RAO BULLETIN 1 August 2018 PDF Edition THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES Pg Article Subject . * DOD * . 04 == MAVNI Program [08] ----- (Pentagon | Some Enlistees Falsified Records) 05 == USSF ---- (New Military Branch Proposal) 06 == Deep Fake Technology ---- (Could Be Used To Blackmail US Troops) 08 == DoD Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 JUL 2018) 08 == Transgender Lawsuits [08] ---- (Appeals Court Upholds Previous Ban Ruling) 09 == USMC Wilson Sexual Abuse Lawsuit ---- ($25 Million Tort Claim Filed) 10 == GI Bill [257] ---- (More Clarification on New Transfer Cap) 11 == GI Bill [258] ---- (Forever Bill Benefits Launch 1 AUG) 12 == GI Bill [259] ---- (Lawmakers Opposed to New DoD Transfer Cap) 13 == NDAA 2019 [09] ---- (Whale Issue Could Threaten Bill Passage) 13 == NDAA 2019 [10] ---- (Pentagon Reverses Position on Bird Impact) 14 == NDAA 2019 [11] ---- (Cyber Warfare Provisions) 15 == NDAA 2019 [12] ---- (TRICARE Fee Increases & Arlington National Cemetery) 17 == POW/MIA [109] ---- (Military Talks with North Korean Representatives Resume) 17 == POW/MIA [110] ---- (55 MIA’s En Route from North Korea) 19 == POW/MIA Recoveries ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 JUL 2018 | Seventeen) . * VA * . 22 == VA Secretary [82] ---- (Senate Approves Robert Wilkie 86 to 9) 1 23 == White House VA Hotline [02] ---- (No. 6 in Trump’s 10-Point Plan) 26 == VA Suicide Prevention [48] ---- (Employee Shortages & Opioid Surpluses Impact) 26 == VA Unions [02] ---- (New Work Hours Guidelines | EO 13837) 27 == VA Crisis Hotline [36] ---- (New Smartphone Voice Command Access) 28 == VA Cancer Treatment [58] ---- (Precision Oncology Program) 28 == VA Medical Examinations ---- (IG | Re-examination Unnecessary in 37% of Benefit Cases) 29 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 JUL 2018) 30 == VAMC Omaha NE [04] ---- (Robots Now Assisting Staff) 31 == VAMC Phoenix AZ [02] ---- (Improving User’s Experiences) 32 == VAMC Cincinnati OH [09] ---- (Another Investigation) 33 == VAMC Aurora CO [23] ---- (Finished Five Years behind Schedule) 34 == VAMC Tampa FL [09] ---- (Radiology Exam Cover-up Alleged) . * VETS * . 35 == Vet Jobs [236] ---- (American Corporate Partners Program) 36 == Vet Educational Assistance [02] ---- (Defrauded Student Loan Forgiveness Rules) 37 == Trump VFW National Convention Comments ---- (Pledge to Vets) 39 == VA Medical Marijuana [47] ---- (A Disconnect In Care) 41 == USCG Forced Retirement Lawsuit ---- (400 Denied Due Process) 41 == Vet Mental Health [01] ---- (Common Medical Diagnosis upon Separation) 42 == Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial ---- (Vandalizer Caught) 44 == Vet Death Preps ---- (What to Do Before a Veteran Dies 44 == Vet Death Preps (01) ---- (What DoD Will Provide Upon Death) 47 == Vet Charity Watch [65] ---- (FTC Crackdown on Fraudulent Vet Charities) 49== Burn Pit Toxic Exposure [56] ---- (Time Is Running Out) 49 == Obit: Adrian Cronauer ---- (18 JUL 2018 | Gooood Morning Vietnam) 50 == Obit: Elbert Howard ---- (23 JUL 2018 | Black Panther Party Co-Founder) 51 == Obit: Alene B. Duerk ---- (23 JUL 2018 | Navy’s First Female Admiral) 52 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled As of 31 JUL 2018) 53 == Military Retirees & Veterans Events Schedule ---- (As of 31 JUL 2018) 53 == Vet State Benefits ---- (Alabama JUL 2018) . * VET LEGISLATION * . 54 == VA Blue Water Claims [47] ---- (S.422 | Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017) 54 == Gold Star Spouse ---- (H.R. 5882 | Spouses Leasing Relief Act) 55 == Transition Assistance Program [07] ---- (H.R.5649 Forwarded to Senate) 56 == House Vet Bill Progress ---- (16 thru 31 JUL 2018) . * MILITARY* . 58 == Navy Destroyers ---- (Maxed Out | Navy Looks to New Hulls & Power for Radars/Lasers) 59 == Military Sexual Assault [05] ---- (Pentagon Delays New Report Release) 59 == Operation Yellow Ribbon ---- (USPS Change Impact on Troop Care Package Shipments) 60 == SIAS ---- (In AI, if You’re Not First, You’re Last) 61 == USS Bremerton (SSN-698) [01] ---- (Longest-Serving Submarine in Navy History) 62 == USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) [17] ---- (Lt. Natalie Demitri Combs Arraigned) 64 == Weapon Shortage ---- (Sonobuoys & Development of HCSW) 64 == Air Force Dress Standards ---- (Changes | Hair, Hair Accessories, Earrings & OCP) 2 65 == Navy Beards ---- (If Women’s Hair Standards Can Change, Why Can’t Men’s) 66 == Military Behavioral Trends ---- (Binge Drinking & Smoking) 67 == Air Force One [06] ---- (Making It Great Again) 68 == America’s Aging Nuclear Missile Subs ---- (Inside USS Tennessee SSBN-734) 68 == Military Retirement System [30] ---- (BRS Opt-Ins to Date) 69 == USCG Icebreakers [05] ---- (New Icebreaker Funding Excluded From HSAA Draft) 70 == Cold Weather Boots ---- (New Rubber Compound Allows Troop Ice Climbing) 71 == Drone Killer ---- (New 7 Pound w/Battery Shoulder-Fired Weapon) 72 == Army Goggles ---- (New Enhanced Night Vision Goggles-Binocular) 73 == Warships That Will Change the Future ---- (USNS Spearhead) . * MILITARY HISTORY * . 74 == WWI Memorial [11] ---- (Cleared Major Hurdle 19 JUL) 75 == Battle of Gettysburg [01] ---- (Six Lessons Learned) 77 == Battle of Bunker Hill ---- (10 Things You May Not Know) 79 == Military History ---- (A Beauty for Bravo Company | Vietnam) 79 == Vietnam Vets [32] ---- (Bennie Adkins | A Tiger Among Us Author) 81 == WWII Vets 169 ---- (John Basilone | Guadalcanal Legend) 82 == WWII Vets 170 ---- (Jerome Yellin | Last Fighter Pilot of WWII) 84 == WWII Vets 171 ---- (Anne Butler | Former WAC Turns 100) 85 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (01 thru 15 AUG) 86 == WWII Bomber Nose Art ---- (11) Nine-O-Nine) 86 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (Kenneth E. Gruennert | WWII) . * HEALTH CARE * . 88 == Prescription Drug Valsartan ---- (FDA Warning | Voluntary Recall 89 == Physical Exams ---- (When Was Your Last Annual?) 90 == High Blood Pressure ---- (The Silent Killer) 94 == Agent Orange Diseases [05] ---- (Ischemic Heart Disease) 94 == TRICARE Dental Program [17] ---- (TRDP Ends Dec. 31, 2018) 96 == Diets ---- (Fad Ones to Avoid) 96 == Insect Bites ---- (Don’t Get Bitten) 97 == Bunions ---- (Cause, Prevention, & Treatment) 99 == TRICARE Podcast 459 ---- (FEDVIP - Managing Insomnia) 99 == TRICARE Podcast 460 ---- (Overseas Providers - TYA – Other TRICARE Resources) . * FINANCES * . 101 == Retirement Tax Credit ---- (IRS | 75% of Those Eligible Fail To Claim It) 101 == VA Home Loan [65] ---- (What It Can Be Used For) 103 == Social Security Statement ---- (New Access Policy) 104 == Car Insurance [18] ---- (If a Report on You Contains Errors, it Can Cost You) 105 == Disability Insurance [01] ---- (Should You Get It) 106 == Air Conditioning ---- (Build a DIY For Less Than $10) 107 == Money Flipping Scam [02] ---- (Fulfilling Get-Rich-Quick Dream) 108 == Tax Burden for Idaho Retired Vets ---- (As of JUL 2018) 3 . * GENERAL INTEREST * . 110 == Notes of Interest ---- (16 thru 31 JUL 2018) 111 == Jane Fonda [01] ---- (Regret Expressed for Controversial North Korea 1972 Visit) 112 == Cyber Defense [01] ---- (Russia’s 2017 U.S. Hack Evaluated as Reconnaissance) 112 == Home Security [01] ---- (More Tips) 113 == Airport Security [05] ---- (Beware of the Wi-Fi | Not Secure) 114 == DARPA [05] ---- (SHRIMP Program to Leapfrog Micro-Robot Technology) 115 == U.S. Weapons Sales ---- (Exceeded 2017 Total Sales in First Half of 2018) 116 == Afghan Taliban ---- (Trump Tactical Shift | U.S. Open to Direct Talks) 117 == Trump-Putin Summit [01] ---- (What Russians Thought Of It) 118 == Trump-Putin Summit [02] ---- (Trump Admission of Error) 119 == Drain Deodorizing ---- (Eliminating Smelly Kitchen and Bathroom Odors) 121 == Philippine Armaments [01] ---- (Russian Grenade Launcher Deal Impact) 122 == Quotations ---- (Military) 123 == Retirement Humor ---- (See You at Walmart) 124 == Senior Citizens ---- (Do You Qualify?) 125 == Have You Heard? ---- (Poker Rules | Lexophile | God's Plan for Aging) 127 == One Word Essays ---- (Longevity) 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 – Alabama Vet State Benefits JUL 2018 Attachment – Military History Anniversaries 01 thru 15 AUG Attachment – A Beauty for Bravo Company Attachment – Inside America’s Aging Nuclear Missile Subs * DoD * MAVNI Program Update 08 ► Pentagon | Some Enlistees Falsified Records The Pentagon pushed back against criticism that it was weeding out foreign-born troops 17 JUL and released court filings to show some international recruits in the program that granted citizenship through military service had falsified their background records and were connected to state-sponsored intelligence agencies, which led DoD to believe the program was vulnerable to insider threat. The filings, from Tiwari v. Mattis, “provide context for you regarding the true national security issues at stake,” said Pentagon spokeswoman Air Force Maj. Carla Gleason. The U.S. District Court Western District of Washington is considering the lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of 17 4 foreign-born military recruits who enlisted through the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest program but have not been able to clear additional security requirements the military put in place in 2016 and 2017. The program has been suspended since 2016 and about 1,000 recruits remain in limbo, unable to enter basic training and at risk of timing