RAO BULLETIN 1 June 2018 PDF Edition THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES Pg Article Subject . * DOD * . 05 == DoD Recruitment Concerns [01] ---- (Loan Forgiveness Bill HR.4508) 06 == China Territorial Claims [05] ---- (US Navy Conducts FONOPS Again) 07 == NDAA 2019 [01] ---- (2.6% Pay Raise) 07 == NDAA 2019 [02] ---- (White House Objects to 37 Provisions) 08 == NDAA 2019 [03] ---- (Progress | House Bill Passed) 08 == Munitions Availability ---- (Could Become A Problem) 10 == DoD Tuition Assistance [08] ---- (New Navy Tuition Assistance Rules) 10 == Pentagon Cellphones ---- (Use Policy Clarified | Will Not be Banned) 11 == Army Re-up Bonuses ---- (Updated List) 12 == Camp Humphreys Base Relocation ---- (Civilians PCSing Face Bigger Tax Bills) 13 == Burn Pit Toxic Exposure [49] ---- (Is It Now Becoming an Afterthought?) 14 == Commissary Employees [02] ---- (Granted Shopping Privileges) 14 == DoD Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 MAY 2018) 15 == POW/MIA [101] ---- (Tom Kelly’s WWII Plane Found) 17 == POW/MIA [102] ---- (Robert Anspach Will Forever Be 33) 18 == POW/MIA Recoveries ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 MAY 2018 | Nineteen) . * VA * . 21 == VA Disabled Vet IG Project ---- ($12 Million ‘Colossal Mistake’ Enrages Lawmakers) 22 == VA Secretary [79] ---- (Trump Appoints Peter O’Rourke on A Temporary Basis) 1 23 == VA Medical Foster Home [02] ---- (Another Choice for Older Disabled Vets) 25 == VA Toxin Claims ---- (Children & Grandchildren | Thousands Missing) 26 == VA TeleStroke Program ---- (What It Can Do for You) 27 == VA Mesothelioma Claims ---- (Asbestos Related Illness Coverage for Vets & Survivors) 28 == VA Pain Management [10] ---- (Alternative Forms of Therapy Available) 29 == Emergency Medical Bill Claims [03] ---- (Regulations Revised) 29 == Emergency Medical Bill Claims [04] ---- (Actions to Take After Receiving Care) 30 == VA R&D Program ---- (Congress Told DARPA-Like Program Needed) 31 == VA Claims Backlog [158] ---- (Barry Mensch | One of 471,000 Appeals) 32 == VA Leadership [01] ---- (50 Days without A Secretary | Long Term Direction Unknown) 33 == VA Secretary [78] ---- (Trump Nominating Robert Wilkie to Lead VA) 34 == VA Heart Care [03] ---- (Cardiovascular Disease Death Rates) 34 == VA Caregiver Support ---- (CaringBridge Partnership & Caregiver Support Line) 35 == VA Prostate Cancer Program [14] ---- (Non-Aggressive Cancer Treatment Progress) 37 == VA EHR [13] ---- (Records Overhaul Remain in Jeopardy after Department Shakeup) 37 == VA EHR [14] ---- (10-Year, $10 Billion Signed With Cerner Corp.) 38 == VA RAMP [02] ---- (Program Opt In Vice Invitation Only Now Allowed) 39 == VA ID Card [17] ---- (New Cards Paid for With Home Depot Logo) 39 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 MAY 2018) . * VETS * . 40 == Folds of Honor Scholarships [01] ---- (Free College for Some Vet Families) 40 == Vet Public Leadership ---- (New Political Office MA Degree Program) 41 == Vet Fraud Attempts [01] ---- (Anchorage AK | Christopher James DeMure) 41 == Vet Jobs [232] ---- (Employer Discrimination Warning | Less-Than-Honorable Discharge) 42 == Vet Jobs [233] ---- (Truck Driver | Downside) 43 == Six Flags ---- (Handicap Policy Impacts Some Vet Access) 44 == Vet Cemetery Colorado [06] ---- (Pikes Peak National Cemetery) 45 == Vet Student Loans [03] ---- (How Veterans Get Loans without Knowing It) 47 == Predatory Colleges ---- (Freed to Fleece Vet Students) 47 == U.S. Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims ---- (Overview) 49 == Vet Fraud & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 MAY 2017) 49 == National Economy Vet Impact ---- (Current Uptick Not Good for All) 50 == Pin Ups for Vets ---- (USS Midway Photo Shoot for 2019 Calendar) 51 == Vietnam Vets [29] ---- (Jim Pawlukiewicz | Denied Citizenship for 50 Years) 52 == Vietnam Vets [30] ---- (Joe Rosa | Drafted At 17) 53 == Vietnam Vets [31] ---- (Raymond Kelley | Awarded Silver Star) 54 == Military Retirees & Veterans Events Schedule ---- (As of 31 MAY 2018) 54 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled As of 31 MAY 2018) 55 == Vet State Benefits & Discounts ---- (Vermont May 2018) . * VET LEGISLATION* . 55 == Vet Legislative Wins 2018 ---- (17 Bills Passed Before Memorial Day) 57 == VA Mission Act [01] ---- (H.R.5674 Passes House & Senate) 58 == CA VET Legislation [10] ---- (AB 1275 Tax Bill Dies in Committee) . * MILITARY* . 2 59 == Army Handgun [03] ---- (Surplus M1911 .45 Caliber Pistols Availability) 60 == USAF Pilot Shortage [03] ---- (Up To 1000 Retirees Could Be Recalled) 61 == USS Manchester (LCS-14) ---- (Commissioned 26 MAY) 62 == Afghanistan Failures [01] ---- (Trump Revamped Strategy Has Made Little Progress) 63 == BAH [04] ---- (With Dependents Rate DA form 5960 Due NLT 5 JUN) 63 == USS Gerald A. Ford [10] ---- (Forced Back into Port for Adjustments) 65 == USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) [13] ---- (Preliminary Hearing Revelations) 66 == USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) [14] -- (CO’s Attorneys Torch Navy Brass for Case Handling) 68 == USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) [06] ---- (Travel Pay Denied for Fallen Sailors’ Families) 68 == USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) [07] ---- (CO’s Negligent Homicide Charges Dropped) 71 == USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) [08] ---- (Statements of Families of the Deceased) 73 == USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118) [01] ---- (One Year behind Schedule) 74 == Military Domestic Violence ---- (UCMJ Inclusion Added to 2019 NDAA) 74 == Army Reservists BAH Lawsuit ---- (Wrongly Denied BAH Payments) 76 == Warships That Will Change the Future ---- (FS Forbin (D620) . * MILITARY HISTORY* . 77 == National WWII Museum [02] ---- (Bob Hope Exhibit Opened 25 MAY) 78 == Arizona Memorial [09] ---- (Closed Indefinitely) 78 == Russia's Japanese Islands Invasion ---- (The Ongoing Dispute after 70 Years) 78 == Le Paradis Massacre ---- (WWII Machine-Gunning of 97 British Troops) 81 == Hello Girls ---- (Telephone Operators in France during WWI) 83 == Franklin’s Great Escape ---- (Union Major General Outwits Confederate Captors) 85 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (01 thru 15 JUN) 85 == WWII Bomber Nose Art [07] ---- (Shady Lady) 85 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (Donald J. Gott | WWII) . * HEALTH CARE* . 87 == Collagen Crosslinking ---- (Keratoconus & Corneal Ectasia Corrective Eye Surgery) 87 == TMOP [25] ---- (Ordering & Refilling Prescriptions | FAQ) 89 == Hand Dryers ---- (The Hidden Dangers of Using Hot-Air Dryers) 90 == Prescription Drug Costs [02] ---- (Suppliers Are Hiding Their Profit) 92 == Prescription Drug Costs [03] ---- (What You Can Do) 93 == Medicare Physicals [01] ---- (Preventive Visit & Yearly Wellness Exams) 94 == Alzheimer's [17] ---- (Sixth Leading Cause of Death for Americans) 95 == TRICARE Annual Cost Increases ---- (What to Expect thru 2026) 95 == National Women’s Health Week ---- (Prioritizing Health) 96 == TRICARE Specialty Care ---- (Referral or Prior Authorization Requirement) 97 == TRICARE West [03] ---- (In Case You Missed It) 98 == TRICARE Reserve Select [15] ---- (H.R.5121 Provisions withdrawn From 2019 NDAA) 98 == TRICARE Podcast 450 ---- (Women's Health Week - Air Evacs - Identify Theft & Fraud) 99 == TRICARE Podcast 451 ---- (Annual Increases | Drug Take Back | Summer Food Safety) . * FINANCES * . 100 == Military Retirement Pay Taxation [01] ---- (California Study to Reduce/Eliminate) 101 == VA Loans ---- (Rehabilitation) 101 == IRAs | Spouse ---- (Allowed With Little to No Income) 3 102 == Credit Card Benefits ----- (10 You May Have Forgotten) 103 == Medical Debt --- (How to Get Help) 104 == VA Home Loan Update 64 ---- (Leniency Sought For Delinquent HI & NC Loans 104 == SSA Death Month Check ---- (Must be returned) 105 == Widow(er)’s SSA Benefits [03] ---- (9,224 Widows & Widowers Age 70+ Underpaid) 106 == Navy Reenlistment Bonuses ---- (More Sailors Eligible for Re-Up Bucks) 106 == Gasoline Savings [05] ---- (Cars That Get More Than 50 Miles per Gallon) 107 == Chinese Consulate Robocall Scam ---- (Targeting Speakers of Mandarin) 108 == Phony Loan Scam ---- (Emails Offer Easy Money) 108 == Tax Burden for Florida Retired Vets ---- (As of May 2018) . * GENERAL INTEREST * . 109 == Notes of Interest ---- (16 thru 31 MAY 2018) 111 == Pillows ---- (What To Shop For) 112 == Civil Service [01] --- (3 Trump Executive Orders to Save Taxpayers over $100M) 113 == Civil Service [02] ---- (Trump Executive Order on Firing) 114 == Memorial Day Remembrance [06] ---- (Afghan KIA Mother’s Plans) 116 == Afghanistan Extremism ---- (Western Consumers Fund by Buying Talcum Powder) 117 == National Anthem [09] ---- (NFL New Policy on Taking A Knee) 118 == Homeland Security Drone Concerns ---- (Preventing Emerging Threats Act of 2018) 119 == Social Security Number --- (Government Should Stop Pretending Yours is Secret) 120 == U.S. Treaty Capricity ---- (U.S. Has Always Broken Its Treaties, Pacts & Promises) 121 == Tickets for Troops ---- (Washington Nationals) 122 == RP~China Dispute [24] ---- (Long-Range Bombers Landed for the First Time) 123 == Sleep [08] ---- (7 More Tips for Improving) 124 == Where There's a Will, There's a Way ---- (17) 124 == Merchant Marine Fleet ---- (U.S. Decline a Matter of National Security) 127 == Have You Heard? ---- (Leo and Frank | Lessons) 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 – Vermont Vet State Benefits & Discounts May 2018 Attachment - Military History