RAO BULLETIN 15 September 2018 PDF Edition THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES Pg Article Subject . * DOD * . 04 == Space Force [02] ---- (How Much will It Cost?) 06 == Arlington National Cemetery [77] ---- (27-Acre Millennium Site Dedicated) 06 == Pentagon Watchdog ---- (With McCain Gone Who Will Take Oversight?) 07 == COLA FY 2019 [01] ---- (Signs Point to Biggest in 7 years) 08 == NDAA 2019 [18] ---- (7 Big Changes You Haven’t Heard Yet) 09 == DoD Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ---- (Reported 01 thru 15 SEP 2018) 12 == POW/MIA Recoveries ---- (Reported 01 thru 15 SEP 2018 | Twenty-Five) . * VA * . 15 == VA Class Action Lawsuits [01] ---- (What Happens Now That Vets Can File) 16 == VA Funding 2019 ---- (House Lawmakers Finalize Fiscal 2019 Budget | $209B) 17 == VA Medical Marijuana [51] ---- (Veterans Equal Access Amendment Rejected) 18 == VA Community Care [02] ---- (Streamlining Beginning Stages) 18 == VA Transgender Care [02] ---- (Vet Surgery Offer Urged by Lawmakers) 19 == VA Fiduciary Program [09] ---- (New Regulations Implemented AUG 2018) 20 == VA Blue Water Claims [49] ---- (VA Leaders Increase Effort to Sideline Legislation) 21 == VA Blue Water Claims [50] ---- (Wilke Letter to Congress) 21 == VA Community Care [01] ---- (Steps to Access | Three) 22 == VA Women Vet Programs [33] ---- (Wilke Pledge to Women Vets) 22 == VA Claims Backlog Update 160 ---- (21% Underestimated As of 10 SEP) 23 == SGLI/VGLI Accelerated Benefits [02] ---- (Claims) 1 24 == VA Surgery [01] ---- (Reliable Availability & Sterilization of Instruments Issue) 25 == VA Presumptive AO Conditions [Kids] (01) ---- (Spina Bifida Decision Still Pending) 26 == VA Suicide Prevention [50] ---- (Program to Lower Suicide Rate Has Few Takers) 27 == VA Opioid Use [02] ---- (Study Reveals No Better than Non-Opioid Drug Use) 29 == VA Employment [04] ---- (One in 10 Jobs Currently Unfilled) 29 == VA Employment [05] ---- (Senator Schumer Calls for More Funding) 30 == VA Agent Orange Benefits [04] ---- (Still No Decision on Expansion) 32 == VA EHR [15] ---- (Veterans Affairs & Defense Will Be Inseparable) 33 == VA SSVF Program [05] ---- ($326M in Upcoming Grants Announced) 33 == PTSD [247] ---- (Denied VA Disability Claims Related to MST) 34 == VA Medical Marijuana [48] ---- (Congress Sends VA Medical Research Letter) 34 == VA Medical Marijuana [49] ---- (Users Can Still Receive Care & Benefits) 36 == VA Relaxation Therapy ---- (Training to Help Older Vets Suffering From Anxiety) 38 == VA Secretary [84] ---- (Wilkie’s Views for Fixing VA Woes) 39 == VA Lawsuit | Palomares Radiation Exposure ---- (Denied Presumptive Status) 40 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ---- (Reported 01 thru 15 Sep 2018) . * VETS * . 41 == American Legion [04] ---- (Influencing Government Policy Concerns) 42 == American Legion [05] ---- (Differences with Trump Called Unprecedented) 43 == Vet Deportations [24] ---- (Being A Vet Does Not Mean You’re Exempt From Misfortune) 45 == Vet Owned Businesses ---- (Government Contracts | VA Online System Improvement Backfires) 46 == Vet Best Places to Live ---- (Rebootcamp Recommendations) 48 == Congressional Vets ---- (‘With Honor’ Group Endorses 33 House Midterm Candidates 49 == Burn Pit Toxic Exposure [58] ---- (Petraeus to Congress: It’s Time to Get Serious) 49 == Medical Foster Homes ---- (For Vets and Other Ailing Adults) 51 == Obit: Russell Brown ---- (31 AUG 2018 | WWII 82nd Airborne Division) 52 == Korean War Vets ---- (Cornelius H. Charlton | Arlington Burial) 53 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled As of 15 SEP2018) 53 == Military Retirees & Veterans Events Schedule ---- (As of 15 SEP 2018) 54 == State Veteran's Benefit ---- (Arizona 2018) . * VET LEGISLATION * . 54 == VA Medical Marijuana [50] ---- (Senate Bill to Remove Vet Access Barriers) 55 == VA Website [03] ---- (H.R.6418 | VA Website Accessibility Act of 2018) 55 == Arlington National Cemetery [78] ---- (H.R.6734 | Full Military Honors Act of 2018) 56 == VA Cemetery Memorials [02] ---- (H.R.4312 | Fallen Warrior Battlefield Cross Memorial) 57 == Vet Education [01] ---- (H.R.4323 | Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act) 58 == Federal Retirement ---- (H.R.4431 | Correcting Miscalculations in Veterans’ Pensions Act) . * MILITARY* . 58 == USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) ---- (50% Complete) 59 == Military Fraternization [01] ---- (Army | Remedios Cruz) 60 == Navy Red Hill Fuel Tanks [01] ---- (Deal Cut with Environmental Watchdogs) 61 == Botnets ---- (DARPA Wants to find them Before They Attack) 61 == B-52's [05] ---- (Upgrades to Keep Them Flying until 2050s) 62 == Molar Mic ---- (Military Now Has Them for Invisible, Hands-Free Radio Calls) 2 64 == GI Bill Transferability [04] ---- (Purple Heart Recipient’s Exemption) 64 == USMC Racial Extremism ---- (Updated Order Issued) 65 == Performance Readiness Bar ---- (Army Researchers Develop Tasty, Healthy Bar) 66 == Navy Terminology [02] ---- (Origins) 67 == Warships That Will Change the Future ---- (SAS Mendi F-148) . * MILITARY HISTORY * . 68 == Merrill’s Marauders ---- (Last Reunion) 70 == WWII Moe Berg ---- (The Rest of the Story) 71 == Lincoln’s Assassin ---- (In Pursuit of Booth) 72 == Samuel Mason ---- (American Revolution Patriot & Pirate) 73 == WWII Vets 172A ---- (Sam Folsom | Foss’s Flying Circus Pilot) 76 == Post WWII Photos ---- (Emancipated Allied POWs) 76 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (16 thru 30 SEP) 76 == WWII Bomber Nose Art [14] ---- (Strawberry Bitch) 77 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (George J. Hall | WWII) . * HEALTH CARE * . 78 == TRICARE Questions ---- (Most Frequently Asked at DHA Event) 79 == TRICARE Student Care ---- (Send TRICARE to College with Your Child) 80 == Valsartan ---- (Voluntary Drug Recall Alert Update) 81 == Blood Pressure [07] ---- (Overmedication Study on VA Patients) 82 == Organ Transplant [02] ---- (Hepatitis Infected Organs Now Transferable) 84 == Medicare Osteoporosis Coverage ---- (Biennial Bone Mass Measurement) 84 == Prescription Drug Advertising [02] ---- (Senate Backs Mandatory Price Inclusion) 85 == Prescription Drug Costs [09] ---- (Price Increase A Moral Requirement) 86 == Acne [01] ---- (Controlling Problem Pimples) 87 == Dementia [01] ---- (Stroke Link on Likelihood of Development) 87 == TRICARE Podcast 465 ---- (Retiring From Active Duty - Child Dental Care - Grilling Safety) 89 == TRICARE Podcast 466 ---- (Child Enrollment in DEERS | ECHO | TRICARE for Life Overseas) . * FINANCES * . 90 == Property Taxes ---- (Deferrable for Some Older Homeowners) 91 == Medicare Cost | Military Retirees ---- (How to Calculate) 92 == CCRC ---- (Continuing Care Retirement Community Selection Criteria) 94 == Senior Bankruptcy [02] ---- (More Americans Age 55 and Older Are Filing) 95 == Military Lending Act of 2016 [02] ---- (DoD Not Consulted on Proposed Change) 96 == SSA Disability [03] ---- (Waiting Periods Can Bankrupt Disabled Beneficiaries) 97 == Money Moves [01] ---- (6 Silly Tidbits of Money Advice That Will Make You Poorer) 97 == Economy | Making Ends Meet ---- (Living Paycheck to Paycheck on $80K Annual Income) 98 == Cheaper Isn’t Always Better ---- (Items Which Spending More On Can Be Worth Every Penny) 100 == Rewards of Caring Scholarship ---- (Military Students Grade 6 thru 12 | $5,000 X 4) 100 == Inheriting Debt ---- (Do You Have to Pay?) 103 == Customer Support Scam ---- (Callers Targeted by Gift Card Offer) 103 == Military Recruiting Scam [01] ---- (Copycat Websites) 105 == Older Consumer Scams ---- (Cons Targeting Seniors) 105 == Tax Burden for Kansas Retired Vets ---- (As of SEP 2018) 3 . * GENERAL INTEREST * . 107 == Notes of Interest ---- (01 thru 15 SEP 2018) 108 == McCain Remembrance ---- (Sen. Susan Collins | A War Hero, Statesman) 109 == Hurricane FAQ’s ---- (Windows, Doors, Storm Surge, & Land Friction Impact) 110 == Reinventing Civil Defense ---- (Americans Are Unprepared for a Nuclear Attack) 110 == Duels ---- (Russian Deputy Submits Bill to Regulate Duels) 111 == Counterterror Cost ---- ($2.8 TRILLION and Climbing Since 911) 113 == Government Spending Legislation ---- (Compromise Reached on Trio of FY 2019 Bills) 114 == China’s New Seaplane ---- (AG600 Kunlong | Largest in the World) 114 == 911 Myths ---- (Debunking Pentagon Attack Myths) 116 == 911 From Space ---- (Astronaut Frank Culbertson’s Experience) 117 == Terror Attacks [01] ---- (U.S. Now Safer and Better Equipped than in 2001) 117 == Russia’s Spies ---- (GRU, SVR, & FSB Intelligence Agencies) 118 == Insurance Coverage [01] ---- (Some Things It Might Not Pay For) 119 == Home Maintenance ---- (Fall Checklist) 120 == Quiz for Bright People ---- (Questions) 120 == Afghan China Involvement ---- (Plans to Deploy Troops to Afghanistan Denied) 121 == Quiz for Bright People ---- (Answers) 121 == John Wayne [01] ---- (How He Dealt With KGB Agents Hired to Kill Him) 122 == Interesting Facts ---- (Florida Cell Phone Use) 123 == One Word Essays ---- (Confusion) 123 == Have You Heard? ---- (Why? | A Real Businessman! | God's Creatures) 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 – Arizona Vet State Benefits AUG 2018 Attachment – Military History Anniversaries 16 thru 30 SEP Attachment – Reinventing Civil Defense * DoD * Space Force Update 02 ► How Much will It Cost? The Pentagon does not yet have a cost estimate for President Donald Trump's requested