RAO BULLETIN 1 February 2020
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RAO BULLETIN 1 February 2020 PDF Edition THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES Pg Article Subject . * DOD * . 04 == DoD Casualty Reporting [01] ---- (Administrative & Medical Reporting Systems Sometime Differ) 05 == DoD Lawsuit | Board of Corrections ---- (Failure to Make Decisions within Prescribed Timelines) 06 == DoD Lawsuit | Bad Paper Discharges [03] ---- (Pentagon Reverse Policy on Publishing Decisions) 07 == Afghan War [04] ---- (Military Leaders have Incentive to Lie on Progress) 08 == DOD Africa Ops ---- (France Wants U.S. to Continue Presence) 09 == Trump Border Wall [04] ---- ($7.2B More from Military Funds to Build Wall) 10 == DOD Audits [05] ---- (Accounting Adjustments totaled $35T in 2019) 11 == Commissary Authorized Users [01] ---- (New Eligibles Experiencing Some System Hiccups) 11 == DoD DNA Policy [01] ---- (Navy Warns Mail-In DNA Kits Could Bring 'Unwelcome' Family News) 12 == POW/MIA Recoveries & Burials ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 JAN 2020 | Eleven) . * VA * . 14 == Agent Orange Exposure Locations [01] ---- (Herbicide Tests & Storage Outside the U.S.) 16 == Agent Orange Exposure Locations [02] ---- (New DoD List Omits 40+ Locations Previously Noted) 17 == VA Appeals [37] ---- (Progress on Resolution of Legacy Appeals) 18 == VA Appeals [38] ---- (Choice, Control, Clarity: Appeals Modernization) 18 == Emergency Medical Bill Claims [07] ---- (CAVC Rejects VA’s Stay Motion on Reimbursements) 20 == PTSD Treatment | Ecstasy [03] ---- (FDA Expands Access for Therapy) 21 == Depression & Anxiety Disorders ---- (Solving Them in Veterans) 1 22 == VA Faith-Based Organization Concerns ---- (Secular Alternatives Policy) 22 == VA Suicide Prevention [62] ---- (Solid State Program Initiated) 23 == VA Medical Marijuana [66] ---- (Advocates say More Vets Could benefit from It) 24 == VA Prostate Cancer Program [17] ---- (African American vs. White Counterpart Survival Rates 25 == VA Presumptive AO Diseases [31] ---- (Veterans Affairs Leaders Disagree with Scientists’ Findings) 26 == VA Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 JAN 2020) . * VETS * . 30 == Homeless Vets [97] ---- (At 10 Year Low Despite 11,000 Unused Housing Vouchers) 31 == GI Bill [299] ---- (Students could See Changes in Housing Allowance) 32 == GI Bill [300] ---- (Student Loan Forgiveness Progress) 32 == Vet Marijuana Access ---- (The Cannabis Catch-22) 34 == Retiree Court Martialing [02] ---- (Appeal Court Rules Retirees can be Tried for Non-Active Duty Crimes) 36 == Vietnam Vets [36] ---- (Oscar Austin | Sacrificed Himself Twice for Another) 37 == WWII Vets [217] ---- (Doris Miller | Pearl Harbor Hero) 38 == Vet Prostatic Repossession ---- (VA to Provide Legs after Initial Request Rejection) 39 == Military Retirees & Veterans Events Schedule ---- (As of 14 JAN 2020) 40 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled as of 15 JAN 2020) 41 == State Veteran's Benefits ---- (South Dakota 2020) . * VET LEGISLATION * . 41 == PFAS Toxic Exposure [12] ---- (H.R.535 | PFAS Action Act of 2019) 43 == Homeless Vets [98] ---- (H.R.2398 | Veteran HOUSE Act of 2020) 43 == VA Abortion Services ---- (H.R.5568 | Reproductive Health Information for Veterans Act) 44 == VA Facility Expansion [13] ---- (S. 3089 | BUILD for Veterans Act) 45 == Korean Troop VA Care ---- (H.R. 5590: Korean American VALOR Act) 46 == VA Presumptive AO Diseases [30] ---- (H.R.5610 | Fair Care for Vietnam Veterans Act) 47 == Vet Suicide [45] ---- (H.R.0000 | Veterans ACCESS Act) 48 == Vet Dental Care [03] House ---- (Joint Resolution 80) . * MILITARY* . 49 == Navy Fleet Size [20] ---- (Fleet in Future Years is Going to Have to Change) 50 == Navy Budget Request ---- (CNO Wants More 2021 Money than Other Services) 51 == Pease ANG Base ---- (Health Study Announced Amid Concerns about Cancer) 52 == Expeditionary Sea Bases ---- (Navy Will Commission All as USS Warships) 53 == Robot Warships ---- (DARPA’s Latest Mad Science Experiment) 54 == Navy Retention [01] ---- (Ongoing Culture Shift Resulting in High Re-Up Rates) 55 == U.S. Space Force [15] ---- (New Logo & Camouflage Uniforms) 56 == U.S. Space Force [16] ---- (Stop Studying and Begin Testing Space Solutions) 57 == POW/MIA Memorial ---- (Ground Broken) 59 == Military Citizenship Opportunities ---- (Huge Drop has Lawmakers Worried) 59 == Navy Terminology, Jargon & Slang ---- (‘FOD Walkdown’ thru ‘Fun Boss’) . * MILITARY HISTORY * . 61 == Jefferson Barracks ---- (Treated More than 18,000 Sick and Wounded During Civil War) 62 == WWI London’s Zeppelin Terror ---- (German Airships Rained Bombs and Terror) 2 63 == Battle of Drewry's Bluff ---- (Confederate Forces Stop Union Push for Richmond) 64 == Battle of Trent’s Reach ---- (One of the Final Major Civil War Naval Battles) 67 == Ranger & The Drake ---- (John Paul Jones Brings the American Revolution to Britain) 68 == Invasion of Luzon ---- (U.S. Forces Begin Main Battle For Philippines) 69 == WWII Bomber Nose Art [47] ---- (Double Trouble) 71 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (01 thru 14 FEB) 72 == WWII Military Jobs ---- (10 Odd Ones) 73 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (Frank R. Fratellenico | Vietnam War) . * HEALTH CARE * . 73 == Primary Care Physicians ---- (How Many Patients Should they Care For) 74 == Novel Coronavirus ---- (No Immunization nor Specific Treatment Yet) 75 == Influenza 2019-2020 ---- (Mid-Season CDC Report) 76 == Marijuana & Heart Disease ---- (Existing Evidence is "Cause for Concern") 77 == Prescription Drug Costs [43] ---- (Pharma Industry Rare Loss in Congress Imminent) 78 == HPV (Human Papillomavirus) [01] ---- (Age to Receive Vaccine Raised to 45) 80 == Misaligned Teeth and Jaws ---- (Symptoms. Causes, and Treatment) 82 == Anxiety Disorders ---- (Genetic Links Uncovered in Veteran Study) 82 == TRICARE Podcast 537 ---- (Qualifying Life Events - Tricare Pharmacy Options) 83 == TRICARE Podcast 538 ---- (Tricare Pubs -- Marriage Qualifying Life Event -- Tobacco Cessation Benefits) . * FINANCES * . 84 == SBP DIC Offset [63] ---- (Implementation of Offset Elimination) 85 == SBP Child Option ---- (Understanding the Kiddie Tax Change Issue) 86 == IRS Tax Deductions [03] ---- (Some You May Be Tempted to Claim— but Shouldn’t) 87 == IRS Tax Forms [02] ---- (1040 | Five Change’s for Tax Year 2019) 88 == FICO Credit Score [14] ---- (New Policies Will Impact Some Consumers) 89 == Microsoft Windows 7 Scam ---- (Scammers Use Announcement to Trick Windows Users) 90 == Census Bureau Scam ---- (Beware Imposters) 91 == State Tax Burden for Wisconsin Retired Vets ---- (As of JAN 2020) . * GENERAL INTEREST * . 93 == Notes of Interest ---- (16 thru 31 January 2020) 93 == Iraq U.S. Bases ---- (Three Semi-Permanent New Sites in Development) 94 == Trump Brain Injury Comments ---- (VFW Expects Apology for Downplaying) 95 == Obsolescence [01] ---- (The Writing is On the Wall for Dozens of Things We have Grown Up With) 98 == Trump Impeachment ---- [American Public's Perspective] 100 == Republican/Democrat Logos ---- (Why an Elephant and A Donkey) 101 == Nostalgia ---- (Do You Remember 01) 101 == Have You Heard? ---- (1917 Stats | Even God Enjoys A Smile Now and Then | Military Humor 12) 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 [ ] indicatDoDe the number of articles written on the subject. To obtain previous articles send a request to [email protected]. 3. Recipients of the Bulletin are authorized and encouraged to forward the Bulletin to other vets or veteran organizations. * ATTACHMENTS * . 3 Attachment – South Dakota Vet State Benefits Attachment – Military History Anniversaries 01 thru 14 FEB (Updated) * DoD * DoD Casualty Reporting Update 01: Administrative & Medical Reporting Systems Sometime Differ Eight U.S. troops diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) arrived in the U.S. on 24 JAN, according to Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. He said those troops are among a total of 34 American servicemembers diagnosed with TBI after the al Asad airbase where they were stationed in Iraq was hit by missiles fired by Iran on 8 JAN. The attack was in reprisal for a U.S. drone strike 3 JAN that killed top Iranian general Qassed Soleimani. It was at least the third time U.S. officials have had to revise President Trump's 8 JAN claim that no Americans were injured by the Iranian missile barrage. "No Americans were harmed in last night's attack by the Iranian regime," Trump declared at the White House hours after the Iranian attack. "We suffered no casualties." On 28 Jan the Pentagon again increased this figure to 50 saying that 31 total service members were treated in Iraq and returned to duty, including 15 of the additional service members who have been diagnosed since the previous report. Hoffman said the 8 wounded American soldiers who arrived in the U.S. were part of a larger contingent of 18 troops diagnosed with TBI who were initially medically evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Those now in the U.S. will be treated on at out-patient basis either at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. or at their home bases, according to Hoffman. The 9 U.S. troops who remain in Landstuhl will continue to undergo evaluation and treatment there. One American soldier who was diagnosed with TBI after the Iranian attack and transported to Kuwait has now returned to duty in Iraq; 16 others who stayed in Iraq after being diagnosed with TBI have also returned to duty. Asked whether those soldiers will be given Purple Hearts, since TBI