RAO BULLETIN 15 November 2018 PDF Edition THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES Pg Article Subject . * DOD * . 04 == DoD Budget 2020 [01] ---- (Potential 5% Cut Impact on Active Duty/Retirees) 05 == DoD Nuclear Mission [02] ---- (New Warhead’s Projected Cost & Availability) 07 == DoD Audits [02] ---- (Audit Results of $2.4 Trillion in Assets Due 15 NOV) 08 == DoD/VA CWA Planning Effort ---- (Chemical Warfare Agent Exposure) 09 == DoD Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ---- (Reported 01 thru 15 NOV 2018) 09 == POW/MIA Recoveries & Burials ---- (Reported 01 thru 15 NOV 2018 | Nineteen) 12 == Washington DC’s Lesser Known Memorials ---- (Worth Visiting) . * VA * . 14 == VA Lawsuit | Unpaid ER Bills ---- (Loophole Allowing VA Not to Pay Insurance Copay) 16 == VA Lawsuit | Aaron Merritt ---- ($2.5M Settlement in Wrongful Death Claim) 18 == VA Research [03] ---- (Medical Experiment Dog Use Will Continue) 18 == VA Medical Marijuana [53] ---- (Wilke Opposed Until Federal Law Changes) 19 == VA Budget FY 2020 ---- (Veterans Affairs Secretary Anticipates Congress Will Increase) 19 == VA Website [04] ---- (Reformatted Under Digital Modernization Effort) 1 20 == VA Unions [03] ---- (Contract Repudiation | Employees to Return to Medical Duties) 20 == VA Unions [04] ---- (Plan to Fight the VA Official Time Move in Court) 21 == VA AI ---- (Reducing Patient Wait Time Utilizing Arterial Intelligence) 22 == VA Claim Filing [11] ---- (Suggestions for A Successful Outcome) 24 == Depleted Uranium ---- (VA DU Follow-up Program) 25 == VA Disability System [01] ---- (Circumstantial Presumed Service-Connected Disabilities) 26 == VA Life Insurance (S-DVI) [04] ---- (Eligibility & Application) 27 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ---- (Reported 01 thru 15 NOV 2018) 28 == VAMC Oklahoma City [04] ---- (Surgeon Shortage) . * VETS * . 29 == Homeless Vets [90] ---- (5.4% Decrease in 2018 & Nearly 50% since 2010) 30 == Vet Lawsuits | Richard Stayskal ---- ($10M Army Gross Medical Malpractice) 32 == Veterans in Congress [09] ---- (Initial Mid-Term Election Results) 32 == Vet Jobs [239] ---- (Google to Have 21,000 Military Hires by 2021) 33 == Soldiers Memorial St. Louis MO [02] ---- (Renovation Complete) 34 == National Veterans Memorial and Museum ---- (Now Open) 35 == Bladensburg WWI Vet Memorial [06] ---- (Supreme Court Will Hear Case) 36 == Vet Legal Assistance [02] ---- (Improved Access to Free Services) 37 == Veterans Month ---- (NOV Designated National Veterans and Military Families Month) 38 == Veterans Day Tribute [01] ---- (Taps & The Last Post Events) 38 == Vet Unemployment [17] ---- (Fell from 3.4 to 2.9 Percent in OCT) 38 == Vietnam Vets [32] ---- (R. Lee Ermey) 39 == Stolen Valor [112] ---- (Actor Cut Off Own Arm to Get Roles) 40 == Obit: Stan Lee ---- (12 NOV 2018 | Marvel Superheroes Creator) 42 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled As of 15 NOV 2018 43 == Military Retirees & Veterans Events Schedule ---- (As of 15 NOV 2018) 43 == State Veteran's Benefits ---- (Delaware 2018) . * VET LEGISLATION * . 44 == None. Congress in Recess . * MILITARY* .0 44 == Camouflage Netting ---- (USMC Protection from Robotic Eyes) 45 == Camouflage Netting [01] ---- (U.S. Army ULCANS) 46 == Navy Recruiting ---- (Challenges on The Horizon | War For Talent) 48 == USMC Recruitment [03] ---- (Corps Is Finding New Marines Despite Challenges) 50 == Seagoing Drones ---- (China’s Liaowangzhe-2 Roboboat Fires Up to 4 Guided Missiles) 51 == Combat Drones ---- (America Seems to Have Squandered A 10-Year Head Start) 53 == Base Housing ---- (Tenants Living At Whims of Private Landlords) 53 == DARPA [06] ---- (ALIAS Robot Copilot) 55 == Air Force BMT ---- (Changed to Increase Readiness and Lethality) 56 == Robot Mule ---- (USMC Adds to Xmas List) 57 == USCG Icebreakers [06] ---- (Polar Security Cutter Funding Needed) 58 == Diver Propulsion Device (DPD) ---- (USMC Wants A Faster, More Stable Model) 59 == Aircraft Carriers ---- (Huge, Hulking Targets | Can They Remain Viable?) 2 61 == Navy Terminology, Jargon & Slang ---- (1MC thru Adrift) 63 == Warships That Will Change the Future ---- (Russian Corvette Boikiy) . * MILITARY HISTORY * . 64 == Arizona Memorial [10] ---- (Repairs Won’t Be Finished Until March) 64 == WWI Animal Participation ---- (Beasts of Burden and Their Fate) 66 == Civil War Burials ---- (Whitfield Evans | No Veteran Ever Dies) 68 == WWI U.S. Clout ---- (Kept Increasing Right up to Armistice Day) 69 == WWI Last Hours ---- (10,900 on 11 NOV | A Terrible Toll) 71 == WWI Poem ---- (In Flanders Fields) 71 == WWI Military Technology ---- (How Prepared Was the U.S?) 73 == Killing Admiral Yamamoto ---- (WWII Operation Vengeance) 74 == Mussolini’s Rescue ---- (Credited to Otto Skorzeny) 77 == Fractured Jaw ---- (How Close Did the U.S. Get to Using Nuclear Weapons in 1968) 77 == Every Picture Tells A Story ---- (Engulfed in Ash) 78 == Post WWII Photos ---- (Brandenburg Gate) 78 == WWII Bomber Nose Art [18] ---- (Sugar's Blues) 79 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (16 thru 30 NOV) 79 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (William David Halyburton | WWII) . * HEALTH CARE * . 81 == Medication Obtainment [01] ---- (Abandoned Prescriptions | Too Expensive) 81 == Shingles [10] ---- (Dealing With the Vaccine Shortage) 82 == Medicare Part B Premiums [06] ---- (2019 Increase Impact on Benefits) 83 == Medicare Part D [36] ---- (Doughnut Hole Gap in 2019) 84 == Surprise Medical Bills ---- (Proposed Legislation) 84 == TRICARE Open Season [01] ---- (Q & A) 85 == Gulf War Syndrome [45] ---- (New Device Improves Balance) 86 == Pharmacy Rankings ---- (Those that Provide the Best Customer Service) 87 == End of Life Care ---- (Options | Palliative or Hospice) 89 == FEDVIP [01] ---- (Retiree Dental Care | Is A Train Wreck on the Way?) 90 == Diabetes [15] ---- (Gestational) 91 == TRICARE Podcast 474 ---- (Healthy Dental Habits – TRICARE/Federal Benefits Open Season) 92 == TRICARE Podcast 475 ---- (Federal Benefits/TRICARE Open Season Q&A) . * FINANCES * . 94 == Car Buying [01] ---- (Websites You Should Check Before Buying Any Car) 95 == Ticket Fees ---- (Tired of Being Ripped Off – Take Action) 96 == Home Upgrades ---- (What They Really Cost) 97 == Social Security Q & A ---- (181101 thru 181115 | File and Suspend) 98 == Home Prices [01] ----- (Average Cost in U.S. Metro Cities) 99 == Life Insurance [03] ---- (You Can Sell Your Policy If You Don’t Need It Anymore) 99 == Thrift Savings Plan 2018 [02] ---- (TSP Tumbled in October) 100 == Homeowners Insurance [04] ---- (Get It right) 100 == Personal Budget ---- (Steps to Get Back On Track) 101 == Cruise Scam ---- (How it Works) 102 == Fake Invoice Scam ---- (Don’t Pay Them) 3 103 == Insurance Scams ---- (Fake Florida Blue Agents) 103 == Tax Burden for Michigan Retired Vets ---- (As of NOV 2018) . * GENERAL INTEREST * . 105 == Notes of Interest ---- (01 thru 15 NOV 2018) 106 == Traffic Tickets ---- (How to Minimize or Eliminate Them) 107 == Afghan Failures [04] ---- (Afghans Place Blame on Americans) 109 == NATO Defense Spending [03] ----- (Only 5 Countries Have Met 2% GDP Payments) 110 == U.S. China Military Tensions [01] ---- (U.S. Will Not Stop Transiting Disputed Reefs) 111 == Vietnam Security Alert ---- (Travelers Heads Up) 111 == Vietnam Agent Orange ---- (Danang Airport Cleanup Completed) 112 == Iran U.S. Sanctions [01] ---- (Resumption Reaction | War Situation Declared) 113 == Superaged States ---- (None Yet But There Will Be 17 in 10 Years) 114 == U.S. Citizenship Birthright ---- (Should This 14th Amendment Right Be Ended?) 116 == Household Item Longevity [01] ---- (8 Items That Go Bad or Become Dangerous) 118 == One Word Essays ---- (Curiosity) 119 == Interesting Ideas ---- (Homemade Lawn Sprinkler) 119 == Have You Heard? ---- (Serenity | Firearm | Is Sex Work?) 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 – Delaware Vet State Benefits Attachment – Military History Anniversaries 16 thru 30 NOV Attachment – Fractured Jaw | Plan for Tactical Nuclear Weapons Use in Vietnam * DoD * DoD Budget 2020 Update 01 ► Potential 5% Cut Impact on Active Duty/Retirees President Trump's recent call for a 5 percent cut across every federal department includes the Defense Department, Defense News confirmed in a 27 OCT report. What does all of this mean for servicemembers and retirees? Potential reductions could mean: A military pay raise for fiscal year 2020 that is below the Employment Cost Index (ECI) 4 Another possible push to reduce the calculation for Basic Allowance for Housing (especially with regard to dual military couples) And increases in TRICARE fees for beneficiaries. Defense News reports the new topline defense budget will be $700 billion, not the $733 billion that the Pentagon had been planning for most of the past year. The new topline number is down from the $716 billion approved in the FY2019 defense budget. Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan on 26 OCT indicated that this will not be a one year blip, but rather part of a flattening of budgets. At the Military Reporters and Editors News Conference, Shanahan said, “When you look at the $700 billion, it's not just for one year drop down, [or] a phase, it's a drop and then held constant over the future years defense program, a five year projection included in every budget.” Congress will have the final word in the outcome