petersen, a spokeswoman with the AirReserve Personnel Center in Colorado. After 2005, Hunt was a nonparticipating reservist until 2010, when he separated from the military. Hunt achieved the rank of staff sergeant. His awards include a small-arms marksmanship ribbon, the Air Force Expeditionary Medal and the Air Force Achievement Medal, according to the personnel center. The achievement medal was earned while Hunt was at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia in late 2002 and early 2003 as part of the 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing, according to a copy of the medal citation supplied by Hunt.

But the Air Reserve Personnel Center said Hunt's service record does not indicate he earned the Air Force Commendation Medal — a more prestigious award — or the Iraq or Afghanistan Campaign medals authorized for serving in the U.S. war in those countries. Maj. Heather Newcomb, public-affairs director for the personnel center, said while medals and citations are normally a part of a veteran's service records, they are not always up to date if the veteran did not submit required paperwork. Hunt's new online bio says he served "tours of duty in several countries, including multiple tours to the Middle East." He was appointed to the Legislature in January 2014 to represent the 2nd Legislative District of south Pierce and Thurston counties. He won election to a full term in November 2014 and is up for re-election this fall. [Source: Associated Press | January 25, 2016 ++]

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World War I Memorial Update 08 ► Design Winner Announced

The congressionally mandated campaign to add a World War I memorial to the Washington landscape took a major step on 25 JAN with the announcement of a winner in its open and international design concept contest. Seeking to remedy a perceived neglect of “the Great War” and the average service members who “did the dying,” the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission voted 8-1 to select from five finalists a concept titled “The Weight of Sacrifice.” It was created by a 25-year-old Arkansan architect in training named Joseph Weishaar. He in turn teamed up with veteran

New York based sculptor Sabin Howard to create images of soldiers to be incorporated in a design that creates a “sense of inclusion but is inviting and visible,” said commission vice chairman Edwin Fountain at the design concept’s unveiling at the National Press Club.

Pershing Park, located at 14th and Pennsylvania Ave. Northwest in a heavily trafficked area a block from the White House, honors the top commander of the American Expeditionary Forces sent to fight in Europe 99 years ago. But Pershing was a “soldier’s general who believed generals got too much attention,” said his granddaughter-in-law, Sandra Pershing, who spoke surrounded by two living history actors in restored but genuine doughboy uniforms. The chief defect of the current park’s design, said Fountain, is that it is “not visible and accessible.” The winning design concept “respects the existing design of the park” while contributing to the ambience of adjacent sites, such as the Willard Hotel, the Treasury Department and the Sherman Memorial, he said.

The consensus on the commission is that World War I—which mobilized 4.7 million U.S. troops and caused 116,000 deaths mostly in the final six months—has been “left out of national consciousness and therefore national discussion,” said commissioner Libby O’Connell. “Yet much of our country is organized, economically, socially, politically is because of World War I,” she added, mentioning advances in aviation technology, the suffragists and the United States “beginning to see itself as a positive agent of change in the world.” The war’s shadow, she said, remains cast over today’s fighting in Iraq and Syria, where locals still debate the borders imposed by the 1916 Sykes-Picot line. “So little tribute in the national capital area,” she warned, might make current living warfighters and veterans worry that “their service will not be remembered.” Fountain added that his commission’s project differs from the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War memorials on the now-filled National Mall in that the others were created with support from living veterans.

Though some critics have pointed out that World War I memorials already exist around the country (including one in the District of Columbia off Independence Avenue), Fountain lamented that many have been “hidden in plain sight” and “repurposed” as general war memorials. His group’s education mission targets young people in case “some dumb high school kid learning about World War II figures out that there must have been a World War I.” The memorial project has been vetted by the National Park Service, Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission and District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office. The World War I commission has also working with the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Mo., and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library in Chicago.

Fountain said the design concept may still undergo changes by the National Capital Planning Commission. He hopes for a final approval by the third quarter of 2016, with a goal of completing construction on the estimated $30 million-$40 million privately funded memorial by Veterans Day 2018. Present for the design announcement was Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO) who helped shepherd the commission’s creation through Congress. He recalled that when

he was elected mayor of Kansas City in 1991, one of his first acts was to raise a sales tax to restore the decaying Liberty Memorial on the site where hundreds of trains came through carrying servicemen to the First World War. Its 1921 dedication by President Coolidge with the allied leaders in attendance was witnessed by a future President, Harry Truman, said Cleaver, who is working in Congress to get Truman memorialized in Washington as well. [Source: GovExec.com | Charles S. Clark | January 27, 2016 ++]

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Vietnam Vets [14] ► Mike Kirchen

Barry Goldwater ran for president against Lyndon Johnson in 1964 and I was just old enough to vote. We were warned not to vote for Goldwater because we’d get involved with a war in Vietnam. Well, I voted for Goldwater and sure enough, before I knew it, I found myself in a U.S. Army uniform, climbing off a troop transport plane in Saigon. I had a duffle bag on my shoulder, an M14 rifle in my hand and a patch that read “1st Infantry Division” on my sleeve. I learned fast about what it’s like to be in a war – from the inside out. We didn’t have TV or even radio. News came in letters from our mothers, most of whom wrote to us every day. We waited for those daily messages and devoured news about home and about the war.

Mike Kirchen | My War

Our mothers told us that some guys were running to Canada to escape the draft. We all knew one or two of them from home. We weren’t surprised and it didn’t bother us. We knew them to be physical cowards. They never played varsity sports and didn’t stand up for anything. They never mattered. In fact, we were happy to see them flee the country. Little did we know that later Jimmy Carter would give them amnesty and let them come back to the country from which they ran. It broke our hearts. And letters from our mothers told us of the demonstrations back home. The

people we were fighting for blamed us and called us bloodthirsty baby killers. We couldn’t understand. And, unless you were there, you can never come close to comprehending the crushing impact on our sense of self-respect and confusion about right and wrong. My mother wrote that she was sure I was not a part of any of that. Small consolation.

There were some heart-moving moments. Bob Hope came at Christmastime with his troupe. That was a real morale bump for us. We were asked to loan Army vehicles and drivers to move the entertainers from the air strip to the stage and back. I sent my jeep and driver, and when he returned there was a clean white handkerchief on the passenger seat. As I approached, my driver leaped to his feet, dramatically swept the cloth away and said, “Sir, the last fanny on your jeep seat belongs to Anita Bryant.” Martha Raye was there and showed up everywhere. Johnny Unitas and Willie Davis spent days there. They tossed the football with us, told stories and treated us like teammates. God love ‘em. Somebody cared.

Then my year was up and it was time to ship home. Happy day. I was jeeped to Tan Son Nhut Air Base and waited three days for a plane ride to the U.S. Meanwhile, I bought a khaki uniform and got it laundered and starched. Next stop: Oakland, Calif. I remember the trip as about 20 hours in the air, but I was so excited there was no sleep. Before deplaning, I put on my khakis and felt good walking down the airport concourse. A group of rowdy young people saw me in my uniform and it started. The booing and name-calling. Words can’t describe my feelings then so I won’t try. I found the nearest restroom and put on some wrinkled civvies I had at the bottom of my duffle bag. That was my first welcome home.

There have been others that were much better. In fact, the best happened when we Vietnam vets marched as a group in a fall festival parade. As we stepped onto the parade route, the crowd saw our banner and erupted up to their feet from the grass and out of their lawn chairs. They applauded. They waved. They shouted, “Thank you.” My eyes filled with tears and I was paralyzed. The crowd stood and applauded the entire mile of the parade. They guy next to me wiped a tear and said, “I’d fight for these people any day.” And we would. -- Mike Kirchen is retired and lives in Wisconsin with his wife, Linda. He served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army 1st Infantry Division. [Source: American Legion | Mike Kirchen | November 23, 2015 ++]

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WWII Vets 99 ► Hanley~Fiske

A gold-framed black-and-white photo shows a smiling man in an Army Air Forces uniform, his cheeks still chubby with youth. The picture was taken in 1944 when Fiske Hanley was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He had just graduated from a six-month training program for flight engineers at Yale University. He was 5 feet 10 and weighed 175 pounds. In his comfortable apartment at Trinity Terrace recently, Hanley, 95, clutched another photo of himself, smiling among a jubilant group of raggedy-looking men. The photo was taken 11/2 years after the first. Hanley’s cheeks are sunken; he is 25 years old and weighs 96 pounds. He wears a dirty, bloodstained piece of cloth wrapped around his waist. The contrast between the men’s condition and the smiles on their faces is explained by the date of the photo: Aug. 29, 1945. They had just been liberated from Japanese prisoner of war camps.

A flight engineer on a B-29 Superfortress, Hanley was assigned to the 504th Bomb Group, which late in World War II flew fire-bombing missions over Japan. On March 27, 1945, his plane was shot down. Eight crew members were killed when the plane crashed near the Shimonoseki Straits in Northern Kyushu. “Our giant airplane was being tossed around like a cork in a stormy sea,” Hanley wrote in his book Accused American War Criminal. “In the distance, I observed our airplane engulfed in flames and spiraling toward the ground,” he said of parachuting at the last minute. “It appeared as a fiery cross in the sky. While I was descending in the parachute, I saw the fiery plane hit the ground and explode in a sea of fire.” Hanley and the plane’s co-pilot, Al Andrews, were the only survivors.

After landing in a rice paddy near the Japanese village of Ueki, Hanley said, angry farmers formed a big circle around him and “proceeded to start killing” him with bamboo spears, clubs and farm tools. He had already been hit by shrapnel when the plane was shot down. “My shirt became soaked with blood,” he recalled. The beatings were stopped by a Japanese policeman who shoved Hanley into the back of a truck and took him to Kempeitai headquarters in central Tokyo to be interrogated. The Kempeitai were Japan’s version of the German Gestapo. Hanley was labeled a “special prisoner” because he was assigned to a B-29, which firebombed civilian targets. At the headquarters, he encountered Yasuo “Shorty” Kobayashi, 5 feet tall with big black boots and in charge of the American prisoners and their interrogations. “I would kill him if I could get my hands on him, but he’s already dead,” Hanley muttered, pointing at Kobayashi’s photo. Kobayashi oversaw the beatings and killings of prisoners who were led around the camp with a rope on their necks like dogs, Hanley said.

Prisoners were blindfolded and handcuffed unless they were locked in their 9-by-5-foot cells that housed up to eight people at times. They weren’t allowed to bathe. Blankets were infested with fleas and lice. They weren’t allowed to exercise. They never saw the sun. Fewer than half the Americans survived. “I did not see daylight during my entire Kempeitai Headquarters captivity,” Hanley wrote. “Special” POWs got half the rations of a regular POW. “We were given three little rice balls a day for meals,” he said. “We had no medical attention. They beat us with gun butts.” Another tool Japanese captors liked to use were bamboo clubs swung across the heads and bodies of prisoners as they were interrogated. Hanley’s wounds were dressed only once: He was told he could “use one of the blankets to cover the offensive odor of my dirty and blood-saturated bandages.” Medical personnel probed wounds with infected swabs.

The Army Air Forces sent a telegram to his father, Claude Hanley, 2715 University Drive in Fort Worth, informing him that his son had been missing in action since March 27, 1945. “War is a terrible business,” the telegram stated. “May God grant that it is soon over, and may he grant us the wisdom and the strength to build a better world and create a permanent peace so that the sacrifices which are being made shall not be made in vain.” Back at the camp, all Hanley and fellow prisoners could think about was food. “We discussed food almost all the time. Each of us talked about our favorite food and what we’d eat first when liberated,” he wrote. On Aug. 6, 1945, a B-29 Superfortress named the Enola Gay dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over Hiroshima, killing an estimated 140,000 and wiping out 90 percent of the city. Three days later, another U.S. atomic bomb fell, this time on the city of Nagasaki, killing about 40,000.

On Aug. 14, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender. But Hanley and other POWs didn’t know that or why they were suddenly being rushed out of their cells and put on army trucks. Kobayashi found a seat next to Hanley. “… He turned toward me, stretched his lips into his version of a smile, and asked as pleasantly capable, ‘How are you?’” At POW Camp Omori on Tokyo Bay, the prisoners were unloaded from the trucks and walked to the edge of the water. They were stripped of their clothes. And then they did something they hadn’t done in a long time: They washed their starving, infected and burned bodies with water. “Many of the prisoners were crying in their joy,” Hanley wrote. “We were all laughing and splashing in the wonderful clean water.” Andrews, the co-pilot who was shot down with Hanley, had arrived the day before and overheard the guards talking about whether they should machine-gun the whole lot of them or not. They did not, and the war was over.

During the mid-afternoon of Aug. 29, U.S. Navy ships headed toward Camp Omori. Fighter planes circled overhead as men jumped up and down on the dock and cheered. Homemade flags made of old rags waved. “We were wild with

joy,” Hanley wrote. During the recent interview at his apartment, Hanley asked, “Have you seen the movie Unbroken? I lived that.” Camp Omori also housed Olympian Louis Zamperini, a WWII hero at the center of Unbroken, a film by Angelina Jolie based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand. Hillenbrand said Hanley was a “source for Unbroken.” He was invited to the movie’s Hollywood premiere at The Dolby Theatre on Dec. 15, 2014. “I went to the grand opening in Hollywood. I saw it one more time and then I said ‘No more, this is too much,’” Hanley said. In 1992, Hanley wrote a book, History of the 504th Bomb Group. A few years later, he gathered up notes that he had typed not long after returning home from Japan and complied them into his memoir, which was published in 1997 by Texas Tech University.

This fall, Hanley plans to return to Kempeitai headquarters where he was imprisoned. He said he is one of four former POWs chosen by the U.S. State Department for the trip. He was told they are to spend a week in Tokyo, and each will be taken to see where they were imprisoned. Hanley also said he was told he was going to receive an apology from Japanese leaders. However, last week, on the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the Japanese had apologized enough, noting that 80 percent of the country’s population was born after the war. “We must not let our children, grandchildren and even further generations to come, who have nothing to do with that war, be predestined to apologize,” he said. State Department representatives did not respond to requests for more information about the plans for Hanley’s trip.

Back home from the war, Hanley used his aeronautical engineering training and for 44 years worked at General Dynamics, now Lockheed, where military planes are designed and built. It was at General Dynamics that he met Mitsuharu “Bill” Nagase. As a teenager in Japan, Nagase trained to become a kamikaze — a suicide pilot — and at 16, was just four days from going on his mission when Japan surrendered, Hanley said. An American colonel in the occupation forces took such a liking to young Nagase that he brought him back to the U.S. and sent him to Texas Christian University. Hanley and Nagase weren’t friends for long before they realized that Hanley’s plane flew in the raid that killed Nagase’s parents. “He was from Nagoya, and I burned down his house, and then I found out, not from him, that I killed his parents, and we are still friends.” Hanley said he is now eagerly waiting to read Nagase’s book, and sharing his story.

Hanley’s climb to the B-29  Fiske Hanley graduated from Paschal High School in Fort Worth in 1938.  He was given an educational deferment during the World War II draft and received a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Texas Tech University in 1943.  He entered the Army Air Forces Aviation Cadet Training Program as an engineering student and graduated from Yale University’s technical training school in 1944 with a second lieutenant’s commission.  Only 20 people in Hanley’s class were selected to be flight engineers on B-29s.  For a five minute video of his account of what happened to him refer to https://youtu.be/vlrgHbJxPF4.

[Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram | Monica S. Nagy | August 28, 2015 ++]

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Obit: Ernest Yazhe ► 19 JAN 2016

A Navajo man who helped stump the Japanese during World War II using a code based on his native language has died in Utah. Ernest Yazhe, 92, died of renal failure in suburban Salt Lake City on 19 JAN, his daughter Melissa Yazhe told The Salt Lake Tribune. Born in Naschitti, New Mexico, Yazhe joined the U.S. Marines when he was 19 years old. He became one of the hundreds of Code Talkers who played a vital combat role by transmitting battlefield messages in an unbreakable Navajo-based radio code. Navajo Nation authorities said Friday that all flags there would be to be flown at half-staff from Jan. 19 to Jan. 22 to honor Yazhe's memory. "The Navajo language was the secret

weapon that brought victory to the Allied Forces and ended the war in the Pacific," said Vice President Jonathan Nez in a statement.

The group began with 29 recruits in the spring of 1942. Yazhe joined in September of that year, after he graduated from the Albuquerque Indian School. There were at least 440 Code Talkers. Fewer than 20 are still alive. His older brother Harrison Yazhe, who died in 2004, also became a Code Talker. Both brothers' names appeared in the Congressional record on the list of Code Talkers confirmed by the Marines. A third brother, U.S. Army Pfc. Silas Yazzie, died in combat in Italy in 1944. The brothers had slightly different last names because officials with schools or the military recorded them with different phonetic spellings over the years, his family said. Ernest Yazhe served in Guam and Okinawa campaigns, and once heard Japanese soldiers utter the words "Code Talkers" as they discussed the transmissions. The Japanese were "sorry that they couldn't understand it," he said in a 2013 video produced by the Utah National Guard.

After Japan surrendered, he helped repatriate Japanese prisoners of war in China. Discharged as a corporal in 1946, Yazhe came to Utah for work at a school in Brigham City where he met his wife Katie Trujillo. They raised seven children together as he worked for Kennecott Utah Copper for 38 years. Ernest Yazhe didn't talk much about his combat experiences after the war, though he did say he served on the front lines and took enemy fire, said his son-in- law Joel Frank. He may have stayed quiet in part because the program remained classified until 1968. "He just kind of put it in the back of his mind and he never talked about it," Frank said. Yazhe didn't often attend Code Talker reunions, but he did go to Window Rock, Arizona, for a 2001 ceremony presenting Code Talkers with the Congressional Silver Medal, said Melissa Yazzie. His survivors include six siblings and six children as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren. [Source: The Salt Lake Tribune | Felicia Fonseca | January 20, 2016 ++]

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Obit: William Y. Smith ► 19 Jan 2016

William Y. Smith, a four-star Air Force general who flew combat missions in Korea, wrote a book about the Cuban Missile Crisis and retired as deputy commander of U.S. forces in Europe, died Jan. 19 at his home in Falls Church, Va. He was 90. The cause was congestive heart failure, said his wife, Maria Smith. In retirement, Gen. Smith was a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and for five years was president of Institute for Defense Analyses, a federally funded research center. What may have been the defining moment of his career occurred in February 1952 over North Korea when his F-84 fighter jet was hit by antiaircraft fire, smashing his right foot and ankle and setting his airplane on fire. He landed on North Korean mudflats and was rescued by a U.S. helicopter. He spent the next nine months in military hospitals, and his right foot would be amputated just above the ankle. He was fitted with a prosthetic foot and ankle.

Gen. William Y. Smith in 1981. He flew combat missions in Korea, wrote a book about the Cuban Missile Crisis and retired as deputy commander of U.S. forces in Europe.

The future general had flown 97 combat missions but would never fly another, he was told. He could have taken a combat disability retirement. Or he could remain in the Air Force in non-flying assignments, but that would impair his opportunities for promotion. He chose to stay and retired in 1983 as deputy commander in chief of the U.S. European Command.

William Young Smith was born in Hot Springs, Ark., on Aug. 13, 1925. He graduated in 1948 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. Only in 1947 did the Air Force become a separate service, and he was among the first group of West Point graduates to pick an Air Force career. From 1954 to 1958, he taught government, economics and international relations at West Point. He received a doctorate in political economy and government at Harvard University in 1961, then came to Washington as a junior staff member with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the National Security Council. He participated in negotiations that led to the Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963. His experiences during that time became germinating agents of a 1994 book about the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, co- written with a Soviet general, Anatoli I. Gribkov, former chief of staff of the armed forces of the Warsaw Pact.

The book was “Operation Anadyr,” which was the Russian-language name for the Soviet stratagem of placing ballistic missiles in Cuba. Among the points the authors argued was that both sides often relied on erroneous information in making decisions. Gen. Smith, according to his wife, often told a story of the United States receiving two simultaneous messages from Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, one positive and one negative. The United States chose to respond to the positive message, Gen. Smith told his family. In 1979 Gen. Smith was posted in Europe as chief of staff for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and remained in that job until becoming deputy commander in chief of the U.S. European Command.

His medals included the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart, the Joint Service Commendation Medal and four awards of the Air Medal. In 1957, he married Maria Petschek. Besides his wife, of Falls Church, survivors include three sons, Raymond Smith of St. Louis, Mark Smith of Belmont, Mass., and Derek Smith of Falls Church; a sister; and nine grandchildren. Gen. Smith’s avocations included tennis and squash. He was quick and agile in competition. Men and women who did not know were said to have been unable to tell, when he walked along a corridor at the Pentagon, which foot was the prosthetic. [Source: The Washington Post | Bart Barnes | January 24, 2016 ++]

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Obit: Alyce Dixon ► 27 Jan 2016

The oldest female Veteran, the high-spirted, fun-loving, amazing local celebrity, Ms. Alyce Dixon, died peacefully in her sleep at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center's Community Living Center. She was 108 years old. She is well-known in the community for her elegant sense of style, her long repertoire of eyebrow-raising jokes and very strong opinions. She credits her long life to sharing and caring. "I always shared what little I have, that's why He let me live so long. I just believe in sharing and giving. If you have a little bit of something and someone else needs it, share," she said.

Ms. Dixon was born in 1907, when an American's average life expectancy was only 47 years. She was born Alice Ellis in Boston. At the age of 16, she changed the spelling of her name to Alyce after seeing a picture show starring actress Alyce Mills. She lived life on her own terms from that day forward. She was married for a time, but divorced

her husband over an $18 grocery bill. He found out she was sending money home to her family and put her on a strict allowance. This didn't sit well for the independent young woman. "I found myself a job, an apartment and a roommate. I didn't need him or his money," she said. She later joined the military in 1943. She was among one of the first African- American women in the Army. As a member of the Women's Army Corps, she was stationed in England and France where she played an important role in the postal service as part of the 6888th Battalion.

After leaving the Army, she served the government for many years at the Census Bureau and for the Pentagon where she served as a purchasing agent, buying everything from pencils to airplanes. She retired from government service in 1973. At the medical center, she was affectionately called the "Queen Bee" and was known for impeccable dress. She never left her room without fixing her makeup and hair. She always wore stylish clothes and jewelry and sported well-manicured nails. She loved to sit in the medical center Atrium and watch the people. She was disappointed in how young women dress today. "I tell everyone to dress nice for yourself and you'll feel better, even if you don't feel good," she said. "Wear your jewelry, fix your hair. No one has to tell you that you look good...do it for yourself." She led a long and full life.

She has met presidents, the first lady, members of Congress, high-ranking military officers, celebrities and musicians. She also held media interviews with many local and national outlets. According to VA Medical Center Director, Brian A. Hawkins, MHA, "she will be missed. She will be missed by our "Capitol Excellence" family, especially the caregivers and Veterans of our Community Living Center. She was one-of-a-kind; a strong-willed, funny, wise, giving and feisty WWII Veteran. Her message touched a lot of people. It has been an honor to care for the oldest female Veteran. The DC VA Medical Center won't be the same without her." Services are pending. [Source: Washinton DC VAMC | Januay 27, 2016 ++]

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Obit: Barry Coates ► 23 Jan 2016

Barry Coates, the U.S. veteran who became the human face of the Veterans Affairs scandal over delays in care in 2014, died on Saturday of the cancer that wracked his body after waits for medical care at a VA facility. He was 46. Coates became a national figure representing delays in medical care at VA hospitals after he was featured prominently in a CNN investigation in January 2014 (http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/30/health/veterans-dying-health-care-delays). The CNN investigation that included Coates was the first national story about delays in care across the country that year. It led to a national controversy resulting in the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, and ultimately a law that provided $16 billion to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs, passed by Congress and signed by President Obama.

Barry Coates testifies during a Veterans Affairs hearing in 2014.

After the CNN story about him, Coates was asked to testify before Congress about the delays in his medical care. When he got to Washington, Coates told lawmakers he had suffered for months, waiting for a simple medical procedure that might have saved his life. Coates testified he was dying of cancer because the procedure was delayed at several VA facilities, including the William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia, South Carolina. Leaving some lawmakers in tears and making national news again, Coates described in detail how he waited months,

even begging for an appointment to have a colonoscopy. But he found himself on a growing list of veterans also waiting for appointments and procedures. About a year after first complaining to his doctors of pain, Coates said, he was able to get a colonoscopy. Doctors discovered a cancerous tumor the size of a baseball. By then he had Stage 4 cancer, and it was only a matter of time before he was overtaken by the illness, he told lawmakers.

From his first interview, Coates, a simple but articulate man from rural South Carolina, spoke eloquently about how veterans should be treated better, and deserved more after all the sacrifices they had made for their country. "Due to the inadequate and lack of follow-up care I received through the VA system, I stand before you terminally ill today," Coates told members of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. The lawmakers who heard him testify were shaken by his description, and about the numerous deaths of other veterans outlined in CNN's investigation. "This is an outrage! This is an American disaster!" Rep. Jackie Walorski, an Indiana Republican, nearly screamed, her voice quavering, during that congressional hearing, in April 2014. "My dad was a veteran. He died of colon cancer," she said, crying softly. "This is so personal to me." Coates remained friendly and kind, was never hostile, and even kept his humor as his illness progressed. Speaking with his down-home and polite country manner, the Army veteran had a remarkable ability to touch many people with his story.

Coates' family said he died Saturday from the cancer that had been left untreated by the VA for so long. After his time in the national spotlight, Coates continued to rail against the VA and fight for veterans to get better treatment, continuing to speak with reporters and helping them understand the VA crisis and scandal as it unfolded. Coates' son, Shane, 23, on 27 JAN described his father's fight and how he remained committed to helping other veterans to the end. "Everything they did at the VA was dragged out, it was never a quick appointment for anything," Shane Coates said. "He had to wait so long to get any treatment. After what happened to him, he just wanted to fight for other veterans. He wanted to show the world that when you go fight for your country, it's not right that you come home and then you have to fight just to get basic medical treatment," Shane Coates said. "The way they treated him, and other veterans, it's just not the way any veteran should ever be treated. It's just not right."

Coates was buried Wednesday in Bethune, South Carolina, after a service at the Timrod Baptist Church. In addition to Shane, Coates is survived by his father, Barry Coates Sr.; his wife, Donna; his brother Randall; his sister Dawanna; and by four other children: Scotty, 25; Breanna, 24; Troy, 22; and Tyler, 16. For more info on the VA wait time issue refer to the CNN Video at http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/27/us/barry-coates-dead/index.html. [Source: CNN Investigations | Scott Bronstein, Nelli Black, Drew Griffin and Curt Devine | January 27, 2016 ++

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Retiree Appreciation Days ► As of 14 Jan 2016

Retiree Appreciation Days (RADs) are designed with you in mind. They're a great source of the latest information for retirees and Family members in your area. RADs vary from installation to installation, but, in general, they provide an opportunity to renew acquaintances, listen to guest speakers, renew ID Cards, get medical checkups, and various other services. Some RADs include special events such as dinners or golf tournaments. Due to budget constraints, some RADs may be cancelled or rescheduled. Also, scheduled appearances of DFAS representatives may not be possible. If you plan to travel long distances to attend a RAD, before traveling, you should call the sponsoring RSO to ensure the RAD will held as scheduled and, if applicable, whether or not DFAS reps will be available. The current schedule is provided in the attachment to this Bulletin titled, “Retiree Activity\Appreciation Days (RAD) Schedule”. Note that this schedule has been expanded to include dates for retiree\veterans related events such as town hall meetings, resource fairs, stand downs, etc. For more information call the phone numbers of the Retirement Services Officer (RSO) sponsoring the RAD as indicated in the attachment. An up-to-date list of Retiree Appreciation Days can always be accessed online at:  HTML: http://www.hostmtb.org/RADs_and_Other_Retiree-Veterans_Events.html  PDF: http://www.hostmtb.org/RADs_and_Other_Retiree-Veterans_Events.pdf

 Word: http://www.hostmtb.org/RADs_and_Other_Retiree-Veterans_Events.doc

[Source: RAD List Manager | Milton Bell | January 29, 2015 ++]

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Vet Hiring Fairs ► 1 Feb thru 31 Mar 2016

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s (USCC) Hiring Our Heroes program employment workshops are available in conjunction with hundreds of their hiring fairs. These workshops are designed to help veterans and military spouses and include resume writing, interview skills, and one-on-one mentoring. For details of each you should click on the city next to the date in the below list. To participate, sign up for the workshop in addition to registering (if indicated) for the hiring fairs which are shown below for the next month. For more information about the USCC Hiring Our Heroes Program, Military Spouse Program, Transition Assistance, GE Employment Workshops, Resume Engine, etc. visit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s website at http://www.hiringourheroes.org/hiringourheroes/events .

San Antonio, TX - San Antonio Military Spouse Networking Reception Details Register February 2 - 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

San Antonio, TX - San Antonio Hiring Expo with San Antonio Spurs Details Register February 3 - 9:30 am to 2:00 pm

St. Paul, MN - Minneapolis/St. Paul Hiring Expo with Minnesota Wild Details Register February 9 - 9:30 am to 2:00 pm

McChord AFB, WA - Joint Base Lewis-McChord Military Spouse 2-Day Event Details Register February 9 - 7:00 pm to February 10 - 1:00 pm

Camp Pendleton, CA - Camp Pendleton Military Spouse 2-Day Event Details Register February 17 - 7:00 pm to February 18 - 1:00 pm

Tampa, FL - Tampa Wounded Veteran & Caregiver Employment Conference Details Register February 23 - 8:30 am to 2:30 pm

Denver, CO - Denver Hiring Expo with Denver Nuggets Details Register February 29 - 9:30 am to 2:00 pm

Houston, TX - Houston Hiring Expo with Houston Rockets Details Register March 2 - 9:30 am to 2:00 pm

Detroit, MI - Detroit Hiring Fair Details Register March 5 - 8:30 am to 1:30 pm

Germany, AE - Germany Transition Summits Details Register March 7 - 2:00 pm to March 11 - 2:30 pm

Dayton, OH - Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Military Spouse 2-Day Event Details Register March 9 - 7:00 pm to March 10 - 1:00 pm

Glendale, AZ - Phoenix Military Spouse Networking Reception Details Register March 16 - 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Glendale, AZ - Phoenix Hiring Expo with Arizona Coyotes Details Register March 17 - 8:30 am to 2:00 pm

Fort Bliss, TX - Fort Bliss Transition Summit Details Register

March 23 - 4:00 pm to March 24 - 4:00 pm

Employer Best Practices Webinar Details Register March 31 - 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm

[Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Assn January 31, 2016 ++]

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State Veteran's Benefits & Discounts ► Montana | 2016

The state of Montana provides several benefits to veterans as indicated below. To obtain information on these refer to the attachment to this Bulletin titled, “Veteran State Benefits – MT” for an overview of the below those benefits. Benefits are available to veterans who are residents of the state. For a more detailed explanation of each refer to http://montanadma.org/montana-veterans-affairs.  Housing Benefits  Employment Benefits  Education Benefits  Other State Veteran Benefits  Discounts

[Source: http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-benefits/montana-state-veterans-benefits Jan 2016 ++]

* Vet Legislation *

VA Bonuses Update 30 ► Veterans Administration Bonus Elimination Act

U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Frank Guinta (R-NH), introduced the Veterans Administration Bonus Elimination Act today to help ensure timely delivery of care to United States military veterans. Their bill denies bonuses to senior Veterans Administration (VA) executives, who fail to ensure that veterans receive care within 30 days under VA guidelines, according to a press statement. “It is unconscionable that senior VA officials are rewarded with bonuses, while hundreds of thousands of veterans across the country are still facing major delays in receiving the care that they need and have earned,” said Gabbard. “Even after the VA scandal in 2014, veteran wait times have increased. In October 2015, the VA said there were nearly 500,000 veterans who were waiting over 30 days to receive care. The fact that the systemic problems within the VA that created this situation continue to persist is deeply troublesome. Those who are responsible for ensuring our nation’s veterans get the care and services they need should be held accountable, not rewarded for their malpractice. This bill is a step forward in repairing our veterans’ trust.”

Bonuses should be rewards for quality work, completed on time,” said Guinta, “but revelations of secret waiting lists and subpar care tell a different story about some VA facilities. Even after a nationwide scandal and legislation to fix the problem, securing an appointment remains difficult. The bureaucracy only reluctantly embraces reform. Our bill puts pressure on the VA to meet reasonable goals that Congress instituted by law. We should show the same commitment to U.S. military veterans that they have showed our country.”

Frank Guinta & Tulsi Gabbard

In 2014, whistleblowers at several VA hospitals revealed that employees often manipulated waiting list data to collect performance bonuses. Over a 10-year period, more than 300,000 vets may have died before receiving their appointments, according to reports. A Senate investigation directly linked almost 1,000 deaths to long wait times. In Hawaii, veterans experienced the longest wait times in the country, averaging 145 days – almost five months – for a simple primary care visit. According to VA guidelines, vets should wait no longer than 30 days for an appointment. An internal audit found that over 120,000 vets waited at least 90 days, even after the scandal broke. That same year, the VA paid $142 million in bonuses, ranging from $500 to $13,000, to employees. “New Hampshire has one of the highest veteran populations in the U.S. but no full-service VA facility or military hospital,” said Rep. Guinta. “Granite State vets must travel far and wide to seek care. Congresswoman Gabbard and I teamed to introduce this simple measure to help them and other former military members get the service they deserve – on time.”

Congress passed the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act to provide more doctors, staff and VA treatment centers, as well as to expand the VA Secretary’s authority to fire poorly performing employees. However, after 18 months and billions of dollars, the number of veterans on waiting lists has grown. Rep. Gabbard is a major in the Hawaii Army National Guard and a veteran of two Middle East deployments. She is a member of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees. Rep. Guinta, Manchester, New Hampshire’s former two-term mayor, is a member of the House Financial Services Committee. [Source: Patch Media | Tony Schinella | January 15, 2016 ++]

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VA Facility Safety Update 02 ► Senate Passes S.2422

On 21 JAN, the Senate passed the “Fiscal Year 2016 Department of Veterans Affairs Seismic Safety and Construction Authorization Act (S.2422).” This bill will allow VA to begin several major construction projects that were funded in the “Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016.” Here is a list of the projects that were authorized:

-- Seismic corrections to buildings in San Francisco, Ca.; -- Seismic corrections to facilities at the medical center in West Los Angeles, Ca.; -- Seismic corrections to the mental health and community living center in Long Beach, Ca.; -- Construction of an outpatient clinic, administrative space, cemetery, and columbarium in Alameda, Ca.; -- Realignment of medical facilities in Livermore, Ca.; -- Construction of a medical center in Louisville, Ky.; -- Construction of a replacement community living center in Perry Point, Md.; and

-- Seismic corrections and other renovations to several buildings and construction of a specialty care building in American Lake, Wa.

VFW encourages the House to quickly pass this legislation so VA can begin closing these access and safety gaps for veterans to receive care more quickly and in a safe environment. [Source: VFW Action Corps Weekly | January 22 2016 ++]

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POW/MIA Update 69 ► Resolution to Create New Committee

Freshman Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) has introduced a measure to create a select committee for investigating unresolved cases of missing soldiers and prisoners of war. Walker this week unveiled a resolution that would create a panel like the committees established to probe Planned Parenthood and the 2012 Benghazi attack. For the North Carolina lawmaker, the issue of prisoners of war and troops missing in action is personal. Walker, a former Baptist minister, said he was struck by the stories from four World War II veterans at an event he organized three years ago. One veteran in particular recalled a harrowing story of being captured by the Germans as a prisoner of war after he was injured in a bombing mission. "I was moved by his emotion that still exists in sharing his story seven decades later. I think about it often and it has impacted me to take action in making sure that we are doing everything possible for our POWs and MIAs as well as their families," Walker said in a statement.

The proposed panel, which would be known as the Select Committee on POW and MIA Affairs, would investigate "all unresolved matters" regarding any unaccounted U.S. military personnel from World War II onward. That would include cases from the Cold War era, as well as the Persian Gulf War and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The committee, comprised of ten lawmakers, would be required to produce a report on its investigation "as soon as practicable during the present Congress." It would then cease its operations within 30 days after submitting the report to the House. Walker's resolution does not yet have any cosponsors. House Democrats have proposed other select committees similar in structure. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) last year called for a select panel on gun violence prevention, while members of the Congressional Black Caucus signed onto a resolution this month that would establish a committee on police shootings. [Source: The Hill | Cristina Marcos | January 26, 2016 ++]

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Vet Bills Submitted to 114th Congress ► 160115 thru 160131

Refer to this Bulletin’s “House & Senate Veteran Legislation” attachment for a listing of Congressional bills of interest to the veteran community introduced in the 114th Congress. The list contains the bill’s number and name, what it is intended to do, it’s sponsor, any related bills, and the committees it has been assigned to. Support of these bills through cosponsorship by other legislators is critical if they are ever going to move through the legislative process for a floor vote to become law. A good indication of that likelihood is the number of cosponsors who have signed onto the bill. Any number of members may cosponsor a bill in the House or Senate. At https://beta.congress.gov you can review a copy of each bill’s content, determine its current status, the committee it has been assigned to, and if your legislator is a sponsor or cosponsor of it by entering the bill number in the site’s search engine. To determine what bills, amendments your representative/senator has sponsored, cosponsored, or dropped sponsorship on go to: https://beta.congress.gov/search?q=%7B%22source%22%3A%5B%22legislation%22%5D%7D, Select the ‘Sponsor’ tab, and click on your congress person’s name. You can also go to http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php.

Grassroots lobbying is the most effective way to let your Congressional representatives know your wants and dislikes. If you are not sure who is your Congressman go to https://beta.congress.gov/members. Members of Congress are receptive and open to suggestions from their constituents. The key to increasing cosponsorship support on veteran

related bills and subsequent passage into law is letting legislators know of veteran’s feelings on issues. You can reach their Washington office via the Capital Operator direct at (866) 272-6622, (800) 828-0498, or (866) 340-9281 to express your views. Otherwise, you can locate their phone number, mailing address, or email/website to communicate with a message or letter of your own making at either: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm http://www.house.gov/representatives

FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF VETERAN RELATED LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE SINCE THE LAST BULLETIN WAS PUBLISHED

NONE

FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF VETERAN RELATED LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN THE SENATE SINCE THE LAST BULLETIN WAS PUBLISHED

 S.2473 : VA Alternative Appeals Process. A bill to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to provide veterans the option of using an alternative appeals process to more quickly determine claims for disability compensation, and for other purposes.

[Source: https://beta.congress.gov & http: //www.govtrack.us/congress/bills January 30, 2016 ++]

* Military *

Expeditionary Fast Transports ► Bow Structure Design Problems

The U.S. Navy is spending millions of dollars to repair new high-speed transport ships built by Austal Ltd. because their weak bows can't stand buffeting from high seas, according to the Pentagon's chief weapons tester. "The entire ship class requires reinforcing structure" to bridge the twin hulls of the all-aluminum catamarans because of a design change that the Navy adopted at Austal's recommendation for the $2.1 billion fleet of Expeditionary Fast Transports, Michael Gilmore, the Defense Department's director of operational test and evaluation, said in a report to Congress. "The Navy accepted compromises in the bow structure, presumably to save weight, during the building of these ships," Gilmore wrote lawmakers, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, in a September letter that wasn't previously disclosed. "Multiple ships of the class have suffered damage to the bow structure."

The speedy catamarans are designed to transport 600 short tons of military cargo and as many as 312 troops for 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots. They've been deployed to Africa and the Middle East as well as to Singapore as part of the U.S.'s Pacific rebalance and are being considered by military officials for expanded use there by the Marines. The vessels fill a transport gap between larger, slower vessels and cargo aircraft. Michelle Bowden, a spokeswoman for Henderson, Australia- based Austal, deferred comment to the Navy. Capt. Thurraya Kent, a Navy spokeswoman, said the service accepted Austal's recommendation because the company's analysis showed the lighter-weight bow met criteria of the American Bureau of Shipping and Pentagon requirements. She said

in an email that Gilmore's report confirms that the vessel "meets and in certain area exceeds" key performance parameters.

The Military Sealift Command expeditionary fast-transport vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) leaves Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia Beach, Va., in December 2015 for a mission to Africa. The U.S. Navy is spending millions of dollars to repair the new ships, including the Spearhead, because their weak bows can't stand buffeting from high seas.

The Navy bought 10 of the shallow-draft vessels, at about $217 million each. Five have been delivered and are in operation, while the other five are under construction at Austal's Mobile, Ala., shipyard. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which added $225 million for an 11th vessel to the fiscal 2016 defense spending bill last month. So far, the Navy has spent almost $2.4 million strengthening the bow of the first four vessels delivered since late 2012. Repair costs include $511,000 on the initial vessel, the USNS Spearhead, which was damaged during deployment by waves slamming into the superstructure, according to test data cited by Gilmore and the Military Sealift Command. The second, third and fourth vessels cost as much as $1.2 million each to repair and a fifth vessel, the USNS Trenton, awaits its bow reinforcement during its next scheduled shipyard visit, Tom Van Leunen, a spokesman for the Military Sealift Command, which owns the vessels, said in an email.

The retrofits have added 1,736 pounds to the ship's weight, displacing 250 gallons of fuel but having a minimal impact on the vessel's range when fully loaded, Gilmore said. His concern about the vessel is likely to be highlighted in his annual report on weapons testing that's scheduled to be released by 1 FRB. "Since the repairs are still in progress, there has been no heavy weather testing yet to verify if the fixes are sufficient," Marine Corps Maj. Adrian Rankine- Galloway, a spokesman for Gilmore, said in an email. Even with reinforced structures, the fast transport ships operate under sailing restrictions because "encountering a rogue wave" can "result in sea-slam events that causes structural damage to the bow structure," Gilmore wrote. The operating restrictions include requiring vessels to wait out the highest seas or travel at speeds much lower than their maximum, according to Gilmore's report.

Van Leunen, the Military Sealift Command spokesman, said that "the Navy routinely diverts ships during transits to avoid heavy weather" and this ship is no exception. Its primary missions will often be in coastal waters that offer "some protection from weather and sea state when compared to open ocean transits," he said. The vessel's latest sea tests also were marred by the poor reliability of generators made by Fincantieri SpA that supply electrical power, according to Gilmore. The generators failed "at a much greater rate than predicted." Required to operate 8,369 hours between major failures, the generators failed as soon as 208 hours at some points, improving to 1,563 hours in the most recent tests. Fincantieri spokesman Antonio Autorino said in an email that "the concerns described in the report have been resolved and this information was provided to the Navy, yet was not included in the report." [Source: Bloomberg | Tony Capaccio | January 14, 2016 ++]

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Army Manning Levels ► Future of the Army Report

The size of the Army should not fall below 450,000 active-duty troops and 530,000 reservists for the foreseeable future, according to a long-awaited report by a congressionally appointed commission. In addition, the Army should add an armored brigade back to Europe and leave an aviation brigade in South Korea, the commission said. The report, which Congress ordered after the service drafted plans to reduce its forces to 420,000 troops by 2021, will provide defense hawks with ammunition in the fight against fiscal conservatives and liberals who want to cut defense spending. "An Army of 980,000 is the minimally sufficient force to meet current and anticipated missions at an acceptable level of national risk," said an executive summary of the report by the National Commission on the Future of the Army.

The commission included former senior Army and Pentagon leaders, including retired Gen. Carter Ham, former assistant secretary of the Army Thomas Lamont, retired Sgt. Maj. Raymond Chandler, retired Gen. Larry Ellis, former Pentagon comptroller Bob Hale, former deputy undersecretary of defense for policy Kathleen Hicks, retired Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, and retired Gen. James D. Thurman.

The Army is in the midst of a massive downsizing, from a high of 1.1 million members in 2012 to 980,000 by 2018. The downsizing is due to a post-war drawdown as well as defense cuts mandated by Congress. The 2011 Budget Control Act required $500 billion in defense cuts over a decade, on top of $487 billion already planned. Last year, lawmakers reached a two-year agreement that would reduce the level of cuts for 2016 and 2017, but the cuts are slated to return in 2018. If the cuts remain in place, the Army may still reduce to 420,000 personnel, defense officials have warned, which is a level smaller than pre-World War II. When the plan to reduce troop levels to 420,000 was drafted, that did not take into account a "sizable continuing force" in Afghanistan, ISIS and a resurgent threat from Russia, said Chandler. The commission also weighed in on a fight between the active-duty Army and the National Guard over Apache attack helicopters.

As part of the downsizing, the Army is retiring its armed Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopters and wishes to transfer all of the National Guard's Apaches to the active-duty forces, a move that would save the Army $12 billion but is opposed by the National Guard and some members of Congress. The commission recommends allowing the Guard to retain four Apache battalions of 18 helicopters each, which would surge to 24 helicopters during deployments. That recommendation would cost the Army $165 million a year, and a one-time procurement cost of $400 million. To pay for the recommendation, the commission recommends slowing down purchases of and upgrades for existing Black Hawk helicopters. Army officials say if the Guard retains any Apaches, it would force the active-duty side to build new ones from scratch, at $40 million each. But the commission said "keeping attack helicopters in the Army National Guard is important in meeting a key Commission goal of achieving one Army that works and trains together in peacetime and fights in war."

The commission also recommended permanently stationing an armored brigade in Europe, due to the threat from Russia, and stopping a move to reduce one combat aviation brigade from South Korea, due to the threat from North Korea. In order to retain the extra combat aviation brigade, the Army would need to purchase 48 more Apaches, which would amount to about $2 billion to buy and cost $1 billion a year. Commission members anticipated the Army would blanche over some of the recommended additional costs, but said the security environment calls for the measures. "The equilibrium is not right when you look at supply and demand," Thurman said.

The Army thanked the members of the commission for their insights and hard work. "We are currently assessing the report and expect its recommendations to provide opportunities to strengthen the effectiveness of our force," said Army Chief of Public Affairs Brig. Gen. Malcolm Frost in a statement. But retired Army Lt. Gen. Dave Barno, an Atlantic Council non-resident fellow, said the commission "largely missed its primary if unstated task: healing the deep rift between the active Army and the National Guard." "But beyond preserving four Apache battalions in the Guard, they offer few other substantive suggestions on how to truly integrate active, Guard and reserve capabilities into a unified force," he said in a statement. [Source: The Hill | Kristina Wong | January 2, 2016 ++]

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Navy Intelligence ► OIC Not Allowed to Know any Secrets

For more than two years, the Navy’s intelligence chief has been stuck with a major handicap: He’s not allowed to know any secrets. Vice Adm. Ted “Twig” Branch has been barred from reading, seeing or hearing classified information since November 2013, when the Navy learned from the Justice Department that his name had surfaced in a giant corruption investigation involving a foreign defense contractor and scores of Navy personnel. Worried that Branch was on the verge of being indicted, Navy leaders suspended his access to classified materials. They did the same to one of his deputies, Rear Adm. Bruce F. Loveless, the Navy’s director of intelligence operations. More than 800 days later, neither Branch nor Loveless has been charged. But neither has been cleared, either. Their access to classified information remains blocked.

Rear Adm. Bruce F. Loveless, left, and Vice Adm. Ted “Twig” Branch.

Although the Navy transferred Loveless to a slightly less sensitive post, it kept Branch in charge of its intelligence division. That has resulted in an awkward arrangement, akin to sending a warship into battle with its skipper stuck onshore. Branch can’t meet with other senior U.S. intelligence leaders to discuss sensitive operations, or hear updates from his staff about secret missions or projects. It can be a chore just to set foot in colleagues’ offices; in keeping with regulations, they must conduct a sweep beforehand to make sure any classified documents are locked up. Some critics have questioned how smart it is for the Navy to retain an intelligence chief with such limitations, for so long, especially at a time when the Pentagon is confronted by crises in the Middle East, the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula and other hotspots. “I have never heard of anything as asinine, bizarre or stupid in all my years,” Norman Polmar, a naval analyst and historian, said in an interview. In an op-ed in Navy Times last fall, Polmar urged Navy leaders to replace Branch and Loveless for the sake of national security. He cited complaints from several unnamed Navy officers that “intelligence management is being hampered at a moment of great turmoil.”

It’s a touchy subject for Navy brass, who have struggled to replace Branch. Twice in the past 14 months, they have taken steps to nominate a new intelligence chief — who must be confirmed by the Senate — but haven’t followed through. There’s no indication that a successor will be in place anytime soon. In a statement, Rear Adm. Dawn Cutler, the Navy’s chief spokeswoman, said the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation of Branch and Loveless “has not impacted the Navy’s ability to manage operations.” She said the two still perform managerial duties while their civilian and military deputies handle the classified aspects of their jobs. Branch and Loveless declined interview requests

placed through the Navy. In addition to serving as chief of Navy intelligence, Branch holds the title of the Navy’s chief information officer, oversees the Navy’s 55,000-member Information Dominance Corps and is in charge of many cybersecurity programs.

Privately, some Navy leaders acknowledged that dealing with the fallout from the Justice Department’s investigation has been a nightmare, and that they never anticipated the case would drag on so long. “We had the understanding that this was going to resolve itself pretty quickly,” said a senior Navy official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid antagonizing federal prosecutors. “We have no actionable information on Admiral Branch, good, bad or otherwise. All we know is that he’s wrapped up in this somehow.” “Until these things resolve themselves, we’re kind of frozen,” the senior official added. “Is it optimum? No, it’s not optimum. But it’s where we are.” [Source: The Washington Post | Craig Whitlock | January 27, 2016 ++]

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Military Tattoo Criteria Update 04 ► Marines Will Have More Flexibility

Marines will have more flexibility under the service’s upcoming updates to its tattoo policy, but they still will not be allowed to get sleeve tattoos, said Commandant Gen. Robert Neller. Neller said he hopes the updated tattoo policy will be released within 30 days. It will seek to consolidate existing tattoo guidance in one document and to clarify which tattoos are allowed. “Having talked to them, I don’t think most Marines understand what the policy is,” Neller told Marine Corps Times on 20 JAN. “I don’t think they understand what they can do. They just know they can’t get a sleeve.”

The latest updates to the Marine Corps' tattoo policy in 30 days will clarify which tattoos are acceptable. For sure, sleeve tattoos will not be authorized

Marines still won’t be able to get sleeve tattoos — which typically cover the arm from shoulder to wrist — under the latest updates to the tattoo policy, but they will have some flexibility on what is an acceptable tattoo, said Neller, who declined to get into specifics of the changes until the updates are released. “We’re actually going to try to provide pictures to clarify what we mean when we say ‘a quarter of a body part,’ or whatever it is,” he said. The Army updated its tattoo policy in April, stripping limits on the size or number of tattoos soldiers can have. Leaders said the more lenient rules were based on input from soldiers. "Society is changing its view of tattoos, and we have to change along with that," then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said at the time. "It makes sense. Soldiers have grown up in an era when tattoos are much more acceptable and we have to change along with that."

Neller was initially surprised at how often the topic of tattoos came up when he talked with Marines, he said. Most of the questions he has received have come from Marines who want to get a sleeve tattoo. “I ask them why,” he said. “They go, ‘Because I want to memorialize a friend.’ I respect that. Marines don’t ask for much, so when you can, you want to give them something." But the Marine Corps isn't "a rock and roll band," he added. "We’re Marines," Neller said. "We have a brand. People expect a certain thing from us and right now, if you’re in PT uniform, you can be completely tatted up under your PT uniform. That’s not enough? You can still get certain size tattoos on your arms and your legs. How much do you want?” Since he first started fielding questions on the Marine Corps’ tattoo policy, Neller has studied up on the issue, “So now I understand it pretty well,” he said.

The latest tattoo guidance will explain how getting tattoos will affect Marines’ chances of getting a special duty assignment and becoming warrant officers and commissioned officers, Neller said. The issue is bigger than the Marine Corps because local, state and federal law enforcement agencies that Marines may want to join have strict rules on what tattoos are permissible, he said. While he knows that tattoos are an important issue for Marines, Neller wants he force to concentrate on its mission, he said. “I’m trying to keep everybody focused on what’s important, which is getting ready to be trained and ready to go fight if we have to go fight,” Neller said. [Source: Marine Corps Times | Jeff Schogol | January 21, 2016 ++]

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Military Tattoo Criteria Update 05 ► MARADMIN 198-07

A recent high school graduate says he was turned away from the Marines because his Confederate flag tattoo made him ineligible. "I kind of felt like I had a plan for my life, and now that I can't go, I am not sure where I stand," the 18-year-old told KARK. Anthony Bauswell says he went to a recruiting center on 25 JAN to enlist and when he told them about the tattoo, the recruiter said, "DQ, just automatically, DQ." The Marine Corps' tattoo policy states in part tattoos can't be "sexist, racist, eccentric or offensive in nature." Bauswell said he understood the stigma with the confederate flag. "I definitely don't want it to be seen as racism, which is 99% of the reason I got southern pride on it," said Bauswell. Bauswell said he is hoping his pride for his country can be expressed in service and not just remain skin-deep. The Marine Corps also have a tattoo poster on some websites with the slogan "Think before you ink."

Interestingly enough, according to a CNN/ORC poll from July, 57 percent of Americans see the flag as a symbol of Southern pride and not racism. But when you split that same poll by race, 72 percent of blacks see it as racist compared to 25 percent of whites. Tattoo policies in the military as a whole have been criticized, and the Marines altered its policy in April to cut limits on the size or number of tattoos allowed. A former Army chief of staff told the Marine Corps Times: "It makes sense. Soldiers have grown up in an era when tattoos are much more acceptable and we have to change along with that." More changes seem to be on the way. Commandant Gen. Robert Neller says he "hopes" more updates to further clarify the Marine tattoo policy will be released in the next 30 days. [Source: Aol.com News | January 21, 2016 ++]

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USAF B-1 Bomber Update 01 ► Canceled, Revived, Converted & Misunderstood

The huge swing-wing airplane is nothing if not flexible — canceled, revived, converted from nuclear strike plane to conventional bomber and then to flying arsenal for the GPS-guided bombs on which ground troops fighting for their lives in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Syria often rely. And if the U.S. Air Force’s supersonic B-1 bomber is one other thing, it’s misunderstood. It’s no secret that the B-1 bomber, officially called the Lancer but known to its four-man crews as the “Bone” (they proudly call themselves “Bone-drivers”), had a troubled early life. Canceled by President Jimmy Carter and revived by successor Ronald Reagan, the B-1 underwent sweeping redesigns before it reached Air Force crews in the mid-1980s — and even then, the revamped airplane suffered a string of high-profile malfunctions and crashes. Not until 1998, three decades after the distinctive swing-wing bomber was first designed, did the B-1 first drop bombs on enemy targets in Iraq.

In public forums, the B-1 has often been a punch line. A glowing New York Times feature earlier this month on the B-1’s older, slower brother, the gangly B-52, highlighted the tribulations of the supersonic bomber’s development, comparing it unfavorably to the reliable B-52 of “Dr. Strangelove” fame, which has been in uninterrupted service since the 1950s. And during a Senate hearing last year, Sen. John McCain pushed back hard on Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James’s description of the B-1 as an effective airplane for “close air support,” or the delivery of precision-guided bombs in support of embattled ground troops. “That’s a remarkable statement,” McCain scoffed. “That doesn’t comport with any experience I’ve ever had, nor anyone I know has ever had.” What McCain didn’t seem to be aware of, and what the Times report failed to note, is the long third act of the B-1’s life. Converted in the 1990s from a Soviet-airspace-penetrating nuclear strike plane to a conventional bomber meant to pound the infrastructure and massed formations of an enemy army, the “Bone” converted again in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, into exactly what the Arizona senator found so hard to believe: not just a close air support plane, but, by all accounts, a hugely successful one.

One need only watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbkPTpxtsqM of a B-1 strike in Afghanistan’s ultra-violent Pech valley, and listen to the profanity-laden commentary of the ground troops doing the filming, to get a sense of the role the big bomber played supporting troops in contact in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In the video, originally uploaded to YouTube by a military spokesperson, troops at a remote firebase watch as three satellite-guided bombs from a B-1 strike mountainside targets almost simultaneously, followed seconds later by a fourth. The soldiers express their elation in not-safe-for-civilian-work terms. By the time of the airstrike depicted in the video, Bone-drivers had been flying their dark gray planes 20,000 feet over Afghanistan for years — since the opening night of the U.S.-led air war in October 2001, when five B-1s flying out of the Indian Ocean outpost of Diego Garcia joined ten B-52s and two B-2 stealth bombers in pummeling the Taliban regime’s few fixed-site targets.

One pilot who flew B-1s in the early months of the Afghan war, Jordan Thomas, had been working at the Air Force’s B-1 training school the summer before the September 11 attacks when he fielded what seemed at the time like an odd inquiry from a Congressional staffer. (Part of the B-1 fleet was on the chopping block as a cost-cutting measure, making the bomber a subject of Congressional and media interest.) “This staffer asked whether it was true that the B- 1 wasn’t able to fly over high mountains like in Afghanistan, which he’d read somewhere,” Thomas remembered. “I wrote back, ‘We can fly over the mountains of Afghanistan, but why on earth would we?’” Working with fellow Bone-drivers in the skies over those very mountains and back on Diego Garcia, Thomas helped the B-1 crews develop what would become their essential skill in the years ahead: coordinating with ground troops to drop firefight-ending bombs with lethal precision and accuracy. “We were given an opportunity in Afghanistan to prove what the B-1 could do,” Thomas said.

The plane’s success aiding the ouster of the Taliban gained it a moment of appreciation, and saved the B-1 fleet from the cuts that defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a B-1 skeptic, had been pressing before the September 11 attacks. “Maligned B-1 Bomber Now Proving Its Worth,” a Los Angeles Times headline trumpeted two months into the bombing. Day-to-day coverage of the fall 2001 air campaign, though, emphasized the B-52. The B-1 was mentioned only occasionally, even though in fact, B-1s and B-52s were flying roughly equal numbers of missions — and the newer B-1s were actually outpacing their older siblings in numbers of bombs dropped, especially smart bombs. The misrepresentation bothered some of the Bone-drivers on Diego Garcia. Thomas had a theory about what was going on: because the B-52s flew mostly during daylight hours and the B-1s mostly at night, journalists accompanying the Northern Alliance troops on the ground could only see (and photograph) the B-52s, and mistakenly assumed the same planes were carrying out the night bombardments.

In the years that followed, the B-1 became a mainstay of close air support and other strike missions over both Afghanistan and Iraq, where a B-1 kicked off the air war in 2003 with a string of bombs meant to kill Saddam Hussein in one of his Baghdad palaces (he wasn’t there). “We are using it in ways never conceived of previously,” secretary of the Air Force James Roche said of the B-1 later that year. Capable of flying in rougher weather than the B-52, cheaper to operate, and capable of carrying more bombs, in 2006 the B-1 displaced the B-52 and became the standard bomber deployed to support ground troops in the two wars, while the older aircraft played the traditional nuclear deterrent role. One unit whose veterans sing the B-1’s praises is the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, which, during 15 months in the Pech and adjoining Afghan valleys in 2007-8, became the most heavily decorated Army battalion of the post-September 11 wars. “Our favorite asset at the company level was the B-1,” said one of the unit’s company commanders, Lou Frketic. “They had more ordnance and longer loiter times, and they delivered ordnance to the desired location without trying to second-guess us with their own optics.”

“What I loved about the B-1 was that it had such incredible payload capacity and such incredible time on station,” the battalion’s fire support officer, Jeffrey Pickler, agreed. “We dropped over a million pounds of Air Force bombs, and a lot of that was B-1s.” When insurgents attacked from rock formations high in the mountains, artillery and mortars would respond first, trying to get the enemy to take cover; then bombs from a B-1 or another airplane would smash the militants’ natural bunkers before attack helicopters arrived to pick off survivors. On one of the worst of many bad nights in the battalion’s deployment — Oct. 25, 2007, when a sharp firefight in the Korengal valley left two paratroopers dead and earned one wounded soldier the first Medal of Honor awarded to living recipient since Vietnam — it was a B-1 whose bombs shook the battle-scarred ridge, pounding the escaping insurgents.

As with the AC-130 gunship that destroyed an international hospital in Afghanistan this fall, the B-1’s destructive power is a double-edged sword: if it strikes the wrong target, the damage to civilians or friendly forces can be severe. “It was like Judgment Day,” a survivor of an errant 2008 B-1 strike that killed dozens of civilians told Human Right Watch. And in June 2014, a B-1 dropped a bomb on a special operations team in Afghanistan, killing five U.S. soldiers and one Afghan. The latter error was chalked up to a misunderstanding by the bomber’s own crew of how far away the plane’s sensors could detect the ground troops’ identifying infrared strobe lights. When targeting pods with high- tech surveillance cameras were added to B-1s in 2008 (they were also fielded to the B-52), “It transformed the nature of the aircraft,” according to retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula, an airpower advocate who flew both bombers while he

was on active duty. Besides dropping bombs — which they could do with greater precision, hopefully helping to cut down on civilian casualties — Bone crews gained the ability able to watch over ground troops’ shoulders for potential threats, supplementing the stressed fleet of Predator and Reaper drones designed for that purpose.

The first B-1 crew to drop bombs in America’s latest air campaign over Iraq got the call one day in August 2014. Already on the runway getting ready for a routine mission over Afghanistan, according to an Air Force Times report, the crew plugged in new coordinates and headed for the skies around Baghdad to support Iraqi ground forces. As the U.S.-led bombing campaign against the Islamic State expanded, it became the focus of a full squadron of B-1s, aircraft from which, on 31 occasions during their deployment, “went Winchester,” dropping all the bombs they had on board. Of the missions where Bone-drivers dropped all their bombs, many took place over the northern Syrian city of Kobane. In an air campaign whose slow pace has drawn criticism, the four-month bombardment of Kobane stood out for its punishing tempo, and the B-1 was at the heart of it, dropping bombs at the direction of rear-area U.S. air controllers who relayed strike requests from Kurdish troops on the ground. By the time the Islamic State’s grip on Kobane broke last January, the B-1’s distinctive shape was a familiar sight in the sky above the city.

The next B-1 squadron to deploy to the Middle East played a similar role supporting ground offensives by Iraqi troops in Tikrit this spring – “We kill bad people and we break their things, and we’re very good at it,” the squadron’s commander told a South Dakota journalist after the unit’s return home – and yet a third squadron’s B-1s were on hand during last month’s seizure of Sinjar, in between the Islamic State strongholds of Mosul and Raqqa, by Kurdish forces. “We focused first on northern Syria, then northeastern Iraq, then Sinjar,” the currently deployed B-1 squadron’s commander told the Washington Post. (Air Force spokespeople made the officer available on the condition that only his rank, lieutenant colonel, and first name, Joseph, be published.) “We have definitely gone Winchester many times.” The officer’s 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron has struck Islamic State command posts, training camps, and oil production facilities, he explained. But the most satisfying missions have been those in direct support of friendly ground troops in both countries, most recently around the embattled Iraqi city of Ramadi. That was where, in a particularly memorable recent mission, Iraqi troops requested that the squadron commander and his crew do something about small boats that Islamic State fighters were using for transport. Watching with their targeting pod, the crew waited until the boats clustered under a bridge, and then destroyed the bridge with satellite-guided bombs. “That was different,” the B-1 squadron commander said. “I never expected to be dropping ordnance on boats.”

A single B-1 can drop as many bombs on Syrian and Iraqi targets as 40 attack jets flying off an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, noted retired Air Force general Deptula, making the bomber’s importance to the air campaign obvious. “The B-1 carries so much payload, and has so much endurance, its persistence can’t be matched by other platforms” like smaller attack jets and the B-52, he said. “It is both more effective and more efficient.” To Rep. Chris Stewart, a Congressman from Utah who was a Bone-driver before he was a politician and tries to stay up to date on his plane’s wartime employment, the prominent role B-1s play today in the campaign against the Islamic State comes as no surprise — notwithstanding the dismissal of the supersonic bomber in the recent New York Times paean to the B-52. “That article was so 1977,” Stewart joked. “Every airplane goes through a maturing process, but the B-1 has proven itself again and again, and for a long time. It’s the B-1 that’s the backbone of the bomber fleet.” (Note: To view a 45 minute History of the B-2 on You Tube refer to the Rockwell B-1 Lancer Documentary at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbkPTpxtsqM ).. [Source: The Washington Post | Wesley Morgan | December 30, 2015 ++]

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Looking Ahead to 2016 ► USA

From new uniforms to new jobs for women, 2016 figures to be a busy year for the Army. Here’s a look at some of the top items soldiers can expect.

Combat Roles for Women. Integrating women into combat units tops the agenda for all branches of the service. After nearly five years of surveying and testing, the decision to open all military occupational specialties to women was announced earlier this month by Defense Secretary Ash Carter. For the Army, that means five officer, one warrant officer and 13 enlisted occupations will soon be able to accept female applicants. The Army took part in five studies, including a pilot program at the U.S. Army Ranger School, in which three female officers earned their Ranger tabs. The Army is required to submit its plan to integrate women into combat positions by Jan. 1, 2016, with full implementation set for April 1, 2016. Going from the approval phase to the implementation phase will require work on everyone’s part, Carter said. “The responsibility for implementation is not borne solely on the shoulders of women, nor by the forces within the newly integrated career fields; it is borne in equal measure by the entire force and the military and civilian leadership of the Department of Defense,” Carter said in a memorandum released to Stars and Stripes.

NCOER Changes. For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Army will introduce a new system to evaluate its noncommissioned officer corps. One of the biggest changes to the NCOER system — set to take effect in January — focuses on the percentage of soldiers who can be rated “most qualified” by their senior raters. Under the new system, senior raters will be limited to giving out “most qualified” ratings to no more than 24 percent of their soldiers, a move aimed at improving promotion boards. Over the years, NCOER inflation has led many to complain that the system was useless for recognizing promotion potential because too many soldiers were rated “most qualified.” A second change involves the forms used for the NCO rank. No longer will all E-5s through E-9s be evaluated using the same form. There are now three forms — for sergeants; for staff sergeant through first sergeants; and for sergeant majors and command sergeant majors. Counseling is also being emphasized, the Army says. Under the new system, raters are held accountable by senior raters throughout the counseling year. Raters have to counsel their NCOs quarterly, while senior raters have to counsel the rated NCO at least twice a year. The outgoing NCOER system has been in use since 1987.

New Education Requirements. The revolving door of renaming and changing parts of the NCO education system continues to evolve to better equip future leaders, according to Army officials. Before 2016, the Army had taken steps to implement changes to the NCO Professional Development System. In October of 2015, the Army changed the name of the Warrior Leader Course to the Basic Leader Course in hopes it would better translate to civilian employers. The course is required before any soldier can pin on the sergeant rank. In the past, some NCOs were able to get promoted without completing the required training courses. That practice will be a thing of the past in the new year. A sergeant selected to staff sergeant will be required to complete the Advanced Leaders Course; staff sergeants will have to have knock out Structured Self Development 3 and complete the Senior Leaders Course before pinning on sergeant first class. But perhaps the biggest change coming to the promotion system will occur for soldiers seeking to become master sergeants. The Army is preparing a course to fill the gap between the Senior Leaders Course and the Sergeants Major Academy, to be called the Master Leaders Course. MLC is still being vetted, but the first pilot class ended on Nov. 2, with 32 students graduating. A second pilot class is expected to take place at Camp Williams, Utah in 2016 and a final one at Fort Knox, Ken.

New Uniforms. Recruits will be issued the Operational Camouflage Pattern for the Army Combat Uniform during basic training, starting in January. The new design boasts nine design changes, including less Velcro, removed

drawstrings and added buttons and zippers. And while new recruits will have a full duffle bag of uniform items that match for the New Year, current soldiers will have the opportunity to piecemeal their set, incorporating new items with the Universal Camouflage Pattern. This phased transition will allow soldiers the chance to purchase new uniform items as they receive annual clothing allowances. Changes are also afoot (pun intended) to the physical fitness uniform. A sea of black and gold uniforms will start to fill physical training formations in 2016 as the Army does away with the Improved Physical Fitness Uniform. And with the new workout gear comes the option of wearing either black or white socks ... at least until a final ruling is made. In 2015, the fashion issue was the hot topic of discussion during town hall meetings conducted by Sgt. Major of the Army Dan Dailey. The soldiers’ voices were heard, and the Army has given troops the choice of wearing either color until a new Army Regulation 670-1 is released sometime in the new year.

Force Reduction. Perhaps, the biggest impact on soldiers in the coming year is the required cut of nearly 30,000 troops as required by the fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. Under the law, the Army’s active-duty component will be cut to an end strength of 475,000, while the National Guard will drop to 342,000 and the Reserves to 198,000. Active Guard and Reserve positions in the Guard will hold 30,770 soldiers, and AGR positions in the Reserves will remain unchanged at 16,261. This 6 percent reduction across the entire Army is a step toward reducing defense spending.

Modernizing Small Arms. Throughout 2016, the Army will work with the Navy to submit a report detailing a plan to modernize the Army’s and Marines’ small-arms arsenal. This plan will include the modernization of pistols, carbines, rifles, automatic rifles and light machine guns. A key factor in the plan is how the Army will encourage competition among suppliers, according to the NDAA. The modernization period is set to last 15 years, but the Army got a head start on the project when it announced it was looking to replace its 9 mm pistol, which has been in service since the 1980s. Small-arms suppliers, which include SIG Sauer, Smith and Wesson and Glock, are among some of the competitors expected to bid to manufacture the 9 mm replacement by the Jan. 28 deadline. The Army has yet to choose a caliber for the new pistol, but is allowing each competitor the opportunity to submit a pistol with its bore size of choice, among them 9 mm, .40- and .45-caliber.

[Source: Stars & Stripes | Chris Church and James Kimber | December 29, 2015 ++]

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Looking Ahead to 2016 ► USAF

From the growth of the force, to the opening of pararescue jobs to women airmen, to allowing enlisted troops to take to the skies, the Air Force will be much different in the upcoming year.

Rebuilding the force. After steep cuts in 2014, the Air Force had just 312,980 active-duty airmen on its books in 2015. The service’s end-strength was lower in only one year, 1947, when it was formed. Fewer troops mean several important career fields are undermanned, such as airborne cryptologic language analysts, combat controllers and airmen working in mental health services. Especially hard hit were aircraft maintainers who are forced to work long hours to keep up with an ever-increasing operations tempo. The Air Force has several programs designed to boost its numbers in 2016. Some plans center on bringing in new airmen. For instance, the original call for 24,000 recruits has grown to more than 28,000. There are also programs that offer prior service enlisted airmen and officers from critical career fields the opportunity to serve again. In addition, re-enlistment bonuses for more than 70 jobs and high-year tenure extensions for a few hundred enlisted airmen aim to keep experienced individuals the Air Force may have lost otherwise.

Male-Only Jobs No Longer. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced earlier this month that all combat jobs will be open to women. This includes six Air Force career fields that were previously open only to men. They are: combat rescue officer, special tactics officer, enlisted combat control, pararescue, tactical air control party and special

operations weather airmen. In an effort to develop gender-neutral standards for combat-related jobs, roughly 70 female airmen participated in a series of tests over two months in Texas. The tests were based on real-life scenarios and specific tasks that could be encountered in combat. The results will be used to adapt some of the regular physical fitness activities. Although the standards will be gender-neutral, according to Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold, the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, the physical fitness regimen will be just as grueling as before. “The standards will not be lowered to incorporate or integrate women into our formations at U.S. Special Operations Command or in AFSOC — repeat, will not be lowered,” Heithold said in an interview with the Air Force Times.

Enlisted Pilots? The Air Force made a decision to bring back something the service hasn’t had since 1957: enlisted pilots. Specifically, flying remotely piloted aircraft. Approved in early DEC 2015, enlisted airmen will no longer serve solely in crew roles, such as a sensor operator. Under the new policy, airmen will be allowed to pilot the unarmed RQ-4 Global Hawk, and may eventually get the OK to fly the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones — both which carry missiles. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh have both expressed their confidence that enlisted airmen are up to the task. “We have great confidence in our enlisted force that they can do this job,” James said. “Times change and we learn, and we talk about strategic agility, so we have to be prepared to try new things.” Enlisted drone operators are seen as a big help in the undermanned and overworked field, where Predator and Reaper pilots fly around 1,000 hours annually, compared to the average fighter pilot’s 250 hours. Compounding the staffing shortage, the Air Force is losing 240 pilots a year, while only training 180 replacements. That prompted Defense Secretary Ash Carter to cut daily armed air patrols in combat zones. Detractors point out that there are several issues that would need to be addressed before airmen get the controls of the drones. Officers and enlisted airmen would be doing the same job, while earning very different pay checks. There is also the concern about what the chain of command would look like. These are some of the same conundrums that led the Air Force to do away with enlisted pilots after Master Sgt. George H. Holmes — the last enlisted pilot — retired 58 years ago.

Retirement Changes. Big changes are in store for the military’s 70-year-old retirement system. The new defense authorization bill significantly reduces the value of future 20-year pensions, and implements a new blended program resembling civilian 401(k) retirement accounts. The new program will have troops invest 3 percent of their monthly paychecks automatically into a Thrift Savings Plan account, with 1 percent of that being matched by the DOD. That DOD contribution will increase to 5 percent of pay after two years’ service. The program will not be in full effect until 2018. Another issue that needs to be addressed before the switch is how each service will handle continuation pay. Designed to boost mid-career retention, continuation pay would trade cash for another four years’ service after personnel have reached the 12-year mark. Active-duty servicemembers could earn 2.5 times their basic pay per month, and reservists could earn 0.5 times their basic pay. The service secretaries can also authorize a basic monthly pay multiplier of up to 13 for active-duty, and 6 for reservists for hard-to-fill jobs. The Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission even recommended the Air Force increase continuation pay up to 15.9 for some officers, which would allow the service to meet future manpower challenges. The final numbers will ultimately be decided by Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, but Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh shared a word of encouragement during an edition of Airman to Airman. “Nobody’s going to hurt you on the pay side of the house,” Welsh said. “Nobody’s going to make retirement something you won’t be very satisfied with... The Air Force isn’t going to allow it, the Department of Defense is not going to allow it and Congress is not going to allow it. So let us work the details of those programs, and you focus on getting the job done.”

Cuts to ‘Tops in Blue’. The Air Force’s much-maligned musical group “Tops in Blue” may be facing a final curtain call in the upcoming year. For 62 years, the service’s premier band has traveled around the globe to entertain airmen and their families. Surveys show that 96 percent of commanders feel that the entertainment value is excellent. To get the rank-and-file perspective, the Air Force in October surveyed 4,674 enlisted airmen, officers and civilians to see if they think the benefits of Tops in Blue outweigh the cost. The results of that survey have yet to be released. This year, “Tops in Blue” cost the Air Force at least $1.3 million, $1 million of which was Morale, Welfare and Readiness funding taken from other base programs. While the band’s costs went up 13 percent compared to 2014, corporate sponsorship went down. Dropping from around $170,000 last year, to only $25,000 in 2015. Taxpayer appropriated fund contributions stayed at $319,000. Critics point out that these numbers do not include the salaries of the 37 enlisted airmen and officers away from their primary duties for a year, or the travel costs of sending them to their concerts. The Air Force defends the program, however, as a way to boost morale and recruitment.

Acquisition Changes. Plagued by weapon systems development delays, an aging fleet and potential enemies that are quickly developing advanced technologies, the Air Force is looking for ways to streamline its acquisition process. One idea currently being researched to defeat the evil forces of bureaucracy sounds like it’s straight out of a science fiction film: a thinking supercomputer. The system is envisioned to be able to wade through mountains of U.S. regulations that govern Air Force acquisitions, and translate those results to help businesses fully comprehend a contract, or answer their questions. This system could be a bonus to small businesses that are especially challenged when trying to abide by federal regulations. According to a Government Accountability Office study, the current process “discourages small and innovative businesses from partnering with the government in emerging markets.” There are also changes on the horizon that are less cutting-edge. Named “should schedule,” a new program will provide monetary incentives contractors and vendors to complete their projects ahead of time. The program will initially focus on smaller projects such as the current $1.1 billion upgrade to GPS infrastructure. The ultimate goal is to avoid project setbacks in larger programs, such as the estimated $55 billion Long Range Strike Bomber slated for operations in 2025.

[Source: Stars & Stripes | Chris Church and James Kimber | December 29, 2015 ++]

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Looking Ahead to 2016 ► USMC

All eyes are on the Marine Corps as a new commandant looks to navigate through challenges that will shape the future of the Marines. From integrating women into infantry battalions to planning the future of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, the Marines have a busy year ahead.

Women in the Infantry. Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Ash Carter opened all military jobs to women, and while the ruling applies to every branch of service, none has opposed the move more than the Marine Corps. In September, the Marine Corps released a summary of a $36 million study looking into the effectiveness of women in combat arms roles. The report concluded that women were at significantly higher risk for injury, were less accurate when firing weapons and less capable of lifting heavy objects. While that report has since come under fire for its methodology it has remained a lightning rod for detractors of the move to integrate women into modern infantry units. This move will open more than 30,000 individual positions within the Marine Corps to women. Regardless, top Marine officials say the Corps has received its marching orders and will spend much of 2016 integrating the once male-only job fields. "We have a decision. It’s time to move out," new Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert B. Neller said Dec. 4 during a video address to the troops. A plan to integrate women into these new roles is expected on Carter’s desk in early January.

A New Commandant. When Gen. Joseph Dunford was promoted to the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Robert B. Neller found himself in control of a Marine Corps facing some of its largest cultural shifts in its 240-

year history. Not only will Neller oversee the integration of women into combat arms, but he’ll also guide the Corps as it returns to garrison life. As the war in Afghanistan winds down and deployment opportunities dry up, the peacetime Corps — a situation dreaded by many of the troops — has returned. In his 2015 vision for the Corps, Dunford emphasized training and finding new uses for the Marines’ expeditionary nature. "While we emphasize the resourcing of our forward-deployed forces to meet the combatant commanders’ requirements, it is equally important that our nondeployed forces are ready to respond quickly and successfully to the unexpected," Dunford said. Upon taking over command in September, Neller promised that he’d issue his follow-up to that guidance no later than the New Year. Marines expect that guidance to have a substantial impact on direction of the Corps in 2016 and beyond.

Futenma’s Future in Limbo. Someday, the U.S. might actually be able to close Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and move thousands of Marines north to Camp Schwab. Whether the long-planned, long-delayed project to build a runway at Schwab will get untracked in 2016 is unclear. For nearly 20 years, Tokyo and Okinawa officials have battled over the plan, which will also allow the U.S. to relocate thousands of Marines to Guam. The sticking point, for many Okinawans, is the fact that too many Marines would remain on their island. "Even after 70 years, 74 percent of U.S. military bases in Japan are located on Okinawa, which accounts for only 0.6 percent of the total land surface of the country," Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga told Stars and Stripes in October. "The central government has little understanding of the painful experiences suffered by the people of Okinawa." For now, the runway construction is in limbo. Onaga recently revoked a work permit that would have allowed for the construction. The Japanese government has since filed a lawsuit to dismiss Onaga’s revocation. At this point, the future of the plan is in the court’s hands.

Career Incentives. The Corps has $56 million in re-enlistment bonuses to hand out, most of which will go to just a handful of military occupational specialties. Some jobs, including counterintel and critical skills operators, are offering noncommissioned officers re-enlistment bonuses upward of $56,000. Marines can expect a mixed bag in other career fields. For instance, officer force-shaping incentives are also drying up. The temporary early retirement authority – a program offering early outs for O-3s through O-5s – will shrink in scope. Previously, 26 jobs were eligible for the program, but that number will be reduced to eight in the new year. On the good news front, enlisted-to-officer programs are steadily increasing. Over the past three years, 111 enlisted Marines made the jump to officer, and Marine Corps Recruiting Command is hoping that 150 troops make the transition in 2016. On the pay front, Marines and their other service branch brethren will get a 1.3 percent pay raise, a slight increase over the past few years.

Tackling Sexual Assault Issue. Sexual assault and harassment remains a problem for the Marine Corps, even more so than the other branches of service. Nearly 8 percent of women Marines report being assaulted during their careers, according to a 2014 Department of Defense and Rand Corp. review of sexual assault among servicemembers. That sits in stark contrast to the Air Force, where the number is closer to 3 percent. The majority of assaults occur in the lower enlisted ranks — the troops the Corps puts the greatest focus on retaining. In May, the Department of Defense released reports stating that every branch will have to do more to prevent both sexual assault and retaliation by superiors against uniformed victims. (LINK: http://www.stripes.com/news/us/little-progress-in-countering- perceptions-of-retaliation-in-sexual-assault-reporting-1.343944) “The report makes it crystal clear that we have to do more,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said at the time. As the Marine Corps integrates women into previously male- only battalions, expect more focus in 2016 on preventative measures across the board.

Manning and End Strength Concerns. The Marine Corps continues to shrink, but not as quickly as previously announced by the Defense Department. During the Iraq troop surge, there were roughly 202,000 Marines – a number that was supposed to dwindle to some 174,000 as part of sequestration. Then in March 2015, the numbers were readjusted to 182,000, and revised again to 184,000 in the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget. These fluctuating numbers have created some uncertainty among the troops. Will there still be room for them in the Marine Corps? Will force- shaping measures, such as the voluntary enlisted early release program, continue past 2016? The changing numbers have also caused a dearth of qualified noncommissioned and senior noncommissioned officers, according to the 2015 Commandant’s Planning Guidance. "We will address the current gaps in NCO and SNCO leadership by revamping our current manpower management and readiness reporting models, systems, policies and processes," the guidance stated. What policies will be affected and when remains to be seen.

[Source: Stars & Stripes | Chris Church and James Kimber | December 29, 2015 ++]

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Army Retention Program Update 01 ► New Re-Enlistment Rules

The Army has issued new rules that place re-enlistment restrictions on some of the hottest military occupational specialties during the force buildup for Iraq and Afghanistan. Just a few years ago, jobs such as explosive ordnance disposal and interpreter were netting huge bonuses and strong promotion potential. Also included on the new restricted list are specialties for human intelligence collectors and cryptologic linguists with proficiency in Arabic. The restrictions are part of the Army's Precision Retention Program, which applies to active duty soldiers, many of them first-termers who have been endorsed by their commanders, but must be screened for further service by the Human Resources Command. The additional screening ensures that soldiers do not re-up in specialties that will have limited promotion and professional development opportunities as the Army gets smaller.

In some cases, soldiers will be approved for retention on the condition that they reclassify to an MOS with good career prospects, and that likely will not be included in a future culling under the Qualitative Service Program. The QSP is a force-reduction tool that enables the Army to cut troops in over strength MOSs. Under procedures adopted last year, commanders receive quarterly adjustments to their retention missions, rather than annually as in the past. The changes give HRC managers the flexibility to adjust the MOS content of the force as needed. The Army may restrict re-enlistments based on a soldier’s specialty, skill level and special qualifications. The most recent changes were announced 12 JAN, replacing guidance issued in May 2015. The new guidance places restrictions on the following:  09L, interpreter and translator, Skill Level 1.  12W, carpentry and masonry specialist, Skill Level 1.  13T, field artillery surveyor and meteorological crewmember, Skill Level 2.  15J, OH-58D armament, electrical and avionics systems repairer, Skill Levels 1 and 2.

 15S, OH-58D helicopter repairer, Skill Levels 1 and 2.  35M, human intelligence collector, Skill Levels 1 and 2.  35P, cryptologic linguist, all skill levels with language codes AZ (all dialects of Arabic), CM (Chinese Mandarin), HE (Hebrew), JN (Indonesian), KP (Korean), PF (Persian Farsi), PG (Persian/Afghan/Dari), PU (Pushtu), PV Pushtu-Afghan), PW Pushtu-Peshawari), QB (Spanish-Caribbean), SC Serbo-Croatian), TA (Tagalog), TH (Thai) and UR (Urdu).  89D, explosive ordnance disposal specialist, Skill Levels 1 and 2.  94Y, integrated family of test equipment operator and maintainer, Skill Levels 1 and 2.

Soldiers who hold one of the restricted specialties, and who are approved for retention by their commander will have their re-up request process through the Human Resources Command as follows:  Retention requests (DA Form 3340-R) will be submitted to HRC by the soldier’s local career counselor, along with an Enlisted Record Brief and any supporting documentation that articulates soldier accomplishments not reflected on the ERB.  HRC officials will evaluate a soldier’s record in comparison to other soldiers of the same MOS and skill level Army-wide.  Based on Army requirements and the soldier’s record, HRC will make one of four decisions – approve re- enlistment in the current MOS; direct reclassification to a new MOS; approve an extension of re-enlistment, or deny re-enlistment.  Soldiers who are denied re-enlistment will have their records amended to reflect that decision. They may be eligible for separation pay if they have six or more years of service. They are eligible for continued service in the National Guard or Army Reserve.

[Source: ArmyTimes | Jim Tice | January 24, 2016 ++]

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USAF Job Titles ► No Review of “man/men” References

The Air Force said 15 JAN it is not going to review its gender-specific titles as it integrates women into the last remaining combat jobs. "The Air Force is dedicated to a culture of inclusiveness which enables all airmen to make their greatest contributions to mission success," the Air Force said in an email Friday. "We will continually review all aspects of our program as we proceed with the full integration of women into all Air Force occupational specialties, however, a job title or rank nomenclature review is not currently underway nor being considered at this time." That differs from the 14 JAN statement, which said, "While a review of job titles is not currently underway, we continually review all aspects of our programs and a review of job titles will be included as we proceed with the full integration of women into all Air Force occupational specialties."

Last week, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus ordered the service to review all of its job titles and consider removing references to "man" from titles such as yeoman, fireman and seaman. The Navy's review of the job title language is part of its preparation to open up all jobs to women sailors in Marine ground combat elements and the Navy SEALs. In response to a query from Air Force Times, the Air Force said it has not yet launched a similar review of job titles. But as the Air Force moves forward with integrating women into its six remaining male-only combat jobs, it will look at what it calls airmen. "The Air Force is dedicated to a culture of inclusiveness which enables all airmen to make their greatest contributions to mission success," Air Force spokeswoman Rose Richeson said in an email Thursday. "While a review of job titles is not currently underway, we continually review all aspects of our programs and a review of job titles will be included as we proceed with the full integration of women into all Air Force occupational specialties."

The six remaining male-only jobs in the Air Force, encompassing about 4,000 special operations positions, are 13C special tactics officers, 13D combat rescue officers, 1W0X2 special operations weather enlisted, 1C2 combat control, 1C4 Tactical Air Control Party, and 1T2 pararescue. Airmen in the pararescue and special operations weather career fields are now commonly referred to as pararescuemen and weathermen, and that could change if the Air Force were to decide to drop references to "man." Two skill levels — 5-level journeymen and 7-level craftsmen — also include the word "man." Even the generic title for an Air Force service member — airman — which dates back to the birth of the force could potentially be changed. The first four enlisted ranks — airman basic, airman, airman first class and senior airman — include the word "man" as well. [ Source: AirForceTimes | Stephen Losey | January 15, 2016 ++]

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Military Enlistment Standards 2015 Update 12 ► Medical Physical

In order to qualify for enlistment in the US Military, you must first travel to a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), and pass a medical physical. The physical actually starts at the recruiter's office, where you will complete a medical pre-screening form. The recruiter sends this to MEPS, where it is reviewed by a MEPS medical doctor. MEPS uses this form to determine if they need you to obtain any civilian medical records to bring with you to the physical, and/or sometimes to determine whether or not to let you take the physical at all. That's right. If you have a medical condition or a history of a medical condition which is obviously disqualifying, and the MEPS doctor thinks the condition is such that there is no chance of a waiver, MEPS doesn't have to spend the time and money to process you for a physical.

The medical folks at MEPS don't work for any individual service. Instead, they are a joint command (managed primarily by the Army), who work directly for the Department of Defense. Their job is to use published Department of Defense medical standards to determine whether or not you are medically qualified for military service. Refer to http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/intmedstandards.htm to review those standards. MEPS will classify you as follows:  Medically Qualified. This means you don't have any disqualifying medical conditions, and can be further processed for enlistment.  Temporarily Disqualified. This means you have a medical condition which is disqualifying right now, but won't be, once it is resolved. An example would be recent broken arm.  Permanently Disqualified. This means you have a medical condition or a history of a medical condition which is disqualifying. To enlist, the service you are trying to join would have to process a medical waiver through their individual medical chain of command.

[Source: About.com Newsletter | Rod Powers | June 02, 2015 ++]

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Medal of Honor Citations ► Holcomb~John N | VN

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor Posthumously To

John Noble Holcomb Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company D, 2d Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division Place and date: Near Quan Loi, Republic of Vietnam, 3 December 1968 Entered service at: Corvallis, Oregon Born: Baker, Oregon June 11, 1946

Citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Holcomb distinguished himself while serving as a squad leader in Company D during a combat assault mission. Sgt. Holcomb's company assault had landed by helicopter and deployed into a hasty defensive position to organize for a reconnaissance-in-force mission when it was attacked from 3 sides by an estimated battalion-size enemy force. Sgt. Holcomb's squad was directly in the path of the main enemy attack. With complete disregard for the heavy fire, Sgt. Holcomb moved among his men giving encouragement and directing fire on the assaulting enemy. When his machine gunner was knocked out, Sgt. Holcomb seized the weapon, ran to a forward edge of the position, and placed withering fire on the enemy. His gallant actions caused the enemy to withdraw. Sgt. Holcomb treated and carried his wounded to a position of safety and reorganized his defensive sector despite a raging grass fire ignited by the incoming enemy mortar and rocket rounds. When the enemy assaulted the position a second time, Sgt. Holcomb again manned the forward machine gun, devastating the enemy attack and forcing the enemy to again break contact and withdraw. During the enemy withdrawal an enemy rocket hit Sgt. Holcomb's position, destroying his machine gun and severely wounding him. Despite his painful wounds, Sgt. Holcomb crawled through the grass fire and exploding mortar and rocket rounds to move the members of his squad, everyone of whom had been wounded, to more secure positions. Although grievously wounded and sustained solely by his indomitable will and courage, Sgt. Holcomb as the last surviving leader of his platoon organized his men to repel the enemy, crawled to the platoon radio and reported the third enemy assault on his position. His report brought friendly supporting fires on the charging enemy and broke the enemy attack. Sgt. Holcomb's inspiring leadership, fighting spirit, in action at the cost of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

[Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Noble_Holcomb and http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/vietnam-a- l.html#Holcomb Jan 2016 ++]

* Military History *

Aviation Art 101 ► Safe Harbor

Safe Harbor by James Dietz

A Consolidated PBY Catalina moves lazily through warm tropical waters toward the waiting seaplane tender. Joining others of its type, the Navy flying boat will have a brief respite from war to receive needed attention. Tenders provided the

PBYs with parts and maintenance often not available at their forward bases.

[Source: http://www.aviationarthangar.com/dtz05.html Jan 2016 ++]

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Military History ► Cambodia | Mayaguez Incident at Koh Tang

After South Vietnam fell to communist forces, the U.S. was again involved in combat in Southeast Asia. In May 1975, the Cambodian Khmer Rouge navy seized the American cargo ship SS Mayaguez and its crew of 39 in international waters. President Gerald Ford acted decisively to rescue the crew. The Mayaguez was anchored at Koh Tang Island near the Cambodian coast, and military planners believed the crew was on the island. Air Force gunships sank three Cambodian patrol boats to prevent them taking the Mayaguez's crew from Koh Tang to the mainland. Soon after, Marines boarded the Mayaguez and found it abandoned. Marines landed on Koh Tang in Air Force helicopters to rescue the crew, but incomplete intelligence made the operation a near disaster.

Container ship SS Mayaguez 1975

Expecting only light opposition, the USAF helicopters instead faced heavy fire from a large force. The Cambodians shot down four helicopters, damaged five more and killed 14 Americans. More U.S. troops and aircraft urgently moved to reinforce the 131 Marines and five USAF aircrew trapped on Koh Tang. As the assault unfolded, the Mayaguez crew appeared in a small boat, and were rescued unharmed. President Ford halted offensive action, and the operation shifted from assault to rescuing the trapped Marines. Another 100 Marines moved into Koh Tang to reinforce and extract the trapped Marines. Coordinated USAF support by attack aircraft, forward air controllers, rescue helicopters and gunships pounded Cambodian targets while the Americans on the ground fought hard to maintain their positions. Only three USAF helicopters were left to extract more than 200 troops. They tried time and again, braving fierce, accurate fire, but were repeatedly driven off. Finally, they reached the beach and recovered 129 Marines in multiple trips, landing them quickly on Navy ships and returning to the island for more.

On the last trip to the beach, USAF pararescueman Tech. Sgt. Wayne Fisk left his helicopter to find two missing Marines still laying down covering fire. He led them to the helicopter, and the 14-hour rescue ended as the aircraft left under fire. Three Marines, inadvertently left on the island in the darkness and confusion, were killed and buried there within a few days by the Khmer Rouge. Total U.S. casualties included 18 dead and 50 wounded. Twenty-three more USAF personnel died in a support force helicopter crash in Thailand due to mechanical failure. Quick, effective action at Koh Tang by USAF, Marine and Navy forces prevented a bad situation from becoming much worse. In particular, the persistence, determination and heroism of USAF helicopter crews saved many lives. The action at Koh Tang between May 12-15, 1975 was the last combat in Southeast Asia for U.S. forces.

The island today is mostly unchanged but plans and some construction has started, with Russian money, to turn it into a tourist vacation destination. Presently except for a few fishermen and their families living in huts, a small Cambodian military garrison is all that occupies the somewhat remote island. Recently on the 40th anniversary, seven U.S. veterans of that battle returned to Koh Tang Island, to revisit the site and to address their memories, fears and still-unanswered questions. Forty years to the day, instead of landing in helicopters under heavy fire, the returning veterans approached the beautiful tropical island 29 miles off the coast of the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, in a large power boat as guests of the Cambodian government. The returning veterans were treated to a welcome speech by the military commander after which the veterans, with an individual military escort, were permitted to walk through the primarily thick jungle and explore the island. Veterans sought out the locations where they had landed and dug in for the 14-hour firefight, exactly 40 years earlier.

Present was Em Son, identified as the commander of the Khmer Rouge Regiment that defended Koh Tang. He was questioned by the returning veterans and was evasive when asked specific questions, especially the fate and burial locations of the three missing Marines. He had admitted previously to personally killing one of them and it is currently is under investigation for war crimes. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command has made several trips to Koh Tang Island searching for remains but five Americans still remain unaccounted for. For a more detailed account of the operation refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayaguez_incident. [Source: National Museum of the Air Force | Fact Sheet | June 04, 2015 ++]

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WWII Advertising ► Nash / Kelvinator

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Military History Anniversaries ► 01 thru 14 Feb

Significant events in U.S. Military History over the next 15 days are listed in the attachment to this Bulletin titled, “Military History Anniversaries 1 thru 14 Feb”.

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D-Day ► Distribution of Invasion Forces

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WWII Prewar Events ► 1936 Olympics SS Troops Relax

German SS troops relaxing at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin

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WWII PostWar Events ► 1946 Poland War Orphans

Some of Poland's thousands of war orphans at the Catholic Orphanage in Lublin, on September 11, 1946, where they are being cared for by the Polish Red Cross. Most of the clothing, as well as vitamins and medicines, are provided by the American Red Cross.

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Spanish American War Images 83 ► Captain Dennis Geary in Cavite

Captain Dennis Geary of the California Heavy Artillery rides his horse through Cavite in the Philippines

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WWI in Photos 136 ► Mud Flats in Flanders, Belgium, in 1918.

A bridge across the mud flats in Flanders, Belgium, in 1918.

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Battle of Okinawa ► Machinato Inlet Crossing

One of the opening actions of the Battle of Okinawa was the U.S. troops' crossing of a footbridge at Machinato Inlet in the early morning of April 19,

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Ghosts of Time ► Then & Now’ Photos of WWII SITES (09)

* Health Care *

TRICARE Reform Update 01 ► Stuck in a Death Spiral

A renewed push to overhaul the military’s Tricare health insurance system is underway in Congress, but it remains a daunting task for lawmakers. Rep. Joe Heck (R_NV), who is leading the effort in the House, said fixing the troubled benefit might take numerous pieces of legislation that play out for years. His military personnel Armed Services subcommittee has already held hearings and sent staff to military facilities to gauge the various problems facing Tricare, an insurer with 9.5 million beneficiaries, and such activity is set to ramp up as Congress focuses on reform in 2016. Lawmakers pushed the issue to the side last year and instead pumped their energy -- and managed to pass -- an historic overhaul of the military retirement system. With Tricare now on the front burner, changes could range from tweaks that improve access for military families to a complete shift to a privatized system of health coverage options. “I think Tricare reform is going to be an iterative process,” said Heck, who is a brigadier general in the Army Reserve. “I don’t think it’s going to be a one-time bill or a one-time [National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense policy bill] that’s going to make all the reforms that are necessary.”

“Simply taking more money out of [servicemembers’] pockets is not reform,” said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas,

An independent, blue-ribbon panel created by Congress warned last year that Tricare is stuck in a “death spiral” making it more difficult for military families to get care. The system has been veering toward less options for care and shrinking access for two decades. It is now far behind other networks in its number of providers and ability to incorporate new types of medical care, according to the Military Retirement and Compensation Modernization Commission, which also made recommendations to lawmakers. The commission proposed a health care allowance for servicemembers, military families and retirees, and access to an expanded network of about 250 health coverage plans, which is similar to what federal employees are now offered. It would improve access and quality of care but also raise average annual health insurance premiums from about $500 to more than $1,700 during the next 15 years, the commission found.

Military advocacy groups are wary of the idea and have instead favored keeping Tricare and making selective changes to improve health care options and access. “It will be extremely daunting, no doubt about it,” Heck said. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, criticized President Barack Obama’s administration this week for trying to fix Tricare with “year after year” of fee increases. The House had opposed increases in prescription medicine copays passed into law last year as part of the NDAA but lost to the Senate, which supported them. “Simply taking more money out of [servicemembers’] pockets is not reform,” Thornberry said Wednesday as he laid out his legislative vision for 2016. “Joe [Heck] and his subcommittee are examining the whole military health care system, taking into consideration the findings of the commission, but making sure they keep in mind the primary purpose of military health care is to enable us to fight and win the nation’s wars.”

Lawmakers will be delving into sensitive territory for troops and their families. The Tricare benefit and health care are among the top concerns for people serving in the military, said Steve Strobridge, director of government relations for the Military Officers Association of America. “The main thing is making sure we know what we are doing and you don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” he said. He agreed any changes to the insurance system likely will be complex and daunting. But Strobridge said the main problems are difficulties for Tricare Prime beneficiaries seeking timely appointments and specialty care referrals, and National Guard and reserve troops who are left with a “hodgepodge” of Tricare coverage options. Otherwise, Strobridge said the system is working fairly well and any effort to make major changes will be personal for the millions who depend on Tricare. “Anytime you approach anybody and say I’m changing your health care system from what you’re used to it’s traumatic,” he said. [Source: Stars & Stripes | Travis J. Tritten | January 15, 2016 ++]

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TRICARE Vision Benefits Update 03 ► Eye Exams

If you can’t remember the last time you had an eye exam, and it’s been longer than a year, you are overdue. Eye exams are not just about vision. Doctors can detect things like diabetes and high cholesterol from annual eye exams, not to mention eye diseases that have no known symptoms, like glaucoma. January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. According to the American Academy of Opthamology (AAO), glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness

in the United States. It has no noticeable symptoms in its early stages, and vision loss progresses at such a gradual rate that people affected by the condition are often unaware of it until their sight has already been compromised. The AAO advises that the best defense against developing glaucoma-related blindness is by having routine, comprehensive eye exams.

TRICARE covers routine eye exams for active duty service members to maintain fitness for duty. TRICARE also covers vision screening and one routine eye examination every two years beginning at age three to age six under the Well-Child benefit although active duty family members (ADFMs) may have an annual eye exam beginning at age three. Prime ADFMs may receive their annual routine eye examination from any network provider without referral, authorization, or preauthorization from their Primary Care Manager (PCM). A Prime ADFM will be allowed to set up their own appointment for a routine eye examination with any network optometrist or ophthalmologist. Standard ADFMs may self-refer to any TRICARE authorized provider regardless of whether or not they are a network provider. A Standard ADFM may set up their own appointment with either a network or non-network, TRICARE authorized, optometrist or ophthalmologist. This includes National Guard and Reserve members and their families enrolled in TRICARE Reserve Select.

For retired service members and their families enrolled in TRICARE Prime, routine eye examinations from network providers are covered without referrals or prior authorizations once every two years. Routine eye examinations are not covered for Standard retirees or their dependents that are not enrolled in Prime except for eye exams allowed under the well-child benefit. Your eye exam coverage depends on who you are, your age and your TRICARE plan. For detailed information, visit the Eye Exams page http://www.tricare.mil/CoveredServices/Vision/EyeExams.aspx on the TRICARE website. [Source: TRICARE Benefit Updates | January 29, 2016 ++]

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PTSD Assistance Update 01 ► Ways You can Help

If you have a friend or family member you know or believe has PTSD, here are some ways you can help them:

Be aware that PTSD can leave sufferers believing the world is fundamentally unsafe and that they can trust almost no one. They behave out of character. PTSD alters people in significant ways that affect behavior. In addition to distressing symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, loss of memory, insomnia, hyper-vigilance, and intrusive memories or images, they often feel emotionally numb and socially isolated, cut off from others and from their own feelings. And they may try to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs or be self-destructive.

As much as you can, do not allow your worry or guilt to co-opt their struggle. You may feel at a loss for how to respond. You may even blame yourself for the sufferer's experiences or reactions. However, the situation is about the other person's experience and his or her struggle to make sense of it, not about you, about whether you're a good partner or parent or friend, or about anything you have done.

You may also feel uncomfortable talking to the person about his or her experiences. Maybe you find yourself saying, well, it wasn't that bad, or other people had it worse. Maybe you interrupt or change the subject. While you may think you are protecting yourself and the person from re-experiencing the horrific situation, you are likely sending a message that the PTSD sufferer cannot feel safe discussing all aspects of him or herself with you--and at worst, you may add to their trauma by underscoring their feelings of separation and alienation. It helps to remember that the symptoms that constitute PTSD arise from a normal human defense system triggered by traumatizing experiences. These symptoms are not a sign of character weakness or mental defect.

If your friend or family member wants to talk to you, listen with compassion, deeply from your heart, without worrying what you might say in response or even if everything you hear makes sense. Hear the story from his or

her perspective, and try to keep your own expectations or point-of-view in check. If you have had similar experiences, now is not the time to bring them up--your experience is not theirs, and right now, you are trying to help the person speaking to you.

Ask if it's okay to ask questions, and consider your questions with care. It is easy to find ways to judge or blame the person by suggesting he or she could or should have behaved differently, but remember: you don't know because you weren't there. Instead, ask how the person feels about what happened and try to listen without judgment or opinions.

They can also experience a response to trauma called moral injury--a condition that may arise when one witnesses, participates in, or fails to prevent events that violate one's basic sense of right and wrong or when one feels betrayed by the violation of what is right by a person with authority in a high-stakes situation. Moral injury shares some PTSD symptoms such as anger, depression, intrusive memories, and insomnia, but it also includes other symptoms such as survivor guilt, grief, shame, self-condemnation, despair, alienation, outrage at authorities, and loss of meaning, faith, or life purpose. Some VA clinicians think moral injury may be a more lasting and difficult form of suffering for veterans. Recovery involves not only talking about it, but also having a group or community of support for rebuilding a moral identity and meaning system. Here are some other things to keep in mind as you support someone you love who struggles with PTSD and moral injury:

Be aware that we can be traumatized by other people's trauma. Because humans are highly social animals, our brains are wired such that we feel other people's feelings, which can sometimes affect us. While this is often called secondary trauma, it is trauma nonetheless. It's important to check yourself and your readiness to listen. Not all sufferers of PTSD want to talk to family members for fear of traumatizing them, and emotional closeness may make them more reluctant to share. They will benefit from talking about their experiences, so encourage them to share, even if it is not with you.

Not everyone who experiences a trauma develops PTSD. In fact about 11-20% of combat veterans who served in Iraq and 7-8% of civilians in America who experience trauma are diagnosed with it. Combat experience is stressful and life-threatening, but people handle it in different ways based on past experiences and training and intangibles such as mental toughness and emotional resiliency. Experiencing trauma at one point in time makes a person more vulnerable to a recurrence. Being abused as a child, being sexually assaulted or mugged, or surviving a catastrophic disaster are common precipitators. In addition, a person can have moral injury but not have PTSD and vice versa.

Although PTSD is associated with an increased risk in violent behavior, most PTSD-sufferers have never engaged in violence. Sometimes the only emotion PTSD sufferers feel--and are able to express--is anger. Especially when people try to self-medicate pain with drugs or alcohol, their anger may lead them to exhibit behaviors that become sensationalized in the media. Remember, though, that everything a person does is not necessarily due to his or her PTSD. Don't fall into the trap of blaming your loved one's behavior on PTSD and absolving them of any responsibility for that behavior or for seeking help for their problems.

One of the hardest--and most heartbreaking--things to remember is that you can do everything right, you can respond compassionately to your loved one, and still that person may continue to experience symptoms or engage in self-destructive behaviors. We can't fix a person with PTSD or moral injury, but we can support them with compassion, which is of vital importance to recovery. Research on PTSD has yielded many helpful treatments, and trained clinicians are needed for recovery, but so are family and friends who care.

-o-o-O-o-o-

So, if you have a friend or family member who suffers from PTSD, the best ways to help are to get them the resources they need to move forward in healing, to give them the time and space to process what is happening to them, and to listen to their story with compassion and without judgment. Above all, we must realize that the person's

traumatic experience almost certainly changed them. They will never be the same as they were before the trauma, but with the care and support of family, friends, and professionals, they can combine the best of who they were with what they've learned from their traumatic experience to emerge from that experience stronger and wiser, just as we will in taking the journey with them. [Source: The Huffington Post | Rita Nakashima Brock, Ph. D. & Dr. William Gibson VAMC Canandaigua, NY | January 27, 2016 ++]

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Hepatitis C Update 04 ► Gilead Sciences Inc. Price Gouging

The chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee has accused the makers of hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir of opportunism and price-gouging for charging the U.S. government up to $68,000 for a treatment regimen that costs about $1,400 to manufacture. In an op-ed published Wednesday on CNN.com, Florida Republican Rep. Jeff Miller condemned California-based Gilead Sciences Inc. for “picking and choosing” its pricing by customer or geographic area. According to Miller, Gilead charges $900 in Egypt for the 12-week curative treatment but charges the Veterans Affairs Department between $40,000 and $68,000, depending on which of Gilead's treatments containing sofosbuvir — either Sovaldi or Harvoni — is used.

The irony, Miller adds, is that the man who led the scientific team that created sofosbuvir, Raymond Schinazi, is a senior research career scientist who has worked for the VA since the late 1980s. “Gilead is making billions by charging American taxpayers exorbitant prices for medicine a VA doctor helped invent. And to add insult to injury, Gilead is practically giving the drug away in Egypt and some 90 other developing nations,” Miller wrote. It is believed that more than 200,000 veterans have hepatitis C, with nearly 175,000 veterans enrolled in the VA health system diagnosed with the disease, which is spread by shared needles or by contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. Those most at risk include people who received a blood transplant or organ transplant before 1992, when widespread screening became available in the U.S.

In fiscal 2014, the Veterans Health Administration treated more than 5,400 veterans with sofosbuvir at a cost of $370 million. The anticipated cost of treating all affected veterans forced VA officials earlier this year to ask for additional funds in its budget; Congress appropriated $1.5 billion for the treatments in the fiscal 2016 consolidated spending bill. Alarmed by the high prices charged by Gilead when the drug was introduced, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I- Vt., called a hearing in late 2014 to discuss the impact of the cost on the VA budget. Gilead executives were called to testify at that hearing but declined, citing overseas business travel. Sanders said he was outraged by the cost structure and accused the company of "price-gouging.” "With numbers like these, we're not talking about a company looking to make ends meet, or even fund their next great medical breakthrough,” Sanders said. "We're looking at a company who is milking a cash cow for everything it's worth."

The House Veterans' Affairs Committee planned to discuss the development of sofosbuvir at a hearing on technology transfer scheduled for 3 FEB. According to a source with knowledge of the hearing schedule, Schinazi was asked to testify but VA has said he is retiring effective 1 FEB. Gilead spokeswoman Michele Rest defended the price and the company's billing structure in an email to Military Times last year. She noted that Sovaldi does not "merely provide a long-term or indefinite treatment," but a cure for a life-threatening disease. Rest said the price "reflects the value of the medicine." Miller argues that Gilead is exploiting the veteran community and the VA. “Government shouldn’t be in the business of telling private companies what to charge their customers,” Miller wrote. “[But] Gilead's price discrimination against American veterans and the organization established to care for them is a slap in the face to the millions who depend on VA health care as well as the taxpayers who generously fund the department.” [Source: Military Times | Patricia Kime | January 27, 2016 ++]

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TRICARE Prime Update 35 ► Right of First Refusal

Military hospitals and clinics have the right of first refusal in providing specialty care to TRICARE Prime beneficiaries. This means that when you’re referred for specialty care or treatment, your local military hospital or clinic must first be considered if the services are available there. If the military hospital or clinic has the capability to provide your specialty care, you’ll get treatment at the military hospital or clinic and not from a civilian provider. Right of first refusal is cost-effective for both you and TRICARE. By using military hospitals or clinics, there isn’t an added cost of involving civilian providers and you may avoid a copayment.

Your regional contractor will send the referral request for specialty care to your local military hospital or clinic. If the military hospital or clinic can accommodate your specialty care need, it will notify your regional contractor. If accepted, you may receive a call from them to schedule an appointment. You might also hear from your regional contractor with information on how to schedule an appointment with the military hospital or clinic. You must be offered an appointment with a specialist within 28 calendar days, or sooner, and within a one-hour travel time from your home. If you have any questions, contact your regional contractor at http://www.tricare.mil/contactus. [Source: TRICARE Beneficiary Bulletin | Hillary Beulah | January 22, 2016 ++]

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Tricare OTC Demo Project Update 04 ► OTC Coverage Here to stay

TRICARE’s over-the-counter (OTC) drug coverage is here to stay. Formerly a demonstration program, the OTC benefit becomes a permanent part of the TRICARE pharmacy benefit on Feb. 1, 2016. Effective that date, TRICARE is making some changes to OTC coverage to bring it in line with other TRICARE pharmacy coverage. Starting Feb. 1, beneficiaries must pay the usual generic copays for covered OTC drugs. OTC drug coverage will still require a prescription from their doctor. Female beneficiaries can still get Levonorgestrel. the Plan B one-step emergency contraceptive, without a copay or prescription at a network or military pharmacy (no age restictions and no prscription required).

Feb. 1 also brings a change to which drugs are available under the OTC benefit. The allergy medications Cetirizine and Loratadine were previously covered, but now the versions that contain pseudoephedrine are also covered. However, brand name Prilosec OTC is no longer covered. The generic version, Omeprazole, is still covered, as is the prescription version of Prilosec. Visit the TRICARE Pharmacy page at http://tricare.mil/pharmacy for more information on the TRICARE pharmacy benefit. If you have questions about whether or not one of your drugs is covered, you can always call the TRICARE pharmacy contractor, Express Scripts, at 1-877-363-1303. [Source: TRICARE Communications | January 21, 2016 ++]

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Seasonal Affective Disorder ► Brought On by Light Deprivation

As the days get shorter and colder and daylight fades during the winter months, many people experience a darkness of their own. The lack of sunlight can have a profound effect on people’s moods and psyches, leading to a form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder. This disorder is a common form of depression brought on by light deprivation that may affect people during the “dark days,” of autumn and winter. Those who suffer from this disorder can experience sadness, feelings of hopelessness, lethargy and fatigue. These symptoms seemingly appear for no apparent reason and can be frustrating to those affected.

Most research suggests that this disorder happens in autumn and winter due to lack of sunlight exposure. Lack of natural light can throw off people’s internal clocks, hormone production and serotonin levels. It usually goes away on its own with time and during the months when the weather improves and sunlight becomes more prevalent, but available treatments can improve symptoms. It's normal to have some days when you feel down. But if you feel down for days at a time and you can't get motivated to do activities you normally enjoy, contact your health care provider. This is especially important if your sleep patterns and appetite have changed or if you feel hopeless, think about suicide, or turn to alcohol for comfort or relaxation. [Source: TRICARE Beneficiary Bulletin | Hillary Beulah | January 15, 2016 ++] *********************************

Chapped Lips ► Effective Tips for Restoring Chapped Lips

It’s that time of year: snowstorms, icy roadways, heating bills and chapped lips. Fortunately, at least one of Jack Frost’s hallmarks can be prevented or treated at little to no cost — those rough, dry lips. Here are some of the most inexpensive but effective tips for restoring chapped lips with little time, effort or money:

1. Exfoliate - Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi, a dermatologist based in Washington, D.C., tells Prevention magazine that exfoliation is “a good first step against chapped lips.” Tanzi’s no-cost suggestion for sloughing away dead skin is to brush your lips with your toothbrush after brushing your teeth. Other inexpensive methods include gently buffing your lips with a wet washcloth while in the shower, and making your own scrub with table sugar and Vaseline or a generic brand of petroleum jelly. (For more details, check out http://www.moneytalksnews.com/slideshows/14-professional- makeup-hacks-that-cost-next-nothing/8/

2. Keep lips covered - After exfoliation, apply a moisturizing lip balm. Regular application is key. That means six to eight times per day, according to WebMD. Keep a stick in your purse, desk, bathroom and nightstand to help you remain diligent. The following products received the highest rating (five stars) from the Beautypedia product review database based on their formulation and can be found at drugstores and big-box retailers for less than $5:  Eucerin Aquaphor Lip Repair (also available from online retailers like Amazon, CVS, Drugstore.com, Target and Walgreens)  Neutrogena Naturals Lip Balm (also available from online retailers like Drugstore.com and Walgreens)  Yes to Coconuts Naturally Smooth Lip Balm (also available from online retailers like Drugstore.com, Target and Walgreens)

3. Use SPF - Sun damage — which can happen even when it’s cloudy — is a major cause of dry lips, according to the Paula’s Choice Skincare research team. So for the daytime, look for a product with what’s known as broad- spectrum sun protection, which we break down in “http://www.moneytalksnews.com/the-abcs-sun-protection-dont- get-burned-spfs”. One example of a well-reviewed product with broad-spectrum protection is Blistex Five Star Lip Protection with SPF 30. It’s available in drugstores for around $2 (and from online retailers like Drugstore.com, Target and Walgreens).

4. Watch out for irritants - Some common lip balm ingredients are actually skin irritants. These include:  Camphor  Citrus  Fragrance  Menthol  Peppermint

As Paula’s Choice puts it: These ingredients have no benefit for the lips and end up compounding the problem. The classic example that’s sold almost everywhere is Carmex Lip Balm. This contains potent irritants that will have you reaching for more Carmex as your lips become drier, perhaps never realizing that it’s the lip balm itself that’s contributing to the problem. To learn more about irritants, check out “8 Surprising Ways to Ruin Your Skin.”

5. Drink more water - Consuming water helps to ward off the dehydration that leads to chapped lips, according to WebMD. The nonprofit National Academies of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine recommends that adult women drink 2.7 liters (about 91 ounces or 0.7 gallons) of water daily and adult men drink 3.7 liters (about 125 ounces or 1 gallon).

6. Avoid licking your lips - Licking your lips repeatedly can damage their thin skin. When the air is dry, the moisture created by licking quickly evaporates, prompting us to repeat the motion again and again. As Dr. Barbara Reed, a dermatologist based in Denver, puts it to U.S. News & World Report: “If you’ve ever seen a desert after rain comes, you know the surface gets very flaky. The same thing happens to our lips.”

[Source: MoneyTalksNews | Karla Bowsher | January 25, 2016 ++]

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Sleep Disorder Update 03 ► Weighted Blanket Therapy

Andrew Petrulis is finally getting some rest. For years, he didn’t want to fall asleep. He was out of the war but sleep put him back in it. His dreams replayed scenes from 11 years of active-duty service as a member of a US Air Force explosive ordnance disposal unit. Master Sgt. Petrulis defused roadside bombs and other improvised explosives with a robot, or sometimes his own hands, throughout Iraq, Afghanistan, and Southwest Asia between 2002 and 2013. He received the Bronze Star twice. He shot at people and got blown up. Bombs went off within feet of him. The explosions rattled his brain. He relived these scenes, over and over, in nightmares.

After an honorable discharge, returning home, and joining the reserves in 2013, an MRI showed scar tissue on his brain. The VA diagnosed Petrulis with traumatic brain injury, severe post-traumatic stress disorder, tinnitus, Achilles and kneecap tendonitis, and depression. The VA rated his disabilities at a combined 140 percent, with PTSD, which his life now revolves around, accounting for 70 percent of that rating. But he was still functional in the sense that he could eat and go to the bathroom on his own. The VA ultimately declared him a 90 percent disabled veteran. He was running on fumes, getting only two or three fitful hours of sleep each night. He had regular panic attacks. Weekly night terrors. Vivid nightmares every other day, or so. He locked himself in his house, alone. Sometimes he’d drink on the couch until he passed out. But mostly he was too afraid to close his eyes. “It got really, really bad,” Petrulis, now 31, said. “I couldn’t do anything. So I’d just stay up.”

Things are different today. Three or four nights a week, after tucking himself in bed, Petrulis slides a prototype 17- pound weighted blanket over his sheets. The blanket is roughly 3 feet wide by 6 feet long, covered in penguin print, and looks a bit like 60 or so 4 x 4 inch bean bags handstitched together. The pockets are each stuffed with polypropylene pellets and a sort of memory foam material. Petrulis is a big guy—6'2", 250 pounds—but the blanket’s weight spreads evenly over him. “I feel safer when it’s covering my entire body,” Petrulis explains. No one can bother him this way. “It sets my mind up for sleeping hard that night.” Which he does.

The heavy blanket

What happens, exactly, while he’s under such pressure? It sounds almost too good to be true. Whatever it is, can heavy blankets help other veterans with combat-related sleep problems get some rest too? What about restless deployed troops? Can heavy blankets offer them relief? The underlying idea is dead simple: create a cocooning embrace, like being swaddled. Petrulis compares it to a firm, comforting hug. According to Gaby Badre, a leading sleep researcher who’s studied weighted blanket therapy for treating insomnia in adults, there is good reason to believe this is because the deep pressure touch of a weighted material spread over part or all of the body dials down the fight- or-flight arousals of the sympathetic nervous system. (It’s generally accepted that a weighted blanket should be at least 10 percent the person’s body weight.) There is also speculation that lying under heavy constant pressure such as a weighted blanket feels good because it somehow lights up the brain’s reward center, probably triggering the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.

But that’s about the extent of our understanding of the science beneath weighted blankets. No one knows precisely what goes on in the brain and throughout the body under this kind of pressure; whether the mechanism is mere placebo, or if something else altogether makes lying under a weighted blanket feel so reassuring and safe that it could bring deep, restorative sleep to those who need it but can’t otherwise get it on their own. It’s this mystery that still largely colors weighted blankets as non-evidence-based folk remedies to sleep disorders. They have shown promise as anti- anxiety and stress-relief aids in the very young and the very old. There is data and evidence to support claims that heavy blankets can help calm children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and other sensory disorders, as well as elderly people with dementia, added Badre, who’s been studying sleep since the late 1980s and currently oversees sleep medicine clinics at The London Clinic, the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the University of Gothenburg, and SDS Kliniken.

The between years, from roughly age 14 through 60, are murkier. There just isn’t sufficient data from clinical experience, at least not yet. There is hardly any supporting research, just anecdotal evidence, which shows the potential of weighted blankets having the same arousal-reducing effects as well as sleep-inducing ones in adult populations, including combat veterans like Petrulis. No small number of Iraq and Afghanistan war vets have trouble sleeping. Among patients of the Veterans Health Administration, the healthcare arm of the Department of Veterans Affairs, in 2015, 1,262,393 veterans—over 20 percent—had a sleep disorder diagnosis in the past two years, according to a VA representative. Those million-plus diagnosed sleep disorder cases, to say nothing of undiagnosed cases, are all different; various external factors like back and other muscular, skeletal, and neurological issues, plus prescription drug histories, bring unique forces and circumstances to bear on combat-related sleep disturbances.

Petrulis is one veteran battling sleep after war. And one veteran reporting positive results, with no apparent side effects, from a non-evidence-based sleep aid is notable. But it’s not enough to convince the government to fund or conduct clinical research into that aid. Neither the VA nor the Department of Defense are exploring weighted blanket therapy. Petrulis and Chelsea Benard, a licensed occupational therapist who introduced him to weighted blanket therapy in the fall of 2015, wonder why not. Petrulis and Benard, who handstitched the 17-pound blanket Petrulis currently uses, don’t think the blanket is a cure-all for his sleep problems, but rather a promising, albeit under- researched supplement to other evidence-based treatment options for sleep and anxiety issues. “What’s neat is it’s a non-pharmacological approach that can be used as a complement tool to any other kind of treatment,” says Benard, who had the idea to try out weighted blankets with adult patients after she saw success using them on kids. “It’s not going to have any side effects.”

She and Petrulis genuinely believe the technique can help people like him who cope with combat-related PTSD or TBI, whose core symptoms include sleep disturbances. And he says he’s tried just about everything when it comes to sleep. The VA initially prescribed him Ambien, which he tried once with no luck. The VA then upped the dosage, but still nothing; he’d sleep a few hours, then be up the rest of the night. They also put him on Valium for panic attacks, but that didn’t help either, even after an upped dosage. The VA currently has him on Prazosin, a blood pressure medication developed in the 1980s that’s been shown to stanch night terrors, and also has him on Klonopin, an anti- anxiety drug, for panic attacks. He says the Klonopin isn’t working, and is unsure whether or not Prazosin is helping.

When he tries to power down at night, his brain is often going a million miles an hour. Except while he’s under the weighted blanket. He says it’s the only thing that helps him sleep. Nothing else gets him in a place at the end of the day where he can calm down and drift off. To this day, he hasn’t had a nightmare with the blanket on. But bad dreams still haunt him.

The irony is that the VA, at least, does offer patients weighted blankets and vests. Just not for sleep disorders. They can be ordered through the VA’s Rehabilitation & Prosthetic Services and are provided for orthopedic and neurologic balance disorders, such multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, ataxia, and stroke, according to a written statement from the VA. Patients must show documentation of medical necessity and how the blanket is an essential component of their treatment plans. This doesn’t extend to treating sensory processing disorders, post-traumatic stress, and anxiety, the statement adds. “We don’t necessarily recommend compression blankets,” a VA spokesperson said. That's one way of putting it. “We can’t necessarily prescribe this because it’s not a medical device,” says Mysliwiec, the US Army Surgeon General’s sleep medicine consultant. [Source: Motherboard | Brian Anderson | January 18, 2016 ++]

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TRICARE Help ► Q&A 160201

Have a question on how TRICARE applies to your personal situation? Write to Tricare Help, Times News Service, 6883 Commercial Drive, Springfield, VA 22159; or [email protected]. In e-mail, include the word “Tricare” in the subject line and do not attach files. Information on all Tricare options, to include links to Handbooks for the various options, can be found on the official Tricare website, at this web address: http://www.tricare.mil/Plans/HealthPlans.aspx or you can your regional contractor. Following are some of the issues addressed in recent weeks by these sources:

(Q) I am retired and have Tricare for Life. Does TFL cover nontraditional care? I'm specifically interested in acupuncture. I have intractable back pain and am being seen at a Veterans Affairs chronic pain clinic. They're doing acupuncture for me, and it works. I was taking four Vicodin a day for the pain, but after the acupuncture treatments, I usually only need to take one Vicodin a week. Problem is, the VA does not have the resources for continued therapy; they “get you going to see if it’s effective,” and then you're pretty much on your own for continued treatments. So: Does TFL cover acupuncture therapy?

A. Acupuncture may be offered at some military hospitals or clinics and approved for certain active-duty service members, but it is not covered for retirees for care received through Tricare civilian providers. Acupuncture also is not covered under Medicare. -o-o-O-o-o-

(Q) I was on active duty for seven years, from 1986 to 1993. I married a military man in 1992. He retired from active duty on 2006 after 20 years of service in 2006. We are now getting divorced. How do I contact the military for a determination/waiver about retaining my Tricare benefits after divorce?

A. Situations like yours are relatively straightforward, covered under the so-called "20/20/20" rule. In your particular case, your active-duty service is irrelevant; only the service of the retired member of the couple comes into play. The

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basic tenets for military spouses to qualify for indefinite continued Tricare benefits after divorce from a retiree are these: 1. The service member must have served at least 20 years in the military, creditable toward military retirement. 2. The marriage must have lasted at least 20 years. 3. The marriage and the member's service must have overlapped by at least 20 years.

From the information you provide, you appear to meet the first two requirements, but not the last — if you married your husband in 1992 and he retired in 2006, the overlap between your marriage and his service was only 14 years, not 20. There is a corollary to the 20/20/20 rule called the 20/20/15 rule, under which the overlap between marriage and service is only 15 years, not 20; under that rule, one year of extended Tricare coverage (rather than indefinite coverage) is granted to a former spouse after divorce. But again, going by the dates you provide, you would not appear to meet the threshold for eligibility under the 20/20/15 rule either. Just as an aside, indefinite coverage under the 20/20/20 rule ends if the spouse beneficiary decides to remarry.

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(Q) Can you give me some idea of how I can find out which doctors participate in Tricare?

A. Many things about Tricare can seem overly complicated, but one aspect of the system that's refreshingly simple is finding a participating provider. Tricare has a one-stop website http://www.tricare.mil/FindDoctor.aspx to serve just that purpose. At that website, beneficiaries not only can find doctors who participate in the Tricare network in each of the system's three U.S. regions, but there is also information on non-network providers, a list of military hospitals and clinics, and help in finding host-nation providers overseas.

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(Q) My 20-year-old daughter is a special-needs child, enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program. She is pregnant and I am her only source of support. It's my understanding that she is covered under my Tricare health insurance. But will the baby also be covered?

A. Grandchildren of military sponsors normally are ineligible for Tricare benefits unless they are legally adopted by the sponsor or are placed in the custody of the sponsor, either by a court or recognized adoption agency, in anticipation of legal adoption.

You can see this stated clearly at the bottom of the Web page http://www.tricare.mil/Plans/Eligibility/Children.aspx which explains eligibility information for children. You should visit the military legal assistance center on your installation to further explore the legal adoption possibility. You can also get more information from Tricare by calling the managed-care contractor for the Tricare region in which you live. Toll-free customer service contacts for all Tricare regions can be found at http://www.tricare.mil/ContactUs/CallUs.aspx.

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(Q) My son is an unmarried active-duty officer. My husband is 73 and retired. I am 65, still working full time, and plan to retire next year at age 66. Can my son claim us as his dependents? If so, what does he have to do?

A. It’s possible for parents of Tricare sponsors to qualify as “secondary dependents” for Tricare eligibility purposes, but only under specific and narrow guidelines. The income of the parents — not including any contribution from the Tricare sponsor (your son, in your case) — would have to be less than one-half of the parents’ living expenses. In such scenarios, the law requires the parents to be “in fact” dependent on the service member/sponsor, and the service member’s contribution must be more than one-half of monthly living expenses of the parental dependents. Documentation to prove living expenses and the service member’s contribution must be provided. If these requirements are met and the parents do qualify as secondary dependents, their Tricare options are limited. They are eligible for care only in military hospitals and clinics through the program known as Tricare Plus. They may enroll at military hospitals and clinics based on space/resource availability, but it bears noting that enrollment in Tricare Plus

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at one military hospital or clinic does not automatically extend enrollment to any other military hospital or clinic. Dependent parents are not eligible for any other Tricare program.

It’s highly doubtful that you and your husband would come anywhere close to qualifying as secondary dependents as long as you continue working. But if you would like to explore this avenue further once you retire, the place for your son to start gathering information would be the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, based in Colorado. The number is 800-538-9552.

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(Q) If my husband and I file for legal separation, will I be able to keep my Tricare benefits? He’s been in the military for 11 years, and we’ve been married for six.

A. As long as you remain legally married to your active-duty husband, you remain eligible for Tricare coverage. Your husband cannot unilaterally have you removed from his Tricare sponsorship; only the military services determine Tricare eligibility, and the mechanism they use is the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. You can contact DEERS at 800-538-9552. Should you get divorced, you would lose your Tricare coverage under your husband’s sponsorship. There are scenarios in which former spouses may continue to qualify for Tricare coverage after divorce as their own sponsors, but those scenarios require many more years of service on the part of the military member and many more years of marriage on the part of the couple than you and your husband now have.

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Have a question for the TRICARE Help column. Send it to [email protected] and include the word “Tricare” in the subject line. Do not attach files. [Source: MilitaryTimes | 15 thru 31 Jan 2016 ++]

* Finances *

IRS 2016 Filing Season ► Opened 19 JAN

The Internal Revenue Service has announced that the nation’s 2016 individual income tax filing season opens Jan. 19, 2016, with more than 150 million tax returns expected to be filed this year. People will have several extra days to file their tax returns this year. Taxpayers have until Monday, Apr. 18 to file their 2015 tax returns and pay any tax due because of the Emancipation Day holiday in Washington, D.C., falling on Friday, April 15. The IRS expects more than 70 percent of taxpayers to again receive tax refunds this year. Last year, the IRS issued 109 million refunds, with an average refund of $2, 797. Shown below are several ways Veterans and their families have access to free tax preparation and electronic filing services to keep more of their hard earned money.

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 IRS’ Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Free-Tax-Return-Preparation-for-You-by-Volunteers are available to taxpayers that earned less than $54,000 in 2015. More than 3.7 million tax returns were prepared using these services in 2014. All tax returns completed through VITA are prepared by IRS certified volunteers, so you can feel confident your tax return is accurate. Even better, there are over 12,000 convenient locations across the country. To find the VITA location nearest you, enter your zip code into the easy-to-use VITA/TCE Locater at http://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep.  MyFreeTaxes (http://www.unitedway.org/myfreetaxes) operating the only free online tax preparation and filing assistance platform available in all 50 states and Washington D.C., who earned $62,000 or less in 2015, allows qualified Veterans, active-duty military, their families and all other qualifying taxpayers to file both a federal and state tax return absolutely free. In addition to e-filing, MyFreeTaxes also provides in-person help to individuals and families earning $20,000 or less in 2015. For more information, visit: www.myfreetaxes.com . The MyFreeTaxes initiative is managed by United Way, with the assistance from legacy partners, National Disability Institute and Goodwill Industries International, and is sponsored by the Wal-Mart Foundation.

In addition to free tax preparation and assistance services like VITA, TCE and MyFreeTaxes, there are several other free options qualifying Veterans and military families can use. However, please make note of additional eligibility requirements, and be advised not all are available in your particular location. The following provides information on eligibility and availability of these services.

 IRS.gov/FreeFile (https://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File%3A-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free) serves as a central hub where taxpayers can choose from a variety of industry-leading tax software options in order to prepare and e-file their federal tax returns at no cost. If you earned $62,000 or less last year, you are eligible to choose from among 13 software products. If you earned more, you are still eligible for Free File Fillable Forms, the electronic version of IRS paper forms at https://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal- Taxes-for-Free . In fact, more than 70 percent of all taxpayers – 100 million people – are eligible for the software products. Each of the 13 providers has its own special offers, generally based on age, income or state residency. Taxpayers can review each offer or can use the “Help Me” tool to find the tax-filing software they are eligible to use. Free File offers easy-to-use products that ask questions and you supply the answers. The software will find the right forms, tax credits and deductions, and even do the math for you!  TurboTax Freedom Edition (https://turbotax.intuit.com/taxfreedom/?vitaSiteId=SXXXXXXXX) is available to taxpayers with an income of $31,000 or less, or those eligible to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).  Second Story TaxAct to qualify for free tax preparation, a taxpayer’s income must be $50,000 or less, and the filer must be 58 years old or younger. (https://www.taxact.com/applications/freefile/?v=5#/register/?at=0&promo=&product_code=15CRFFAFEDFEDOL&sc=15050302&m=FFA&src=F FA&ad=FFA)  H&R Block’s Free File offers free online assistance for taxpayers who earned $62,000 or less, between 18 and 50 years old as of December 31, 2015 http://www.hrblock.com/ffa/index.html?otpPartnerId=4720&campaignId=pw_mcm_4720_0001&SID=SX XXXXXXX  Online Taxes (OLT) – offers free tax preparation services to taxpayers with an income between $13,000 and $62,000 in 2015. Go to http://www.olt.com/main/oltfree/default.asp

Now, if you have already filed your taxes and want to know when you will receive your refund, be sure to download the IRS app, IRS2Go! at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/irs2go/id414113282?mt=8. This app is available in both English and Spanish and gives taxpayers the ability to check on the status of their tax refund, obtain tax records, find

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free tax preparation providers, and stay connected with the IRS through social media channels such as YouTube and Twitter. [Source: VAntage Point Blog | January 15, 2016 ++]

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Verizon Vet Discount ► 15 Percent on Monthly Wireless Service

Service members, retirees and veterans are eligible for a 15 percent discount on monthly wireless service, Verizon announced 28 JAN. The company has identified more than 100,000 accounts that are eligible for the discount, according to a press release, and the discount is being automatically applied to those accounts. Those eligible can also receive a 25 percent discount on certain accessories such as select chargers, cases and extended batteries, and 12 percent off certain calling features, such as International Travel to Mexico and Canada, HUM by Verizon and Tech Coach. To sign up or to find out if you’ve been automatically signed up for the discount, visit the Verizon website https://devices.verizonwireless.com/content/vzw-eStore/military-veterans.html. You must verify your military service in different ways, depending on your status:  Active duty: Your military email, or leave and earnings statement.  Retirees and veterans: Your retiree account statement from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service myPay site; DD Form 214; the planned Veterans ID Card; or VetRewards Card from Veterans Advantage.

Verizon officials say they aim to make it as easy and simple as possible for military members, veterans and retirees to access services. That includes making it easy to keep and manage accounts while deployed. “We want to give active-duty service members and veterans one less thing to think about when doing business with us,” said David Small, executive vice president of wireless operations at Verizon, in a release. To see where Verizon ranks on the MilitatyTimes’ annual ‘Best for Vets: Rmployers’ listing go to http://bestforvets.militarytimes.com/best- employers-for-veterans/2015. Look for the 2016 list in March. [Source: MilitaryTimes | Karen Jowers | January 28, 2016 ++]

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IRS Impersonators ► Vet Alert

As tax-filing season begins, Veterans should be aware of people contacting them who claim to be from the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury. These IRS tax impersonators have been using phone calls and emails to take millions of dollars from taxpayers in every state in the country ($23,000,000 so far.) The callers tell intended victims they owe taxes and must pay using a pre-paid debit card, money order or a wire transfer. The scammers threaten those who refuse to pay with being charged for a criminal violation, a grand jury indictment, immediate arrest, deportation or loss of a business or driver’s license.

To prevent taxpayers from falling victim to these scams, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has expanded their outreach efforts to make sure people remain on high alert. Efforts include video public service announcements in English and Spanish, and working with public and private partner organizations to help get the word out. “The number of people receiving these unsolicited calls from individuals who fraudulently claim to represent the IRS is growing at an alarming rate,” said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

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“At all times, especially around the time of the tax filing season, we want to make sure that taxpayers are alerted to this scam so they are not harmed by these criminals,” he said, adding, “Do not become a victim.”

The IRS usually contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes. They will never ask for payment using credit cards, prepaid debit card, money order, or wire transfer. They will never request personal or financial information by e-mail, text, or any social media. If you receive an email that you believe is to be a phishing scam, forward the scam emails to [email protected]. Do not open any attachments or click on any links in those e-mails. If you get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS asking for a payment, here’s what to do:  If you owe Federal taxes, or think you might owe taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with your payment questions.  If you do not owe taxes, fill out the “IRS Impersonation scam” form on TIGTA’s website, www.tigta.gov, or call TIGTA at 800-366-4484.  You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.FTC.gov. Add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments in your complaint.

At https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a12HBSxDaLE&feature=youtu.be you can listen to a recording of an actual IRS scam phone call. For more information about tax scams, visit the official IRS website at www.irs.gov. [Source: VAntage Point | Melissa Heintz | January 26, 2016 ++]|

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SBP | Special Needs Children ► New Policy Released

A newly released DoD policy allows military retirees with special needs children to take advantage of a law changing the way their Survivor Benefit Plan can be paid after their death. The Survivor Benefit Plan allows military retirees to provide to a designee a monthly payout after their death of up to 55 percent of their retirement pay, depending on the plan the choose. Users pay a monthly premium. If the retiree outlives the person for whom he has designated the payout, the premiums are lost. In the past, retirees have been hesitant to select a disabled adult child as their beneficiary because they feared any extra income would disqualify the child from receiving other government subsidies for disabled adults, such as housing assistance and Medicaid.

The new law, however, passed as part of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, allows the retiree to instead designate certain types of Special Needs Trusts as the recipient of their SBP payout instead of the disabled child. Doing so fixes the issue and should allow the disabled child to receive both government benefits and SBP support after the retiree's death. The policy guidance, published 31 DEC, more than a year after the law was passed, allows retirees to make the changes. To take advantage of the new rules, retirees currently paying into an SBP assigned to a disabled child can make a one-time decision to switch the designated payout to a special needs trust, according to the new policy. If a retiree has already died, his surviving spouse or the child's guardian can elect to the change, the policy says. [Source: NAUS Weekly Update | January 22, 2016 ++]

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SNAP Update 03 ► Program Change to Impact 500k Adults

Hundreds of thousands of America’s poorest adults will soon lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Access Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, as 22 states reinstate the program’s work requirements. The change will affect more than 500,000 unemployed able-bodied adults ages 18 to 49 who don’t have minor children living with them, according to Stateline, a nonpartisan, nonprofit news service of The Pew Charitable Trusts. The work provision,

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which was implemented as part of the 1996 welfare law, limits SNAP benefits to three months during any three-year period for adults who aren’t employed or in a qualified work or training program for a minimum of 20 hours per week.

States with high unemployment rates (above 10 percent) or those that can prove there’s a lack of available jobs can apply for a waiver for the work provision. The government waived the work requirement for most states in 2009, when the Great Recession made finding and keeping a job tough for many Americans. But now that the economy has improved, most states have had to or have chosen to reinstate the provision. Stateline says now all but seven states — California, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, Rhode Island and South Carolina — and the District of Columbia have work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents in at least part of the state. The work requirement can be especially harsh for jobless Americans who are actively trying but unable to find employment, according to the nonprofit Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Because this provision denies basic food assistance to people who want to work and will accept any job or work program slot offered, it is effectively a severe time limit rather than a work requirement, as such requirements are commonly understood. Work requirements in public assistance programs typically require people to look for work and accept any job or employment program slot that is offered but do not cut off people who are willing to work and looking for a job simply because they can’t find one. Critics of the work provision say it’s especially unfair in states that lack programs to help jobless adults find work or get training for employment. “If the state doesn’t provide any of these [programs], you’re out of luck,” Ed Bolen, senior policy analyst at the CBPP, told Stateline. “And that model doesn’t lead people to get jobs — it makes them desperate.”

Data from Kansas, which restored work requirements in 2013, show that the work requirements do get people working, says Jonathan Ingram, vice president of research at the Foundation for Government Accountability. Ingram told Stateline that after the work requirement was reinstated, 12,807 of the 25,913 recipients it affected left the food stamp program. He said half of those that left found employment within three months. Of those that remained on food stamps, the work participation rate increased from 13 to 35 percent, Ingram noted. “That’s the whole point of the work requirement is you want to get these able-bodied adults working,” he told Stateline. “What they really need is a good- paying job, not more welfare.”

About 1 in 10 recipients of food stamps are considered able-bodied adults without dependent children, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They receive an average of $191 in food stamps each month. These are typically the poorest Americans, both from a monetary and an educational standpoint. “When we’re talking about this population, they’ve got low levels of skill, and the job market is still soft. They’re the first fired and the last to be re-hired,” Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, director of the Hamilton Project at the Brooking Institution, told Pacific Standard. “Taking away this meager benefit, it would be surprising to me if we then saw a big response of people working. The reason that these people are not working is not because they’re saying, ‘Oh gosh, I don’t want to lose my food stamp benefits.'” [Source: MoneyTalksNews | Krystal Steinmetz | January 20, 2016 ++]

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COLA 2017 Update 01 ► Dive into Red Continues

Unfortunately, it looks like the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is following the trend of the past few years by dropping significantly at the beginning of the fiscal year. In order for a positive gain next year, COLA has to make pretty significant gains. The December CPI is 230.791, declining to 1.5 percent below the FY 2014 COLA baseline. Because there was not a positive COLA in FY 2015, the FY 2014 baseline is used. The CPI for January 2016 is scheduled to be released on February 19, 2016.

Note: Military retiree COLA is calculated based on the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), not the overall CPI. Monthly changes in the index may differ from national figures reported elsewhere.

[Source: MOAA Leg Up January 22, 2016 ++]

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Rally to Benefit Veterans ► 22 Vet Charities slated to Split Proceeds

Officials with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign still aren’t saying exactly how much they’ll donate to veterans charities or when they’ll start sending checks, but they have offered a list of 22 organizations in line to be beneficiaries. Among them are Disabled Veterans of America’s Charitable Trust, the Fisher House Foundation, the Navy Seal Foundation and a host of lesser-known groups with targeted veterans assistance programs. Trump claims to have raised more than $6 million at his 28 JAN rally in Iowa, launched as a protest event after the business mogul refused to attend a Fox News debate over complaints about moderator choices. Of that total, $1 million came from Trump’s own fortune. All of the money was collected by the nonprofit Donald J. Trump Foundation, and the business mogul has promised the funds will be distributed among the groups.

On 29 JAN, officials from the DAV Charitable Trust released a statement saying Trump’s campaign has informed them a donation is coming. “While we are grateful for this support, it is our sincere wish that all who seek public office will provide the American public with substantive information on their vision for the future of veterans’ health care and benefits,” officials said. “We hope all candidates will support our cause. We will use these funds to ensure our fellow veterans receive the care they have earned through their service and sacrifices. The receipt of a donation from Mr. Trump’s foundation does not imply an endorsement for his political campaign.” Officials from another potential beneficiary, the Texas-based 22Kill — a reference to the estimated 22 U.S. veterans who commit suicide each day — appeared on stage with Trump at Thursday’s rally and praised the Republican front-runner for his generosity.

Trump officials also noted that several of the charities receiving money from the event are Iowa-based veterans organizations. The first presidential primary event will be held in Iowa on 1 FEB.. Campaign officials did not respond

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to requests for further details on how the groups were selected or the distribution. Here is the full list of groups listed as event beneficiaries:

American Hero Adventures (Eugene, Ore.) Disabled American Veterans Charitable Trust (Cold Spring, Ky.) Fisher House Foundation (Rockville, Md.) Folds of Honor (Owasso, Okla.) Homes for our Troops (Taunton, Mass.) Honoring America’s Warriors (El Reno, Okla.) Hope for the Warriors (Annandale, Va.) K9s for Warriors (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) Liberty House (Manchester, N.H.) Mulberry Street Veterans Shelter (Des Moines, Iowa) Navy Seal Foundation (Virginia Beach, Va.) Operation Homefront (Quincy, Mass.) Partners for Patriots (Liberty, Tenn.) Project for Patriots (Sioux City, Iowa) Puppy Jake (Des Moines, Iowa) Racing for Heroes (Mill Hall, Pa.) Support Siouxland Soldiers (Sioux City, Iowa) Task Force Dagger Foundation (McKinney, Texas) The Green Beret Foundation (San Antonio) Veterans Airlift Command (St. Louis Park, Minn.) Warriors for Freedom (Stillwater, Okla.) 22Kill (Dallas)

[Source: MilitaryTimes | Leo Shane | January 29, 2016 ++]

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Saving Money ► Eyeglasses III | Slashing the Cost

You often see ads “buy your first pair and get your second for half price or free.” You’ve probably felt that when you’ve gone for these deals you end up paying much, much more than had you just purchased two pair of glasses. Where is the most inexpensive place to purchase prescription eyewear? Also, what’s the story with sunglasses? Allegedly there is one company that produces 90 percent sunglasses that they then put their designer name on. These are topics MoneyTalksNews has covered before in articles like How to Get a Killer Deal on Eyeglasses http://www.moneytalksnews.com/lookin-good-how-get-killer-deal-eyeglasses and Are Those Designer Shades Worth the Price? http://www.moneytalksnews.com/are-those-designer-shades-worth-the-price. But there’s no harm in taking another look. Here’s what Stacy Johnson has to say on the subject:

It’s hard to see the forest for the trees when you’re wearing the wrong glasses.

Focusing on the best deals. When it comes to reading glasses, you might try what I do: Go to the nearest dollar store, buy 10 for $10 and stash them all over the house. Granted, I’m a very casual and occasional user of reading glasses.

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And because I don’t often use them, I don’t care how they look. If you’re not like me, you may want to put a little more time and effort into the process. When it comes to any kind of glasses, however, you’ll save an astounding amount by simply using the Internet and/or warehouse stores. But first, you’ll need your prescription.

Getting your prescription. People who examine eyes also often sell glasses. They don’t want to give you your prescription, because that will enable you to shop around. Tough: they’re required to. “Your eye care provider must give you a copy of your contact lens and eyeglass prescriptions — whether or not you ask for them,” according to the Federal Trade Commission. Shop around by phone to compare prices from local optometrists, eyewear specialty shops, chain stores and big box outlets. Ask the optometrist to include these basics:  Glasses: Ask for your pupillary distance, the distance (in millimeters) between the centers of the pupils of each eye. (You can also take this measurement yourself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o18-PIaIro4)  Contacts: Ask the doctor to write down the type of lenses prescribed, their manufacturer, power, base curve and diameter. Now you’re ready to save yourself hundreds over traditional sources for lenses and frames.

Online stores. There are tons of places online for discounted frames and lenses, but here are five of the most popular, as voted by readers of LifeHacker (http://lifehacker.com/five-best-online-glasses-stores-1603858245):  Zenni Optical www.zennioptical.com/  Coastal www.coastal.com  EyeBuy Direct www.eyebuydirect.com  Goggles 4 U www.goggles4u.com  Warby Parker www.warbyparker.com If you’re worried about not being able to try on glasses to see how they look, don’t. One of the nifty features offered by online retailers is the ability to upload a picture of yourself so you can see what you’ll look like with various frames. Some will send you several sets of frames to try on and return. In addition, all the retailers listed above offer money- back guarantees. So there’s no reason you can’t buy glasses from the comfort of your home.

Brick and mortar stores. Consumer Reports ranks the best reader-reported places to buy glasses, along with the median out-of-pocket price paid for a pair of eyeglass frames and lenses. Here are the top 5 ranked by price, along with the score, which ranges from 0 to 100.  BJ’s Optical: ($171) Score: 80  For Eyes Optical: ($181) Score: 82  Costco Optical: ($186) Score: 87  VisionWorks: ($200) Score: 72  Walmart Vision Center: ($204) Score: 78 Note these stores all offer eye exams as well, so even if you’re not buying frames there, you can still get your exam. And you may not need a membership to the warehouse stores to get it, although you may need one to buy glasses or contacts.

What about extras? Wherever you buy glasses, you’ll be asked to choose among a dizzying array of extras at extra cost. If they seem like an easy way for a retailer to improve their profits at your expense, you might be right. Whether the extras are worth it depends on how you’ll wear your glasses. Drive a lot at night? No-glare might be worth it. Spend a lot of time outside? Might want to spring for Photochromic. Check out this page of The Vision Counsel’s website https://www.thevisioncouncil.org/content/lens-materials/adults to learn more about what various options actually do, Then you can decide if they’re worth paying extra for.

The best deals on sunglasses. “I’ve heard there is one company that produces 90 percent sunglasses that they then put their designer name on,” Christine says in her query. She’s right. Luxottica, an Italian-based company, manufactures shades for a number of brands all over the price spectrum, including the $500 kind. The list on the company’s website includes: Anne Klein, Arnette, Bulgari, Burberry, Chanel, Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, DKNY,

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Oakley, Polo Ralph Lauren, Ray-Ban, Sunglass Hut, Target Optical, Tiffany, Versace and Vogue. Of course, just because one company manufactures all these brands doesn’t mean they’re alike. After all, Volkswagen also owns Bentley. Still, one wonders if a $500 pair of sunglasses can really be worth 20 times more than a $25 pair. Color me skeptical.

How to evaluate shades. Whether they’re designer or dollar store, here’s how to compare sunglasses: 1. Ultraviolet ray absorption — both UVB and UVA. This is the most important ingredient for sunglasses, since failure to protect your eyes can lead to eye damage and disease. The Foundation of the American Academy of Opthalmology says: Look for sunglasses that block 99 percent or 100 percent of all UV light. Some manufacturers’ labels say “UV absorption up to 400nm.” This is the same thing as 100 percent UV absorption. WebMD adds that this is another indication of lenses that provides the UV protection you want: Lenses meet ANSI Z80.3 blocking requirements. (This refers to standards set by the American National Standards Institute.) 2. Polarization. This is helpful because it reduces glare reflected from flat surfaces like pavement or pools of water, increasing your visibility while you’re driving, the foundation says. This has nothing to do with protecting your eyes from harmful rays. 3. The quality control test. To determine if nonprescription lenses are made well, the foundation recommends that you: • Fix your eyes on a tile or other object with a rectangular pattern. • Cover one eye. Hold the glasses away from your face. • Slowly move the glasses up and down and side to side If the lines in the rectangular pattern remain straight during the test, the lenses are fine. If they don’t, the lenses are likely made of cheap pressed plastic. 4. Frame design. The foundation says: Studies have shown that enough UV rays enter around ordinary eyeglass frames to reduce the benefits of protective lenses. Large-framed wraparound sunglasses can protect your eyes from all angles. WebMD says the next best choice is a really big lens that goes down to your cheekbones. You also want glasses that sit close to your face so that UV rays don’t leak over the top. 5. Lens color. You can minimize color distortion by picking gray, green or brown lenses, WebMD says.

Here’s what I bought. Because I’ve lost or broken virtually every pair of sunglasses I’ve ever owned, usually within weeks, I used to buy them at the same place I bought my reading glasses: the dollar store. However, because I only have two eyes and spend a lot of time outdoors, I decided to invest in something better. After doing some research and reading reviews, I opted for JMarti sunglasses, which I bought on Amazon. In addition to meeting all the requirements above, they start at less than $20, have a lifetime warranty against breakage and offer a 30-day money- back guarantee. I bought two pairs about a year ago. One I’ve already lost, but I really like the remaining one. While they may not have the same cachet as Gucci, they’re way higher quality than the dollar store stuff I used to wear (and still keep in my glove compartment) and I feel like I’m taking better care of my eyes.

[Source: MoneyTalksNews | Stacey Johnson | June 2015 ++]

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Cable Company Discount Scam ► How it Works

A steep discount on your monthly cable bill? This may sound like a great way to save money, but it could be the set up for a scam. Con artists are impersonating cable companies and taking advantage of subscribers' eagerness to save money.

How the Scam Works:

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 You get a call, and it's someone claiming to be a representative from your cable provider's "loyal rewards" program. The caller offers you a significant discount on your monthly cable and/or service. For $80 per month, you can get phone, broadband Internet, and the premium cable channels. This package would typically run subscribers well over $100/month.  Of course there's a catch! You need to pay for six months of the discounted rate upfront. And this "representative" doesn't take credit cards, only pre-paid debit cards. Using one of these cards is as untraceable as paying in cash.  According to BBB Scam Tracker reports, lately con artists are impersonating Comcast, but they will likely move on to other cable providers as the scam expands. Also, reports say that scammers frequently have personal information about targets, such as address, phone number and current level of service, making this con very believable. Tips to avoid a utility scam:  Cable companies aren't the only utilities that scammers impersonate. Watch out for variations involving electricity, gas and other bills.  Prepaid debit cards are a red flag: If a caller specifically asks you to pay by prepaid debit card or wire transfer, this is a huge warning sign. Your utility company will accept a check, credit card or online banking transfer.  Don't cave to pressure to pay immediately: If you feel pressured for immediate payment or personal information, hang up the phone and call the customer service number on your utility bill. This will ensure you are speaking to a real representative.  Never allow anyone into your home to check electrical wiring, natural gas pipes or appliances unless you have scheduled an appointment or reported a problem. Also, ask utility employees for proper identification.

To find out more about other scams, check out BBB Scam Stopper http://www.bbb.org/council/bbb-scam-stopper. To report a scam, go to BBB Scam Tracker at https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/us. [Source: BBB Scam Alert | January 15, 2015 ++]

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OPM Data Breach Letter Scam ► How it Works

The U.S. government's Office of Personal Management (OPM) has been notifying those affected by a recent cyber security breach that their personal data was compromised. Unfortunately, scammers are also "notifying" consumers. Here's how to identify a real OPM notification letter and the signs of a scam.

How to Spot a Real OPM Letter You don't have to be a U.S. federal employee to receive a notification from OPM. The breach was wide reaching, and there are many ways your personal information may have been included. Common ones include:  Past and present federal employees  Spouses and other co-habitants listed on federal background investigation applications  Applicants for a federal job  Those who worked or volunteered with a federal agency but are not federal employees

Real Letters Contain:  A 25 digit PIN to register for credit and identity monitoring services. Make sure your PIN is real by entering it at opm.gov/cybersecurity  Instructions to visit the website opm.gov/cybersecurity to get more information and sign up for monitoring.

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Signs of a Scam - Scammers love to take advantage of large government initiatives. Scams surrounding the roll out of the Affordable Care Act are a recent example. Be on the lookout for scammers attempting to cash in on this effort.  OPM will not contact you for personal information. OPM, nor anyone acting on OPM's behalf, will contact you to confirm personal information. If you are contacted by anyone claiming to represent OPM DO NOT share your information.  Email is not used in this round of notifications. OPM did email to notify those affected by the breach this past summer. This time, they are sending letters by U.S. Postal Service. An email claiming otherwise is a scam.  Lost your PIN or didn't receive a letter? If you have not yet received a letter but think you have been impacted, you can contact the verification center at .http://www.opm.gov/cybersecurity.

To learn more about the data breach and the U.S. government efforts to notify those affected on OPM's website https://www.opm.gov/cybersecurity. Check out BBB's Top 10 Scams of 2015 at http://www.bbb.org/top10scams. To find out more about other scams, check out BBB Scam Stopper http://www.bbb.org/council/bbb-scam-stopper. To report a scam, go to BBB Scam Tracker at https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/us. [Source: BBB Scam Alert | December 15, 2015 ++]

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Balikbayan Boxes ► Tax Exemption

The bicameral conference committee on the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) has agreed to retain a provision in the measure increasing the tax-exempt value of items sent by overseas Filipinos to their families back home. Under the proposed CMTA, the tax exemption ceiling will be increased from the present P10,000 to P150,000. The bill also allows overseas Filipinos to send up to three balikbayan boxes a year, each with P150,000 worth of tax and duty free goods, provided these are not in commercial quantities or intended for barter, sale or for hire. Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, chairman of the ways and means committee and sponsor of the CMTA, said raising the tax exemption ceiling was a unanimous decision among members of the bicameral committee. “It was really the intent of both Houses to increase the values,” he said. “I’m thankful members of the bicameral need not debate on this issue. Removing taxes on balikbayan boxes is doing justice to OFWs who remit billions every year,” Angara said in Filipino.

The senator said he hopes to see the bicameral conference committee report completed for ratification next week. He expressed confidence the President will sign the bill as it has been identified as one of the priority measures of the Aquino administration. The measure languished in Congress for almost a decade. Aside from Angara, other legislators who attended the two-day bicameral meeting were Sen. Bam Aquino, House ways and means committee chairman Rep. Miro Quimbo, and Reps. Sharon Garin, Magtanggol Gunigundo, Estrellita Suansing, Raneo Abu and Terry Ridon. Angara noted that a P10,000-tax exemption ceiling, as provided for under the late President Corazon Aquino’s

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Executive Order 206 in 1987, is now too small. He said based on their research, an ordinary OFW sends to his family around P80,000 worth of items every three to four months.

On top of the tax and duty free balikbayan boxes, Filipinos who have stayed in a foreign country for at least 10 years and are returning to the Philippines will also be granted tax exemption for personal and household effects not exceeding P350,000. Filipinos who have lived overseas for at least five years would be entitled to tax and duty free personal and household effects amounting to P250,000, while those who have stayed abroad for less than five years can enjoy P150,000 tax-free ceiling. Moreover, the proposed CMTA raises the de minimis value, which refers to the minimum cost of goods required to undergo formal Customs entry, from the present P10 to P10,000. “With the increase in the de minimis value, we lessen the discretion of the Customs officials to inspect goods and collect taxes, thus minimizing cases of corruption and smuggling,” Angara said.

The senator stressed that to permanently do away with outdated values, the bill provides for an automatic indexation of the amounts every three years to account for inflation. “The updating of such outdated values is just among the more than 300 sections of the almost 200-page CMTA bill which generally aims to simplify, modernize and align the country’s customs procedures with global best practices,” Angara said. The bill simplifies and clarifies customs procedures including import clearances and valuations, making the release of goods much faster, regardless of whether the importer is an individual entrepreneur or a large multinational firm. “We want to overhaul and modernize the bureau which has long been perceived as one of the most corrupt and underperforming government agencies in the country. The CMTA reinforces BOC functions as trade facilitator rather than just being a revenue-generating agency,” Angara said. For those not familiar with this type of delivery of goods to the Philippines check out:  http://www.philippineconsulatela.org/balikbayan.htm  http://www.ehow.com/how_2160518_send-balikbayan-box-philippines.html  https://youtu.be/LXatuBwDw3k  https://youtu.be/wShBYon3qnA

[Source: The Philippine Star | Christina Mendez | January 23, 2016 ++]

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Tax Burden for Michigan Residents ► As Jan 2016

Michigan's tax rate is a flat rate of federal adjusted gross income with modifications. Some cities impose additional income taxes.

Personal income tax  Michigan's personal income tax rate dropped to 4.25 percent on Jan. 1, 2013. Michigan tax returns are due by April 15, or the next business day if that date falls on a weekend or holiday.  Several cities also impose additional income taxes, meaning different forms must be filed in varying municipalities. Go to http://www.michigan.gov/taxes/0,4676,7-238-44143-287984--,00.html Sales taxes  Michigan's state sales tax and corresponding use tax is 6 percent.  The state does not allow city or local sales taxes. Personal and real property taxes  Property taxes are assessed on the local, not state, level. The property tax estimator can give you an idea of your upcoming bill.  Michigan taxpayers with tangible personal property on Dec. 31 must file a personal property statement with the local municipality or township assessor of the jurisdiction where the property is located as of that date. The return must be filed by Feb. 20 of the tax year or sooner in some jurisdictions requiring the filing by an earlier date.

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 Some senior citizens, disabled people, veterans, surviving spouses of veterans and farmers may be able to delay paying property taxes. It depends on the county in which you live and your income level. Contact your local or county treasurer for more information about delaying payment of your property taxes.  Owner owned and occupied homesteads (http://www.michigan.gov/taxes/0,1607,7-238-43535_43539- 211055--,00.html) may be exempt from a portion of local school operating taxes. Claim an exemption by filing Form 2368 with your township or city by June 1. Your local assessor will adjust your taxes on your next property tax bill. This is an exemption from part of the taxes and does not affect your assessment. More information on the exemption can be found in guidelines released from Michigan's Department of Treasury at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/2856_11014_7.pdf.  You also may be able to claim a property tax credit on your personal income tax return if (1) your homestead is located in Michigan; (2) you were a Michigan resident at least six months of the tax year; and (3) you pay property taxes or rent on your Michigan homestead.  There are income limits on who may claim a property tax credit and you can have only one homestead at a time. A vacation home or income property is not considered your homestead.  Low-income families may be eligible for the Home Heating Credit, funded through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Further information can be found on Michigan's government website http://michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339-71547_5531-15420--,00.html and at the LIHEAP website http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/programs/liheap.

Inheritance and estate taxes  Michigan does not collect an inheritance tax.  Since its estate tax was related to federal estate tax collection, the phasing out of the federal statute means Michigan no longer collects an estate tax.

Other Michigan Tax Facts  Michigan taxpayers can check the status of their refunds online http://www.michigan.gov/taxes/0,1607,7- 238-43513-157514--,00.html  Retirees may be able to exclude some of their pension income from Michigan taxes. For more information go to http://www.michigan.gov/taxes/0,4676,7-238-43513-343520--,00.html.  Michigan's intangible property tax for individuals was repealed Jan. 1, 1998

[Source: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/state-taxes-michigan.aspx January 2016 ++]

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Tax Burden for California Retired Vets ► As of Jan 2016

Many people planning to retire use the presence or absence of a state income tax as a litmus test for a retirement destination. This is a serious miscalculation since higher sales and property taxes can more than offset the lack of a state income tax. The lack of a state income tax doesn’t necessarily ensure a low total tax burden. States raise revenue in many ways including sales taxes, excise taxes, license taxes, income taxes, intangible taxes, property taxes, estate taxes and inheritance taxes. Depending on where you live, you may end up paying all of them or just a few. Following are the taxes you can expect to pay if you retire in California

Sales Taxes State Sales Tax: California’s state-only sales tax is 6.50 percent. There is a statewide county tax of 1%, and therefore, the lowest rate anywhere in California is 7.5%. This rate will apply until December 31, 2016. Rates will be higher in cities and counties with special taxing districts – between 1.0 percent and 3.5 percent. Publication 71 [http://www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/pam71.htm] lists combined sales tax rates for California cities and counties. (Food and prescription drugs are exempt.)

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Gasoline Tax: * 63.79 cents/gallon (Includes all taxes). Does not include 1 cent local option. Diesel Fuel Tax: * 65.0 cents/gallon (Includes all taxes). Does not include 1 cent local option. Cigarette Tax: 87 cents/pack of 20

Personal Income Taxes Tax Rate Range: Low – 1.0%; High - 13.3%. Income Brackets: Nine. Lowest – $7,582; Highest – $508,500. For joint returns, the taxes are twice the tax imposed on half the income. Personal Exemptions: Single – $106; Married – $212 Tax Credits: Single - $99; Married – $198; Dependents – $326; 65 years of age or older – $99 Standard Deduction: Single – $3,906; Married filing jointly – $7,812 Medical/Dental Deduction: Same as Federal taxes Federal Income Tax Deduction: None Retirement Income Taxes: Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefits are exempt. There is a 2.5% tax on early distributions and qualified pensions. All private, local, state and federal pensions are fully taxed. Retired Military Pay: Follows federal tax rules. Military Disability Retired Pay: Retirees who entered the military before Sept. 24, 1975, and members receiving disability retirements based on combat injuries or who could receive disability payments from the VA are covered by laws giving disability broad exemption from federal income tax. Most military retired pay based on service- related disabilities also is free from federal income tax, but there is no guarantee of total protection. VA Disability Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: VA benefits are not taxable because they generally are for disabilities and are not subject to federal or state taxes. Military SBP/SSBP/RCSBP/RSFPP: Generally subject to state taxes for those states with income tax. Check with state department of revenue office.

Property Taxes Property is assessed at 100% of full cash value. The maximum amount of tax on real estate is limited to 1% of the full cash value. Under the homestead program, the first $7,000 of the full value of a homeowner’s dwelling is exempt. The Franchise Tax Board’s Homeowner Assistance program, which provided property tax relief to persons who were blind, disabled, or at least 62 years old, and met certain minimum annual income thresholds, has been halted. The state budgets approved for the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 fiscal years deleted funding for this Homeowner and Renter Assistance Program that once provided cash reimbursement of a portion of the property taxes that residents paid on their home. For more information, call the Franchise Tax Board at 1-800-852-5711, or visit.

The California constitution provides a $7,000 reduction in the taxable value for a qualifying owner-occupied home. The home must have been the principal place of residence of the owner on the lien date, January 1st. To claim the exemption, the homeowner must make a one-time filing of a simple form with the county assessor where the property is located. The claim form, BOE-266, Claim for Homeowners’ Property Tax Exemption, is available from the county assessor. Go to http://www.boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/pdf/pub29.pdf for more information on the property tax program.

Inheritance and Estate Taxes There is no inheritance tax. In 2003 the estate tax was repealed for those deceased after January 1, 2005.

For further information, visit the California Franchise Tax Board or the California State Board of Equalization site http://www.boe.ca.gov.

[Source: http://www.retirementliving.com/taxes-alabama-iowa#CALIFORNIA January 2016 ++]

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Retiree State Taxes ► What to Expect in South Carolina

The Bottom Line - Tax-Friendly. The Palmetto State extends its Southern hospitality to retirees. The state does not tax Security benefits and provides a generous retirement-income deduction when calculating state income tax. State income tax rates are reasonable, and property taxes are very low. Senior homeowners qualify for a homestead exemption.

State Sales Tax - 6% (groceries and some cold prepared foods, prescription drugs, dental prosthetics and hearing aids are exempt). Seniors 85 and older pay 5%. Localities can add up to 1% in sales taxes. (Several counties also have a local sales tax exemption for groceries and some cold prepared foods. Hot prepared foods, vitamins and pet food are subject to state and local taxes.)

Income Tax Range  Low: 3% (on taxable income over $2,880 to $6,200)  High: 7% (on taxable income over $14,400)

Social Security - Benefits are not taxed.

Exemptions for Other Retirement Income - Other retirement income is taxed, with limits. If you're younger than 65, up to $3,000 in retirement income is exempt. Older seniors are eligible for two deductions. If you are 65 or older, you may deduct up to $10,000 in qualifying retirement income. Qualified income includes public employee retirement plans, Keogh plans, IRA distributions and military retirement benefits. In addition, if you are 65 or older, you can take a senior deduction of $15,000 (single filers) or $30,000 (married couples filing jointly) -- but the $15,000 deduction must be offset by the amount taken with the retirement-income deduction. So if a single taxpayer takes a $10,000 retirement-income deduction, he can only take a senior deduction of $5,000 -- for a total deduction of $15,000. A surviving spouse may continue to take a retirement deduction on behalf of the deceased spouse. Some taxpayers 65 and older may not have to file a tax return if they meet certain conditions. Retired military personnel 65 and older can deduct a portion of their military retirement benefits.

IRA - Qualifies for the retirement-income exemptions.

401(K) and Other Defined-Contribution Employer Retirement PLANS - Qualifies for the retirement-income exemptions.

Private Pension - Qualifies for the retirement-income exemptions.

Public Pension - Qualifies for the retirement-income exemptions.

Property Taxes - Median property tax on South Carolina's median home value of $139,200 is $788, according to the Tax Foundation.

Tax breaks for seniors: For homeowners 65 and older, the state's homestead exemption allows the first $50,000 of a property's fair market value to be exempt from local property taxes. To qualify, you must have been at least 65 years old and a legal resident of South Carolina for one year, as of December 31 of the preceding year.

Inheritance and Estate Taxes - There is no inheritance tax or estate tax.

[Source: www.kiplinger.com/tool/retirement/T055-S001-state-by-state-guide-to-taxes-on-retirees/index.php Jan 2016 ++]

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Thrift Savings Plan 2016 ► Returns as of 29 Jan 2016

There are currently 10 investment funds in the Thrift Savings Plan. Five are individual stock and bond funds, and the other five are target retirement date funds. The table below summarizes the historical performance and risk characteristics of the five primary TSP Investment Funds. Click on any link in the table header to see performance charts and other details for that fund.

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TSP Investment Funds TSP TSP TSP TSP TSP

8/31/1990 - 1/29/2016 G Fund F Fund C Fund S Fund I Fund Last Price (1/29/2016) 14.9439 17.2071 26.1963 32.1616 22.7409 Change (1-Day) 0.02% 0.33% 2.48% 3.03% 2.11% YTD Return 0.19% 1.49% -4.96% -8.72% -5.62% 1-Year Return 2.07% 0.63% -1.88% -11.09% -7.69% 3-Year Return 2.10% 2.63% 11.15% 7.19% 1.32% 5-Year Return 2.03% 3.81% 11.14% 8.55% 2.25% 10-Year Return 2.94% 4.89% 6.50% 6.42% 2.03% Annual Return Since 8/31/1990 4.8% 6.4% 9.6% 10.3% 5.3% Annualized Standard Deviation [2] 0.3% 3.9% 18.1% 20.0% 18.0% Maximum Drawdown [3] - -6.6% -55.2% -57.4% -60.9% Sharpe Ratio [4] - 0.41 0.34 0.35 0.11 Value of $1,000 invested on 8/31/1990 $3,323 $4,885 $10,286 $12,022 $3,671

Notes

1. The first TSP fund became available to investors in April 1987, and others followed in 1988 and 2001. TSP.gov has published monthly fund returns since inception, and daily fund price history since 2003. To allow for a longer performance comparison, we extended the available TSP fund price history for the C, G, F, I, and S funds with their underlying index data. For example, we extended the TSP C Fund with the S&P 500 Total Return index. The same was done for the other TSP funds and their underlying index. The indexes we use do not account for fund expenses, so earlier returns are slightly higher. However, in practice the difference is not significant: the TSP funds have extremely low expense ratios (0.027% per year as of this writing).

2. Standard deviation, also known as historical volatility, is used by investors as a gauge for the amount of expected volatility. Volatile TSP funds like the C, S, and I fund have a high standard deviation, while the deviation of the G and F funds is lower. When comparing investments, a low standard deviation is preferable.

3. Drawdown: the peak-to-trough decline in the TSP fund value, measured as a percentage between the peak and the trough. Perhaps best expressed in the historical drawdown charts for each fund, which show the magnitude and duration of each periodic decline. A good investment strategy aims to minimize drawdowns.

4. The Sharpe Ratio measures risk-adjusted performance. It's calculated by subtracting the risk-free interest rate from the rate of return for a specific fund, and dividing the result by the standard deviation of the fund returns. Since we only track TSP funds on this website, we use the G fund returns as our risk-free investment. When comparing investments, a high Sharpe Ratio is preferable.

5. There are 5 active TSP Lifecycle Funds, and one retired fund. The L Income, L 2010, L 2020, L 2030, and L 2040 funds were introduced on 8/1/2005. The new L 2050 fund opened up to investors on 1/31/2011. The L 2010 fund was retired on December 31, 2010, its assets folded into the L Income Fund.

TSP TSP TSP TSP TSP TSP Lifecycle Funds L Income L 2020 L 2030 L 2040 L 2050 8/1/2005 - 1/29/2016

Fund Fund Fund Fund Fund Last Price (1/29/2016) 17.6116 22.6159 24.1674 25.4524 14.2957 Change (1-Day) 0.52% 1.18% 1.60% 1.85% 2.10% YTD Return -0.91% -2.55% -3.58% -4.21% -4.86% 1-Year Return 0.80% -1.19% -2.45% -3.33% -4.20% 3-Year Return 3.45% 5.32% 6.04% 6.55% 6.91% 5-Year Return 3.61% 5.75% 6.58% 7.16% - Annual Return Since 8/1/2005 4.1% 5.2% 5.6% 5.8% 7.4% Annualized Standard Deviation 4.1% 12.0% 14.6% 16.7% 14.1% Maximum Drawdown -11.0% -36.9% -43.3% -48.4% -19.8% Sharpe Ratio 0.27 0.24 0.25 0.25 0.44 Value of $1,000 invested on 8/1/2005 $1,517 $1,707 $1,772 $1,814 $1,430

TSP Lifecycle Funds The five TSP Lifecycle Funds are target retirement date funds, invested in a professionally designed mix of domestic and international stocks, bonds and government securities. Each L Fund is invested in the five individual TSP funds (G, F, C, S, and I Fund). TSP investors choose a fund based on when they expect to retire and start making withdrawals: • The TSP L 2050 Fund is for participants who will need their money in the year 2045 or later.

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• The TSP L 2040 Fund is for participants who will need their money between 2035 and 2044. • The TSP L 2030 Fund is for participants who will need their money between 2025 and 2034. • The TSP L 2020 Fund is for participants who will need their money between 2015 and 2024. • The TSP L Income Fund is for participants who are already withdrawing their accounts in monthly payments, or who plan to need their money between now and 2014.

[Source: http://www.tspfolio.com/tspfunds January 30, 2016 ++]

* General Interest *

Notes of Interest ► 16 thru 31 Jan 2016

 Survey of Women Veterans. The VFW has initiated a Survey of Women Veterans and has requested all member associations of The Military Coalition to ask their membership to participate in order to have a larger base in order to make the survey more accurate. Questions can be directed to Carlos Fuentes, VFW Senior Legislative Associate at (202) 608-8368. Go to https://www.research.net/r/VFWSurveyofWomenVeterans to participate.  Destroyers. For those of you old salts who served on Destroyers, check out ‘Destroyer Crew Life: Destroyermen 1970 US Navy’ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr4_RC4oZ4s. Should bring back some fond and perhaps not so fond memories.  Senior Humor. Check out https://www.youtube.com/embed/nxreQ6B_t6o for a very funny prank played on Jimmy Kimmel’s aunt at her ceramics class.  Transplants. The Birmingham, Alabama VA Medical Center recently joined six other VA hospitals around the country in performing kidney transplants.  VA. In a three-minute interview http://video.foxnews.com/v/4707956666001/rep-jeff-miller-talks-chronic- indifference-of-the-va-/?#sp=show-clips , Rep. Jeff Miller says the VA, “has improved on the margins,” in the last 16 months. However, he argues that federal civil service laws are preventing VA staff from being held accountable, and that the laws need to be changed for the entire government.  Golden Age Games. The 30th National Veterans Golden Age Games are coming to Detroit 10-14 July. All veterans enrolled in the Detroit VA Health Care System are eligible to compete. The games are open to vets 55 and older. Registration is open until March at http://www.va.gov/opa/speceven/gag/index.asp.  Global Warming. Global temperatures in 2015 were the warmest since record-keeping began—and it wasn’t even close. According to new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA, average temperatures over land and ocean were 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average, clearing the previous record by 0.29 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s the largest margin by which any annual temperature record has been broken.  Tax Help - For Military Retirees with adjusted gross income of less than $100,000, the Los Angeles AFB Tax Center is scheduling appointments to complete their 2015 tax return. For more information refer to the green "Tax Center" link on the lower right side of the official home website for the Los Angeles AFB ( http://www.losangeles.af.mil ). Tax Center phone number is 310-653-3815.

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 Auto deaths. Volvo asserts no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by 2020. New crash- prevention technologies include Adaptive Cruise Control, 360° Surround View, Driver Alert Control, Rest Stop Guidance, and Blind Spot Information System.  Eyeglasses. Military retirees are entitled to one free pair of eyeglasses per year. To obtain follow the instructions at http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nostra/order/Pages/Eligibility.aspx.  Beer. Canned beer made its debut JAN 24, 1935. In partnership with the American Can Company, the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company delivered 2,000 cans of Krueger's Finest Beer and Krueger's Cream Ale to faithful Krueger drinkers in Richmond, Virginia. Ninety-one percent of the drinkers approved. Kruger sales jumped 550%.  Surveillance. Think you can hide in a crowd? Not Anymore. Ever wonder how they found the Boston bombers in just a few days? To help you understand what the government is looking at go to the photo at http://www.gigapixel.com/mobile/?id=79995 which was taken in Canada and shows about 700,000 people. Pick on a small part of the crowd click a couple of times -- wait -- click a few more times and see how clear each individual face will become each time. Scary sharp! Not so easy to hide in a crowd anymore.  Light Bulb Change. Go to https://www.youtube.com/embed/f1BgzIZRfT8?feature=player_embedded to see it done on a 1500 ft TV tower.  Modern Warfare. Check out https://www.facebook.com/ScoopeIsrael/videos/436040796602415. First Part Attack from the Air, Second Part Attack from the Ground.  VA Apps for Women. At https://mobile.va.gov/app/caring-4-women-veterans can be found a guide to VA’s new mobile apps for women veterans.  Vet Links. Links to useful information for active duty, guard\reserves, retirees and veterans, and their families, are available on the LINKS FOR MIL\RET\VETS website at www.hostmtb.org.  Military Robots. The global market for military robots will reach $21 billion by 2020, according to a forecast by market research firm ASDReports. This reflects a compound annual growth rate of 9.27 percent from 2015.

[Source: Various | January 31, 2016 ++]

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Japan~China Dispute Update 01 ► Territorial Water Incursions

Japan’s navy may be called upon to patrol the country’s disputed southern island chain if China continues to enter its territorial waters. The announcement at a news conference 12 JAN by Defense Minister Gen Nakatani follows a 26 DEC incident in which three Chinese vessels — one of them armed — entered Japanese waters off the disputed Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu by China. The incident marked the first time an armed Chinese vessel entered Japanese waters, said a spokesman at Japanese Coast Guard headquarters in Tokyo. China followed up by entering Japanese waters again last Friday. “It is a decision made by the Cabinet,” Nakatani said. “I will not elaborate on a hypothetical situation; however, generally speaking, when an event occurs that is difficult for the police agency or the coast guard to respond, an order will be issued in principle for [the Self-Defense Force] to take a seaborne patrolling action.”

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In this graph provided by the Japanese Coast Guard, the red bars show the number of incursions in recent years by Chinese vessels into Japan's territorial waters. The blue bars indicate the number of entries into Japan's contiguous zone.

Nakatani declined to say whether Japan’s intentions had been conveyed to China. A spokesman for the staff office of the Maritime Self-Defense Force would not elaborate on the potential patrols. The Japanese navy was called upon in response to North Korean incursions in 1999. Such an order has never been issued regarding China. Since Japan purchased three islands from a private owner in September 2012, there have been 68 cases of Chinese incursions toward the end of 2012, 188 in 2013, 88 in 2014 and 95 last year. [Source: Stars and Stripes | Matthew M. Burke and Chiyomi Sumida | January 13, 2016 ++]

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Voter-ID ► Trial Could Have Ramifications Across U.S.

The requirement to present photo identification to cast a ballot went on trial 25 JAN in a closely watched case that will have legal ramifications for voting across the country this presidential election year. Inside a federal courthouse here, attorneys for the Justice Department and the NAACP argued that the law passed by the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly intentionally discriminates against African Americans and Latinos, who disproportionately lack one of the required forms of photo identification. “The state should be making it easier for people to engage in the fundamental right to vote, not harder,” Michael Glick, a Washington lawyer representing the NAACP, said in his opening statement. Because the voter-ID requirement will make it harder for African Americans and Latinos to vote, Glick said, it is unconstitutional and violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Under North Carolina’s election law, passed three years ago, voters will have to present one of these photo IDs for the first time this year: a North Carolina driver’s license, a special non-operators ID, a U.S. passport, a military ID, a veteran’s ID, a tribal ID from a federally or state recognized tribe, or in certain cases, a driver’s license or non-operator ID issued by another state. Thomas A. Farr, a lawyer representing North Carolina, argued that there is no evidence that any resident of the state will be unable to vote under the photo-ID law. He said there is a “great deal of dispute” about the data that the NAACP and Justice Department will present, which they say indicates that African Americans are twice as likely as whites to lack a photo ID. “We’re talking about a very, very, very small group of people who may not have a photo ID,” Farr said, adding that the challengers “just don’t like the policy.”

Since the 2010 midterm election, 21 states have added voting restrictions — and in 15 states, the rules will be in place for the first time in a presidential election, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Eight states have strict photo-ID laws. “Election administrators, voting rights activists and lawyers are watching the North Carolina case very

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closely,” said Richard L. Hasen, an election-law expert at the University of California at Irvine. “If North Carolina gets a green light from the federal courts to pass this set of laws making it harder to register and vote, then I expect other states with Republican legislators to pass similar laws.” The trial is being held before U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder, who joined the bench in 2008 after being nominated by President George W. Bush. Schroeder held a three-week trial last summer on the rest of the election law, which reduces the number of days of early voting, disallows people from registering and voting on the same day, stops ballots cast in the wrong precinct from being counted, and ends the practice of pre-registering teenagers before they turn 18. Schroeder has not yet ruled on that case.

The photo-ID trial is expected to last about a week. North Carolina’s snowy and icy conditions affected the first day of trial. Several witnesses were unable to travel to Winston-Salem, including plaintiffs Rosanell Eaton, 94, and her daughter. Instead, a video of Eaton’s deposition last year was played on computer monitors in the courtroom. The Franklin County, N.C., resident described how she had to make 10 trips to the Division of Motor Vehicles, drive 200 miles and spend more than 20 hours to obtain one of the required forms of voter identification because of discrepancies between the name on her driver’s license and that on her voter registration, along with differences in the birth date on her birth certificate and her Social Security card. “It was really stressful and difficult, a headache and expensive,” Eaton said.

Three years ago, the Supreme Court, in its 5-to-4 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, nullified the part of the Voting Rights Act that required North Carolina, nine states and jurisdictions in five other states to get permission from the federal government before enacting new voting laws because of their history of discrimination. Within a month after the decision, the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly passed one of the country’s most restrictive voting laws. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory signed it, comparing the requirement of a voter ID to “common practices like boarding an airplane and purchasing Sudafed” and saying the law would help prevent voter fraud. Glick said in court Monday that there “simply was no evidence of voter fraud’’ and lawmakers “definitely knew that.” A witness in last summer’s trial testified that the State Board of Elections referred two cases of in-person voter fraud to prosecutors from 2000 to 2014.

Last summer, before the first trial was to begin, the North Carolina General Assembly passed an amendment that allows voters to cast provisional ballots if they are unable to obtain specified forms of identification and if they can show they have “a reasonable impediment,” including lack of transportation, illness, lack of a birth certificate or work schedule. Lawyers representing North Carolina say education and training efforts on the amendment are “robust,” but Glick said in court that the “reasonable impediment” rules are unclear and confusing and will intimidate voters from coming to the polls. Earlier this month, Schroeder denied a preliminary injunction, ruling against a request by the NAACP to block the law from going into effect until after the March primaries. His ruling means that voters must show a photo ID, beginning with early voting on 3 MAR. Election-law experts say it could be a sign of Schroeder’s future rulings in this case. Schroeder said the plaintiffs “have failed to clearly demonstrate that they are likely to succeed on the merits,” based on the arguments in their briefs. [Source: Washington Post | Sari Horwitz | January 25, 2016 ++]

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Gulf War ► Iraq Invasion | Was it a Mistake?

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was on The Late Show Monday (25 JAN) night, and Stephen Colbert was very careful with his questions. Rumsfeld was on to promote his new solitaire app, but all anyone ever wants to talk to Rumsfeld about is the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and Colbert was no exception. He started out by asking if the current situation in Iraq and Syria, including the rise of the Islamic State, was "a worst-case scenario, or a beyond- worse-case scenario" when the George W. Bush administration was planning the Iraq War. "I think the disorder in the

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entire region, and the conflict between the Sunnis and the Shia, is something that, generally, people had not anticipated," Rumsfeld said.

Then Colbert got a little more direct. "The top two Republicans and the top two Democrats, none of them thinks going into Iraq was the right choice to make," he said. "Do you still think it was the right thing to do, 12 years later?" Rumsfeld said that when Bush made the decision, Iraq had disregarded several U.N. resolutions, had used chemical weapons on his citizens and Iran, and "it seems to me the president, given the facts he had from the intelligence community, made the right decision. In retrospect, they didn't find large caches of chemical or biological weapons." Colbert turned to Rumsfeld's "known unknowns" formulation and introduced a fourth option, "unknown knowns," gently suggesting that the Bush administration misled the American people by asserting that Iraq was a threat to the U.S. when the intelligence was too murky to back that up. "The president had available to him intelligence from all elements of the government," Rumsfeld said. "And the National Security Council members had that information; it was all shared, it was all supplied. And it's never certain. If it were a fact, it wouldn't be called intelligence." Colbert looked taken aback. "Wow. I think you answered my question." You can watch the strange, nearly 10-minute conversation at http://theweek.com/speedreads/601381/stephen-colbert-almost-gets-donald-rumsfeld-admit-iraq- war-mistake. [Source: The Week | Peter Weber | January 26, 2016 ++]

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Israel's Memorial to 9/11 ► 9/11 Living Memorial Plaza

Twin Towers Memorial, Israel

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Above is Israel's memorial to 9/11. It is called the 9/11 Living Memorial Plaza. Completed in 2009 for $2 million, it sits on 5 acres of hillside, 20 miles from the center of Jerusalem. The memorial is a 30-foot, bronze American flag that forms the shape of a flame to commemorate the flames of the Twin Towers. The base of the monument is made of melted steel from the wreckage of the World Trade Center and includes this engraving in Hebrew and English:

"This metal remnant was taken from the remains of the Twin Towers, that imploded in the September 11th disaster. It was sent over to Israel by the City of New York to be incorporated in this memorial. This metal piece, like the entire monument, is a manifestation of the special relationship between New York and Jerusalem."

Surrounding the monument are plaques with the names of the victims of 9/11. It is the only memorial outside the U.S. that includes the names of all who perished in the terrorist attacks including 5 Israeli citizens. A glass pane over the metal facilitates viewing. The site solemnly overlooks Jerusalem's largest cemetery, Har HaMenuchot. The monument is often used for memorial and commemoration services. The inauguration ceremony was held on 12 November 2009 with representation from the US Ambassador to Israel, James B. Cunningham, members of the Israeli Cabinet and legislature, family of victims and other. The 2013 memorial for the 9/11 attacks was commemorated at Living Memorial Plaza. Families of victims and diplomats attended the event. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel B. Shapiro commented during the ceremony: "Here, at this painfully beautiful memorial site, we are a reminder to everyone that we, Americans and Israelis, stand together in a spirit of solidarity and commitment to the future”. A powerful memorial from a powerful ally. [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11_Living_Memorial_Plaza Jan 2016 ++]

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Winter Weather Safeguards ► Be Prepared and Stay Safe

As you prepare for extreme winter weather, make sure you and your family know how to safeguard yourself from cold temperatures, snow and ice. Snow, sleet and freezing temperatures can knock out heat, power and communications services to your home or office. Get prepared for weather-related emergencies, including power outages, and follow these steps from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention to prepare your home.  Check your heating systems and have them professionally serviced.  Inspect and clean fireplaces and chimneys.  Have a safe alternate heating source and alternate fuels available.  Install a Carbon Monoxide (CO) and smoke detector. Check its batteries regularly. If the detector sounds leave your home immediately and call 911. Carbon monoxide is found in fumes produced any time you burn fuel in cars or trucks, small engines, stoves, lanterns, grills, fireplaces, gas ranges, or furnaces. CO can build up indoors and poison people and animals who breathe it. The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion.  Stock food that needs no cooking or refrigeration and water stored in clean containers.  Ensure that your cell phone is fully charged.  Keep an up-to-date emergency kit and refill any prescriptions that are due to be refilled.

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Don’t forget to wear appropriate clothing at all times. It is best to layer light, warm clothing, gloves, scarves, hats and waterproof boots for wetter weather. Work slowly when doing outside chores, and take a friend and an emergency kit when participating in outdoor recreation. You should also prep your car for colder climates. Have your radiator serviced and check antifreeze levels. Check your tire tread, and if necessary, replace your tires with all-weather or snow tires. Keep your gas tank full to avoid ice in the tank and fuel lines, and use a wintertime formula in your windshield washer. It is also smart to prepare a winter emergency kit for your car. Pack blankets, non-perishable foods, and water and plastic bags for sanitation. Be sure to include booster cables, flares, a tire pump, flashlight, battery- powered radio, and extra batteries and a first aid kit. If an accident does occur, with these essentials, you should have enough materials to keep you safe and warm until help arrives.

When it’s cold out, try to check on family and neighbors who are at risk from cold weather hazards: young children, older adults, and the chronically ill. If you have pets, bring them inside. If you can’t bring them inside, provide adequate, warm shelter and unfrozen water to drink. Winter storms and cold temperatures can be hazardous for all, but if you plan ahead, you can stay safe and healthy! Visit http://www.ready.gov for more tips, resources and winter safety ideas. TRICARE can help you stay informed about your benefit in times of severe weather. When a state of emergency is issued, TRICARE may authorize early prescription refills, blanket waivers for referrals or other emergency benefits. When authorized, any emergency benefits are announced in email disaster alerts along with their effective dates. You can sign up for email and text disaster alerts to get the latest information. Go to the Disaster Information page on the TRICARE website http://www.tricare.mil/Resources/DisasterInfo.aspx for more information. [Source: TRICARE Communications | January 22, 2016 ++]

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Photos That Say it All ► Backrest

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Most Creative Statues ► Bratislava, Slovakia | Men at work

Man At Work

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Interesting Inventions ► High-Tech, Heated Shoes

French company Zhor-tech rolled out shoes with a step counter, which they say can measure your activity far more accurately than a fitness tracker. But that’s not all it offered with this offering in the world of wearable tech. The shoes — billed as the “first connected footwear technology” — come with a built-in heater, controllable via smartphone app, that lets you warm your tootsies. They also include technologies that can use footwear to help with early diagnosis of diabetes or help people with poor circulation. The $450 shoes should be available later this year, and the English translations on their website http://zhor-tech.com are mildly amusing

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Moments of US History ► Bridget Bardot and Pablo Picasso 1956

The ascendant actress and the seasoned artist

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Parking ► Revenge Tactic #12 Against Inconsiderate Parkers

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Brain Teaser ► Which One is It?

The spellings of each location (city and country) in column A have something in common that only one place name in column B shares. Which one is it?

Column A Column B Arlon, Belgium Moma, Mozambique Burgdorf, Switzerland Oulu, Finland Lvov, Ukraine Quan Long, Vietnam Moulins, France Dezhou, China

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Have You Heard? ► Smart Women

Barbara Walters, of 20/20, did a story in Kabul, Afghanistan, several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted women walked five paces behind their husbands.

She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands.

Despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem happy to maintain the old custom.

Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, "Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to end?"

'The woman looked Ms Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said, "Land mines."

Moral is (no matter what language you speak or where you go): BEHIND EVERY MAN, THERE'S A SMART WOMAN.

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Have You Heard? ► Some People

Recently, when I went to McDonald's I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half dozen nuggets.

'We don't have half dozen nuggets,' said the teenager at the counter. 'You don't?' I replied.

'We only have six, nine, or twelve,' was the reply. 'So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?'

'That's right.' So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets

-o-o-O-o-o-

I was checking out at the local Wal-Mart with just a few items and the lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I picked up one of those 'dividers' that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed. After the girl had scanned all of my items, she picked up the 'divider', looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it.

Not finding the bar code, she said to me, 'Do you know how much this is?'

I said to her 'I've changed my mind; I don't think I'll buy that today.'

She said 'OK,' and I paid her for the things and left.

-o-o-O-o-o-

A woman at work was seen putting a credit card into her floppy drive and pulling it out very quickly.

When I inquired as to what she was doing, she said she was shopping on the Internet and they kept asking for a credit card number, so she was using the ATM 'thingy.'

-o-o-O-o-o-

I recently saw a distraught young lady weeping beside her car. 'Do you need some help?' I asked. She replied, 'I knew I should have replaced the battery to this remote door unlocker. Now I can't get into my car. Do you think they (pointing to a distant convenience store) would have a battery to fit this?'

'Hmmm, I don't know. Do you have an alarm, too?' I asked.

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'No, just this remote thingy,' she answered, handing it and the car keys to me. As I took the key and manually unlocked the door, I replied, 'Why don't you drive over there and check about the batteries. It's a long walk....'

-o-o-O-o-o-

Several years ago, we had an Intern who was none too swift. One day she was typing and turned to a secretary and said, 'I'm almost out of typing paper. What do I do?' 'Just use paper from the photocopier', the secretary told her. With that, the intern took her last remaining blank piece of paper, put it on the photocopier and proceeded to make five 'blank' copies.

-o-o-O-o-o-

A mother calls 911 very worried asking the dispatcher if she needs to take her kid to the emergency room, the kid had eaten ants. The dispatcher tells her to give the kid some Benadryl and he should be fine, the mother says, 'I just gave him some ant killer...... '

Dispatcher: 'Rush him in to emergency!'

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Help!!! ► Things that might make you say it (05)

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Brain Teaser Answer ► Which One is It?

Dezhou, China (all five vowels appear just once)

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FAIR USE NOTICE: This newsletter may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The Editor/Publisher of the Bulletin at times includes such material in an effort to advance reader’s understanding of veterans' issues. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information for educating themselves on veteran issues so they can better communicate with their legislators on issues affecting them. To obtain more information on Fair Use refer to: http: //www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this newsletter for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

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-o-o-O-o-o-

TO READ and/or DOWNLOAD THE ABOVE ARTICLES, ATTACHMENTS, OR PAST BULLETINS Online GO TO:

-- http://www.nhc-ul.com/rao.html (PDF Edition w/ATTACHMENTS) -- http://www.veteransresources.org (PDF & HTML Editions w/ATTACHMENTS) -- http://frabr245.org (PDF & HTML Editions in Word format) -- http://thearmysecurityagency.com/retiree-assistance-office.html (PDF Edition w/ATTACHMENTS) -- http://veteraninformationlinksasa.com/retiree-assistance-office.html (HTML Edition -- http://www.veteransresources.org/rao-bulletin (past Bulletins) -- http://www.nhc-ul.com/BullSentMasterIndex-150101.pdf (Index of Previous Articles as of 150101)

Notes: 1. The Bulletin will be provided as a website accessed document until further notice. This was necessitated by SPAMHAUS who alleged the Bulletin’s former size and large subscriber base were choking the airways interfering with other internet user’s capability to send email. SPAMHAUS told us to stop sending the Bulletin in its entirety to individual subscribers and to validate the subscriber base with the threat of removing all our outgoing email capability if we did not. To avoid this we have notified all subscribers of the action required to continue their subscription. This Bulletin notice was sent to the 20,148 subscribers who responded to that notice. All others are in the process of being deleted from the active mailing list.

2. Anyone who no longer wants to receive the Bulletin can use the automatic “UNSUBSCRIBE” tab at the bottom of this message or send a message to [email protected] with the word “DELETE” in the subject line.

3. Bulletin recipients with interest in the Philippines, whether or not they live there, can request to be added to the RAO's Philippine directory for receipt of notices on Clark Field Space 'A', U.S. Embassy Manila, and TRICARE in the RP.

4. New subscribers and those who submit a change of address should receive a message that verifies their addition or address change being entered in the mailing list. If you do not receive a message within 7 days it indicates that either I never received you request, I made an error in processing your request, or your server will not allow me to send to the email addee you provided. Anyone who cannot reach me by email can call (858) 432-1214 to ask questions or confirm info needed to add them to the directory.

5. If you have another email addee at work or home and would like to also receive Bulletin notices there also, just provide the appropriate email addee to [email protected].

6. Past Bulletin articles are available by title on request to [email protected]. Refer to the RAO Bulletin Index alphabetically listing of article and attachment titles previously published in the Bulletin. The Index is available at http://www.nhc-ul.com/BullSentMasterIndex-150101.pdf. Bear in mind that the articles listed on this index were valid at the time they were written and may have since been updated or become outdated.

7. The Bulletin is normally published on the 1st and 15th of each month. To aid in continued receipt of Bulletin availability notices, recommend enter the email addee [email protected] into your address book. If you do not receive a Bulletin check either http://www.nhc-ul.com/rao.html (PDF Edition), http://www.veteransresources.org (PDF & HTML Editions), http://veteraninformationlinksasa.com/retiree-assistance-office.html (HTML Edition), or http://frabr245.org (PDF & HTML Editions) before sending me an email asking if one was published. If you can access the Bulletin at any of the aforementioned sites it indicates that something is preventing you from receiving my email. Either your server considers it to be spam or I have somehow incorrectly entered or removed your addee from

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the mailing list. Send me an email so I can verify your entry on the validated mailing list. If you are unable to access the Bulletin at any of these sites let me know.

8. Articles within the Bulletin are editorialized information obtained from over 100 sources. Provided at the end of each article is the primary source from which it was obtained. The ++ indicates that that the information was reformatted from the original source and/or editorialized from more than one source. Because of the number of articles contained in each Bulletin there is no why that I can attest to their validity other than they have all been taken from previously reliable sources. My staff consist of only one person (myself) and it is a 7/10-12 endeavor to prepare and publish. Readers who question the validity of content are encouraged to go to the source provided to have their questions answered. I am always open to comments but, as a policy, shy away from anything political. Too controversial and time consuming.

== To subscribe first add the RAO email addee [email protected] to your address book and/or white list. Then send to this addee your full name plus either the post/branch/chapter number of the fraternal military/government organization you are currently affiliated with (if any) “AND/OR” the city and state/country you reside in so your addee can be properly positioned in the directory for future recovery. Subscription is open at no cost to all veterans, dependents, military/veteran support organizations, and media. == To change your email addee or Unsubscribe from Bulletin distribution click the “Change address / Leave mailing list” tab at the bottom of the Bulletin availability notice that advised you when the current Bulletin was available. == To manually submit a change of email addee provide your old and new email addee plus full name.

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RAO Bulletin Editor/Publisher: Lt. James (EMO) Tichacek, USN (Ret) Tel: (858) 432-1246 Email: [email protected] Bulletin Web Access: http://www.nhc-ul.com/rao.html, http://www.veteransresources.org, http://frabr245.org, and http://veteraninformationlinksasa.com/retiree-assistance-office.html

RAO Baguio Director: SMSgt Leonard (Len) D. Harvey, USAF (Ret) PSC 517 Box 4036, FPO AP 96517-1000, Tel: 63-74-442-3468; Email: [email protected]

RAO Baguio Office: Red Lion Inn, 35 Leonard Wood Road, Baguio City, 2600 Philippines FPO Mail Pickup: TUE & THUR 09-1100 --- Outgoing Mail Closeout: THUR 1100

Warning: DELETE the end-paragraph of the Bulletin before you forward it to others. The end-paragraph following this warning is required by law and offers the recipient an opportunity to “UNSUBSCRIBE”, if they choose to. However, the “unsubscribe” link contains your email address and whoever receives your re-distribution has the opportunity, whether purposely or inadvertently, to terminate your future receipt of Bulletin messages.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

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