RAO BULLETIN 1 May 2016 PDF Edition THIS BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES Pg Article Subject * DOD * . 04 == Stars and Stripes [01] -------------- (May Be Silenced by Funding Cuts) 05 == DoD Religious Expression [04] ---------- (U.S. Court of Appeals Case) 07 == Commissary Prices [04] ------- (Draft Bill Eliminates At-Cost Pricing) 08 == Selective Service System [17] --- (May be Headed for the Scrap Heap) 09 == Selective Service System [18] -------- (HASC | Women Must Register) 09 == BRAC [47] ------------ (DoD Sends Congress Excess Capacity Report) 10 == BRAC [48] -------------------- (Pentagon May Start Unilateral Closures) 11 == BRAC [49] --------------- (HASC Democrat Seeks Base Closures Law) 12 == Toxic Exposure | Wurtsmith AFB ------------------ (PFC Tainted Water) 15 == State Sponsored Terrorism ----------- (State Linked to Act can be Sued) 16 == Arlington National Cemetery [58] --- (38 Acre Expansion Assessment) 17 == POW/MIA [72] ----------------- (North Korea Hands Over 17 Remains) 18 == POW/MIA Recoveries ------------------ (Reported 16 thru 30 Apr 2016) * VA * . 21 == VA Prosthetics [14] -------- (A Giant Step for Veteran Amputees | POP) 22 == VA Appeals [23] ------------------ (COA Rules in Favor of Staab | $48k) 24 == VA Commission on Care [04] -- (VA Leadership Updates Commission) 25 == VA Commission on Care [05] ----- (MOAA | Fix, Don’t Dismantle VA) 26 == VA Privatization [03] ---------------- (Evidence Does Not Support Need) 27 == VA Medical Marijuana [19] --------------- (DEA Approves PTSD Study) 28 == VA Women Advisory Committee [04] ----------- (5 New Appointments) 29 == VA Pain Management [07] -------------- (Patient Marijuana Use Impact) 29 == VA Claims Processing [16] - (Related Document Shredding | Systemic) 30 == VA Privatization [02] -------------------------- (Not What Veterans Want) Page 1 of 123 31 == VA Health Care Enrollment [06] --------- (Disciplinary Action Pending) 32 == Non-VA Facility Care [03] ------ (Emergency Medical Expense Claims) 33 == VA Appointments [14] -------------------- (MASS Contract Put on Hold) 34 == VA Health Care Access [37] ---- (GAO | Wait time Problem Not Fixed) 35 == VA HBPC [02] --------- (Sharing Advantages of VA Home Based Care) 37 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ------------- (Reported 16 thru 30 APR 2016) 41 == VARO Roanoke VA --------- (Claims Management Plan Not Followed) 41 == VARO San Juan PR - (Action Taken on Convicted VACHS Employee) 42 == VAH Hines --------------------------- (Cockroach Infestation Complaints) 44 == VAMC Providence RI -------------- (Long-Term Care Research Funded) 44 == VA HCS Portland --------- (Kidney Transplant Study Ethics Complaint) * Vets * . 45 == Vet Cremains [32] ------------------------------------- (Nine Laid to Rest) 46 == Vet Fertility Treatments [02] -- (VA Appropriations Bill Amendment) 47 == Vet Toxic Exposure | Lejeune [58] - (VA Claim Documents Lawsuit) 48 == Vet Health Care [02] --------- (Government-Funded Health Insurance) 49 == Veterans in Government [02] ------------------------- (Where We Stand) 49 == Veterans' Preference [09] -------- (Many Do Not Really Understand It) 51 == Centurion Marine ----------------- (Former WMA President Turns 100) 52 == Louisiana Vet Cemeteries [06] --------- (Burial Fee Legislation | $745) 52 == Stolen Valor ----------------------------- (Reported 160415 thru 160430) 53 == Senior Vet Care ----------------------- (Caring For A Hero | Lyle Bouck) 56 == WWII Vets 106 -------------------------------------------- (Andrus~Ernest) 57 == Obit: Mayer~Frederick | Inglorious Bastard ------------- (15 APR 2016) 59 == Obit: McGrath~Luta | Oldest Female Vet ---------------- (14 APR 2016) 59 == Obit: Mustin~Henry | 34-yr SWO ------------------------- (11 APR 2016) 61 == Retiree Appreciation Days --------------------------- (As of 26 Apr 2016) 61 == Vet Hiring Fairs ------------------------------------- (01 thru 31 May 2016) 62 == Vet State Benefits & Discounts -------------------------- (Alabama 2016) * Vet Legislation * . 63 == SBP DIC Offset [45] -------- (Time to End the Military “Widows Tax”) 64 == SBP DIC Offset [46] ----- (Pivotal Legislative Year for 60K+ Widows) 65 == Vet Fraud & Abuse [01] ---------- (H.R.4676 | House Vote 411 to Zero) 66 == Vet Toxic Exposure | Marshall Islands ------- (H.R.3870 Sent to Senate) 67 == Vet Deportations [06] ------- (Bill Introduced to Waive Action on Vets) 67 == VA Medical Marijuana [18] ------- (Senate Amendment for Vet Access) 68 == Vet Legislative Issues 2016 – (AL Testifies in Support of Pending Bills) 69 == VA Bonuses [31] ---- (MilCon Bill Prohibits 2017 Senior Exec Awards) 71 == Vets First Act ------------------------------------ (SVAC VA Omnibus Bill) 71 == Vet Bills Submitted to 114th Congress ------------ (160416 thru 160430) * MILITARY * . 73 == POW/MIA Displays --------------------------- (WPAFB Bible Removal) 74 == Disability Separation Pay -------------------- (14k Vets Wrongly Taxed) Page 2 of 123 75 == C-130J Fatal Crash ---- (Cause | Forgotten Night-Vision Goggle Case) 76 == Army Honorary Sergeant Major ------ (Retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan) 77 == GI Bill [204] -------------------- (50% Dependent Housing Stipend Cut) 78 == Military Sexual Assault -------------------- (Pentagon Misled Congress) 81 == USCG Laser Use Prohibited ------------- (FDA vice DoD Rules Apply) 82 == Military 2017 Pay Raise ----------------------------- (HASC Backs 2.1%) 83 == TRADES ---------------------- (Transformative Design program | Radar) 83 == Trump Foreign Policy Platform ---------------- (Build-Up U.S. Military) 84 == Archive Photo of the Day --------------- (Chernobyl Ukraine May 1986) 85 == Medal of Honor Citations --------------------- (Baker~Vernon J | WWII) * MILITARY HISTORY * . 87 == Military History Discussions ---------- (WWII 106th Infantry Division) 87 == Military History ----------------------------- (Battle of A-Shau | Vietnam) 88 == Military Trivia 120 --------------------------------- (Japan’s Coup d’Etat ) 91 == M-1 Rifle ------------------------------------------------------- (Not a ‘Gun’) 91 == Military History Anniversaries --------------------------- (01thru 15 May) 92 == WWII US Automobile Industry ---------------------------- (Soup to Nuts) * HEALTH CARE * . 93 == TRICARE Mental Health Care [03] -------------- (Day Limits Changes) 93 == Smoking ---- (TRICARE Program Unfunded for Cessation Treatment) 95 == TRICARE Urgent Care [01] ------ (Non-referral Visits Could Increase) 95 == Prescription Decoding -------- (Understanding Terms & Abbreviations) * FINANCES * . 97 == SSIA [01] -------------- (Set to Expire Without NDAA Legislative Fix) 98 == Social Security Sign-Up [01] ------------------ (To Delay or Not Delay) 99 == IRS Audit [06] ------------------------ (What to Do if You Get a Notice) 100 == IRS Audit [07] ----------------------- (Budget Cuts Mean Fewer Audits) 100 == Phantom Discounts ------------------------------ (Death of the Price Tag) 102 == Car Insurance [12] ------------------------------ (Ticket Impact on Rates) 103 == Pentagon FCU ----------------------------- (Fifth Merger in Five Months) 103 == Saving Money ------------------------------------ (27 More Ways to do It) 105 == Macy’s Delivery Email Scam ---------------------------- (How it Works) 106 == Internet Connected Car Scam ----------------- (Scammers' Next Target) 107 == Tax Burden for Georgia Retired Vets ----------------- (As of Apr 2016) * GENERAL INTEREST * . 109 == Notes of Interest ------------------------------------ (16 thru 30 Apr 2016) 111 == Retirement Planning [10] ---------- (Giving Back to your Community) 112 == Household Tips [04] ---------------------- (Save time and Money) 113 == Calendar Key Dates ------------------------------------------ (May & June) 114 == NATO/Russia Council --- (1st Meeting in 2-yrs | Differences Remain) 114 == Child Pornography --------- (U.S. Coast Guardsman Gets 20 Years ++) Page 3 of 123 115 == Fruit Flies ---------------------------------------------- (How to Get Rid of) 116 == Honey ---------------------------------------------------- (Unexpected Uses) 117 == Gun Control ---------------------------------------------------------- (Alaska) 118 == Buying A Better Used Car -------- (Don’t Let Life Give You a Lemon) 118 == Brain Teaser ----------------------------- (Engulfed Tire | Weighing Stuff) 119 == Have You Heard? --------------------------------------- (Senior Citizens 3) 120 == Brain Teaser Answer ------------- ----- (Engulfed Tire | Weighing Stuff) 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 - Veteran Legislation as of 28 Apr 2016 Attachment - Alabama Vet State Benefits & Discounts Apr 2016 Attachment - Military History Anniversaries 01 thru 15 MAY Attachment - Battle of A-Shau | Vietnam * DoD * Stars and Stripes Update 01 ► May Be Silenced by Funding Cuts Stars and Stripes may lose its federal funding — $12 million a year — under a proposal being considered by the Department of Defense, according to a 12 APR column by Stars and Stripes Ombudsman Tobias Naegele. The paper is run by DoD's Defense Media Activity, but maintains editorial sovereignty. “Of the appropriated funds, $7 million comes from the regular defense budget and $5 million from overseas contingency operations funds — the war budget — mostly to pay for printing and distributing the paper downrange,”