RAO BULLETIN 1 January 2013 Website Edition Note: Anyone receiving this who does not want it should click on the automatic “Change address / Leave mailing list” tab at the bottom of this message. THIS BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES == HASC [07] ----------------------------------- (Rep. Tammy Duckworth) == Vet Charity Watch [31] ------------ (BBB Charity Rating Credibility) == VA Rural Access [14] ------------------------- (Publicity Gets Results) == Vet Prison Inmate Programs [01] ------------- (Indian Creek Virginia) == Veterans' Treatment Court [17] ------- (Pennsylvania Pilot Program) == Veterans' Treatment Court [18] ------------------------------ (Michigan) == Fisher House Expansion [09] ------------------------------- (Pittsburgh) == Vet Pro Bono Assistance [02] --------------- (California Valor Guide) == VA Suicide Prevention [14] ------------------ (Texas Mortality Study) == Clark AFB Vet Cemetery [04] ---------------- (S.2320 Passes Senate) == VA Hepatitis C Treatment [02] -------------- (Incevik FDA Warning) == Vet Cremains [20] ------------------------------ (S.3202 Passes Senate) == MCRMC ---------------------------------- (Established by 2013 NDAA) == Save Our Benefit ------------------------------------- (Coalition Formed) == Save Our Benefit [01] ------------ (MilitaryTimes Editorial Rebuttal) == 113th Congress Military Vets ---------------- (Senator Daniel Inouye) == 113th Congress Military Vets [01] --------------- (Passing Of An Era) == VA Eligibility Verification Report (EVR) --------------- (Eliminated) == DFAS myPay System [10] ----------- (New Password Reset Process) == DFAS Direct Deposit [01] ---------------------- (Paper Checks to End) == DFAS Direct Deposit [02] --------------- (Obtaining Bank Accounts) == Wreaths Across America [08] -- (Fallen Service Members Honored) == Gasoline Savings [01] * -------------------- (Inflated Mileage Claims) == Ammunition Hall of Fame] --------------------- (Nominations Sought) == VA Medical Foster Home [02] ------- (Amarillo Seeking Caregivers) == VA In Vitro Fertilization [02] ----------------- (Senate passes S.3313) == Gulf War Syndrome [20] -------- (New Studies Rebut DoD Position) == VA Transplant Program -------------------------------------- (Overview) == Fiber --------------------------------------------------- (Why We Need It) == PTSD [124] ---------------- (Yoga iRest Proven Effective Treatment) == PTSD [125] ---------------------- (VA Refuses Funding Service Dogs) 1 == PTSD [126] ------------------------------ (OEF/OIF Stats Understated) == VAMC Jacksonville ----------------------------------- (Vets Sound Off) == VA for Vets [02] -------------------------------- (VESO-USDA MOUs) == TRDP [12] ----------------------------------- (Coverage Improvements) == World War I Memorial [05] --------------------- (Bill Goes to Senate) == NDAA 2013 [14] ------------------ (Secretary of Defense Objections) == NDAA 2013 [15] ------ (Items Not Included in Conference Report) == NDAA 2013 [16] ---------------------------------- (Awaiting Signature) == Tricare Pharmacy Copay [09] --------- (Increase Set for February) == Mobilized Reserve 18 DEC 2012----------------------- (910 Decrease) == Vet License Plates Massachusetts ----------------------- (Availability) == OBIT ~ Ralph Sherman Parr Jr --------------------------- (7 Dec 2012) == OBIT ~ H. Norman Schwarzkopf ---------------------- (27 Dec 2012) == VA Fraud Waste & Abuse [63] --------------------- (15-31 Dec 2012) == Vet Jobs [95] ------------------------------- (JAN/FEB/MAR Job Fairs) == Vet Jobs [96] ------------------------------------- (Security Clearances) == Vet Jobs [97] ------------------------------------ (Trucking Companies) == WWII Vets [34] ---------------------------------- (Richard C. Kirkland) == POW/MIA [34] ---------------------------------------- (15-31 Dec 2012) == WWII Posters * -------------------------------------------------------- (01) == Saving Money ---------------------------------------- (Tire Buying Tips) == Notes of Interest ---------------------------------------- (15-31Dec 2012) == Medicare Fraud [107] --------------- (GAO Fraud Prevalence Report) == Medicare Fraud [108] -------------------------------- (15-31 Dec 2012) == State Veteran's Benefits --------------------------------- (Indiana 2012) == GI Bill [135] ------------------------------ (Graduation Rate Unknown) == GI Bill [136] ** ---------------- (H.R.4057 Passes Senate w/Changes) == VA Claim Denial [13] ** ------------------------ (NCPA Report Stats) == VA Claim Denial [14] ** ----------- (NCPA Report Disputed by VA) == Military History -------------------------------- (Battle of Crucifix Hill) == Military History Anniversaries ------------------ (Jan 1-15 Summary) == Military Trivia 65 -------------------------------- (Battle of Mogadishu) == Tax Burden for South Carolina Retirees ----------- (As of Dec 2012) == Aviation Art * ----------------------------------------- (Scaling the Alps) == Veteran Legislation Status 30 DEC 2012 --------- (Where we stand) == Have You Heard? ---------------------------------------------- (The Nail) == Annual Reminder Notice ------------------------------------------ (2013) Attachment - Veteran Legislation as of 30 DEC 2012 Attachment - State Veteran's Benefits Indiana 2012 Attachment - Vet License Plates - MA (PDF Edition Only) Attachment - The Valor Guide (PDF Edition Only) Attachment - Joint VSO/MSO CPI Letter (PDF Edition Only) * PDF & Website Edition Only ** Military Times Copyrighted Material ********************************* ********************************* 2 HASC Update 07: In January, 90 new members of Congress will arrive in Washington to serve in the 113th Congress. U.S. News has named seven of them who they predict will shake up Washington and could make an immediate impact on Capitol Hill. Among them is Illinois Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth, the first disabled female veteran. She was one of the first female Black Hawk helicopter pilots to fly combat missions and a survivor of a 2004 rocket-propelled grenade attack. She lost both legs and part of her right arm, but managed to safely land her helicopter before attending to her injuries. Duckworth competed in one of the most bitter races in 2012, against Tea Party incumbent Republican Joe Walsh. She proved herself as a hefty fundraiser, outspending her opponent by more than $3 million. Duckworth, who served as the assistant secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, will serve on the House Armed Services Committee and will be the first female double-amputee to serve in the House of Representatives. Veterans returning from combat will be her focus. Duckworth hopes to increase veterans education and employment opportunities. The others named by US News who are expected to make their mark are: Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, Michigan Republican Rep. Kerry Bentivolio, Maine independent Sen. Angus King, North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott, and Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren. [Source: U.S. News | Lauren Fox | 26 Dec 2-12 ++] ********************************* Vet Charity Watch Update 31: Go to the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving site http://www.bbb.org/us/Wise-Giving and you'll feel assured many charities that flunk other evaluators' criteria are worthy of your contributions. But are they? The Blinded Veterans Association says its goal is to "help veterans and their families overcome the challenges of blindness," according to its website. Services include helping them take advantage of Department of Veterans Affairs services and employment training. Go to the Better Business Bureau's website and you'll feel assured the group is worthy of your donations. It is both accredited by BBB's Wise Giving Alliance charity-rating service and has the group's seal of approval. The American Institute of Philanthropy's CharityWatch, however, gives the group an F. The other leading charity-rating service, Charity Navigator, awards it zero stars out of four. "There are 158,000 veterans that are legally blind, but only 20% of (the association's) budget is spent on field services to help blinded vets," says CharityWatch founder and President Daniel Borochoff. "The rest was primarily used for mailings and public service announcements. Is this really how a blinded veteran, who can't find a job or even pay his gas bill on time, wants his charitable aid to be spent?" The differences between the groups' ratings underscore one of the challenges facing BBB as its 100th- anniversary year draws to a close. Just as it was dogged by "pay to play" allegations about its business ratings two years ago, some question whether BBB's charity ratings really have teeth, and if the up to $15,000 it receives annually from charities that pay to use its seal of accreditation influences its decisions. The questions come as many charities, particularly smaller ones, struggle to raise money as the proportion of people's incomes devoted to charitable giving remains stagnant. As people decide where to send their year-end charitable donations, Borochoff doesn't think BBB's ratings should guide them. "How can you be a watchdog when you are getting paid by the very groups you're supposed to be rating and monitoring?" he asks. When he was Connecticut Attorney General in late 2010, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reached agreement with BBB that it would stop giving extra rating points because businesses were paying members. Now he says BBB's financial relationship with the charities it rates "unquestionably"