RAO BULLETIN 1 July 2018 PDF Edition THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES Pg Article Subject . * DOD * . 05 == DoD Blended Retirement System [02] ---- (Projected Lump Sum Take Rates) 06 == B-52's [04] ---- (Bomb Weight Capability to be Quadrupled) 07 == DPRK Nuclear Weapons [22] ---- (Trump | Still An Extraordinary Threat) 07 == Commissary/Exchange Merger ---- (Task Force Analysis to Start in JUL) 08 == Commissary/Exchange Future [01] ---- (Authorized User Expansion) 09 == NDAA 2019 [04] ---- (Five Debates Lawmakers Still Need To Settle) 10 == NDAA 2019 [05] ---- (Senate Version Passes 85-10) 11 == Transgender Lawsuits [07] ---- (Judge Again Blocks Ban From Taking Effect) 12 == Federal Retirement Planning ---- (Knowledge Test | True or False) 13 == DoD Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ---- (Reported 15 thru 30 JUN 2018) 14 == POW/MIA [104] ---- (MIA Mission Included in US-North Korea Summit) 15 == POW/MIA [105] ---- (Army Maj. Stephen T. Uurtamo Laid to Rest) 16 == POW/MIA [106] ---- (Pilot Missing Since 1944 Laid to Rest) 17 == POW/MIA [107] ---- (Preps to Receive Up to 200 Remains from DPRK) 18 == POW/MIA Recoveries ---- (Reported 16 thru 30 JUN 2018 | 26) 1 . * VA * . 22 == VA Hospital Staff Shortages [01] ---- (IG Identifies 140 Hospitals) 22 == VA Protest ---- (Vet Sets Self on Fire Outside GA Capitol Building) 22 == HUD-VASH [08] ---- (Critical Resource For Ending Vet Homelessness) 24 == VA Appointments [19] ---- (Epic’s Scheduling System Early Results Promising) 24 == VA Budget 2019 [01] ---- (Senate Passes 86-5 | Goes to Conference Committee) 25 == VA Cancer Policy [03] ---- (Agent Orange Related List | Bladder?) 26 == VA Mission Act [03] ---- (Signed But Remains Unfunded) 26 == VA Secretary [80] ---- (Wilkie Confirmation Hearing Set for 27 JUN) 28 == VA Employee Moonlighting ---- (Education-Related Work Proposal) 28 == VA Whistleblowers [55] ---- (VA IG in Fight with VA Leadership) 29 == VA Nursing Home Care [01] ---- (VA Release of Underlying Data Demanded) 31 == VA Accountability [53] ---- (Senior Executive Relocation Benefit Abuse) 31 == VA Accountability [54] ---- (S.1094 Repeal Effort | Low Ranking Employee Impact) 32 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ---- (Reported 16 thru 30 JUN 2018) 33 == VAMC Loma Linda CA [01] ---- (Legionella Found In Water Fountains) 33 == VAMC Topeka KS [02] ---- (OIG Finds No Evidence Wrongdoing) 34 == VAMC Fayetteville AR ---- (IG Investigating Misdiagnosed Pathology Cases) 35 == VA Clinic Oceanside CA ---- (Four Female Patients Sexually Assaulted) . * VETS * . 37 == Veterans Creed ---- (Unveiled 14 JUN) 38 == Burn Pit Toxic Exposure [53] ---- (Burn Pits -- The New Agent Orange) 40 == Vet Jobs [235] ---- (Cloud Computing & Artificial Intelligence Openings) 40 == Vet Suicide [22] ---- (Latest VA Report) 41 == Burn Pit Toxic Exposure [52] ---- (4th Circuit Rules KBR Can Not be Sued) 41 == Vet Toxic Exposure | McMurdo [03] ---- (U.S. Navy Reactor Radiation Leak) 42 == Vet Toxic Exposure | Base Water ---- (HHS Study Released | Not Good) 43 == Vietnam Veterans Memorial [22] ---- (Annual Father's Day Rose Remembrance) 44 == Vet Predatory Loans [03] ---- (VA Issues New Policy to Protect Vets) 45 == Korean War Vets ---- (Carl Murphy | “Forgotten War” Composer) 46 == Afghanistan Vets [03] ---- (Kyle Stewart | Marine Veteran & Professional Fighter) 48 == WWII Memorial [01] ---- (Saturdays with Bob Dole) 50 == WWII VETS 167 ---- (Harry Weber | 554th Quartermaster Railhead Company) 51 == Military Retirees & Veterans Events Schedule ---- (As of 30 JUN 2018) 51 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled As of 30 JUN 2018) 52 == Vet State Benefits & Discounts ---- (Washington JUN 2018) . * VET LEGISLATION * . 53 == Transition Assistance Program [06] ---- (H.R.5553 | Improve DoD’s Program) 53 == VA Overpayments [02] ---- (H.R. 4974 | Verify Who’s at Fault & Modify Recoup Policy) 54 == VA Dental Benefits [01] ---- (H.R.4556 | Expand Care to all Vets) 54 == VA Nursing Home Care [02] ---- (Senate Passes H.R.5895 | Publish Quality Ratings) 55 == VA Budget 2019 [01] ---- (Senate Passes 86-5 | Goes to Conference Committee) 56 == VA Medical Marijuana [46] ---- (Senate Bill Sent to Conference Committee) 56 == VA Blue Water Claims [46] ---- (House Passes HR.299 by Vote of 382-0) 2 . * MILITARY* . 57 == Army Recruiting [07] ---- (Retired Recruiters Asked to Reenlist) 58 == Railgun [02] ---- (China’s Version) 58 == USMC Base Upgrades ---- (MCAS Cherry Point, Guam, Camp Pendleton & Camp Lejeune) 59 == Army Training ---- (OSUT Pilot Program Extension) 61 == MCPON [01] ---- (Steven Giordano Resignation Amid Ongoing Investigation) 62 == B-1 Bomber [03] ---- (Reason for May Groundings Revealed) 63 == West Point [05] ---- (‘Commie Cadet’ Spenser Rapone Receives OTH Discharge) 64 == U.S. Space Force ---- (Trump Orders New Service Branch) 66 == Neo-Nazi Marine ---- (LCpl. Vasilios Pistolis Found Guilty) 67 == Oregon Tuition Aid ---- (Bill Signed to Grant Funds for National Guard Members) 67 == Variable Kinetic System ---- (New Non-Lethal Weapon Purchased for Army) 68 == Navy Warrant Officer ---- (W-1 Rank to Return in 2019) 69 == Navy Sea Pay ---- (NavAdmin 143/18 Updates Rules) 70 == USMC Base Quantico 911 Monument ---- (Honors 17 Marine Deaths) 70 == USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) ---- (Delivery Accepted) 71 == USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) [15] ---- (All Negligent Homicide Charges Dropped) 72 == Army Reserve Retirement Services [01] ---- (Pre-Retirement Briefings) 73 == Warships That Will Change the Future ---- (HMS Queen Elizabeth (RO-8) . * MILITARY HISTORY * . 74 == Soviet Troops in Cuba ---- (A 1979 Uproar Over Practically Nothing) 74 == WWII D-Day ---- (Six Facts You Never Learned in School) 76 == Desert Storm Memorial [09] ---- (Site Selected) 77 == Military & Whiskey Bond ---- (Deep-Seated) 79 == National Museum of the U.S. Navy [01] ---- (DC's Secret Amazing Museum) 80 == Rosenberg Execution ---- (Case Remains Controversial To This Day) 81 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (01 thru 15 JUL) 82 == WWII Bomber Nose Art [09] ---- (To Each His Own) 82 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (Ross F. Gray | WWII) . * HEALTH CARE * . 84 == Fireworks & PTSD [01] ---- (4th of July Warning) 85 == Toxic Exposure | Patrick AFB ---- (Florida DOH Gathering Data) 86 == NDAA 2019 [06] ---- (Stop Another Year of TRICARE Fee Increases) 87 == Medicaid Fraud [95] ---- ($137 Billion Annually) 88 == Medicare Cataract Coverage ---- (What You Should Know) 89 == Food Poisoning [02] ---- (Tips to Avoid) 90 == Canada/Mexico Prescription Drugs [01] ---- (Increased Mail Seizures) 91 == Internet Pharmacies [01] ---- (How to Buy Safely) 92 == TRICARE Podcast 454 ---- (Protecting Your Skin - Tanzeum - Marital Status Changes) 93 == TRICARE Podcast 456 ---- (Updating DEERS - Healthy Hydration - Maintaining Dental Health) . * FINANCES * . 94== Dumb Things We Pay For ---- (Stop Making Purchases You Don’t Need To) 3 96 == Insurance Bundling ---- (Pros & Cons) 96 == Social Security Benefits [05] ---- (Worth Even Less Than You Think) 97 == Regional Health Command Europe ---- (Billing Delays) 98 == Funerals [02] ---- (Cost Management) 99 == Mortgage [09] ---- (Should You Buy Mortgage Life Insurance) 100 == Sales Tax [02] ---- (Online Purchases Change) 101 == Washington D.C. Military Discounts ---- (Places to Check Out) 102 == Square CC Processing Scam ---- (Phishing Emails Target Small Businesses) 102 == Birth Certificate for a Fee Scam ---- (Online Offerings) 103 == Kidnap Scam [01] ---- (Army CID Warning) 103 == Tax Burden for Hawaii Retired Vets ---- (As of JUN 2018) . * GENERAL INTEREST * . 105 == Notes of Interest ---- (16 thru 30 JUN 2018) 107 == Online Piracy [01] ---- (California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018) 108 == Soccer Dad Loses Control ---- (Navy Chief Plummets 14-yr Old with Fist) 108 == NATO ---- (Trump’s ‘America First’ Impact) 109 == Postal Service [07] ---- (Trump’s Privatization Proposal) 110 == Great Britain ---- (No Longer A 'Tier One' Military Power) 111 == Lincoln Memorial ---- ($25 Million Top-To-Bottom Makeover) 112 == DPRK Nuclear Weapons [21] ---- (No Steps Yet on Denuclearization) 113 == Flag Etiquette [03] ---- (Do’s & Don’ts) 114 == Plumbing Tips ---- (5 You Should Know) 115 == Shark Finning ---- (Prohibited by Florida Law) 116 == RP Military Modernization Plan ---- (Wish List) 117 == Innovative Technology ---- (Transparent Toaster) 118 == Old Goat Quiz ---- (For Those Over 60) 118 == Have You Heard? ---- (Texas cowboy | Admiral’s Aide | Blonde Men Stories) 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 – Washington Vet State Benefits & Discounts JUN 2018 Attachment - Military History Anniversaries 01 thru 15 JUL Attachment - The Other Cuba Crisis * DoD * 4 DoD Blended Retirement System Update 02 ► Projected Lump Sum Take Rates The Defense Department’s Office of the Actuary released a report this month that projects “take rates” for the most controversial feature of the new Blended Retirement System (BRS): the option at retirement to forfeit 25 or 50 percent of earned retired pay until age 67 in exchange for a six-figure lump-sum amount. In the latest “Valuation of the Military Retirement System” report, department actuaries assume: 5.2 percent of retiring officers and 22.8 percent of retiring enlisted will be enticed enough by cash to accept deep cuts in retired pay.