RAO BULLETIN 15 July 2019 PDF Edition THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES Pg Article Subject . * DOD * . 04 == SBP DIC Offset [60] ---- (Fight for Widows Tax Repeal Turns to the House) 05 == NDAA 2020 [12] ---- (HASC Adds Widow’s Tax, Malpractice Lawsuits, & Afghan Visa Issues) 07 == NDAA 2020 [13] ---- (Trump Threatens Veto if House Cuts Stand) 08 == NDAA 2020 [14] ---- (House Includes Naming Amendment) 08== NDAA 2020 [15] ---- (House Includes Amendment to Reverse Trump’s Transgender Ban) 09 == NDAA 2020 [16] ---- (House Republican 11th Hour Bid for 4% Pay Raise Fizzles) 10 == NDAA 2020 [17] ---- (House Passes Their $733 Billion Defense Policy Bill H.R.2500) 11 == NDAA 2020 [18] ---- (What the House Vote Says | The Next Step) 12 == DoD Burn Pits ---- (No Plans to Stop Using Them) 14 == Purple Heart Award [03] ---- (What It Is and Why It Is Awarded) 15 == DoD Medical Billets [01] ---- (Officials Keeping Quiet on Plan to Cut 18,000 Billets) 15 == DoD Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ---- (Reported 01 thru 15 JUL 2019) 17 == POW/MIA Recoveries & Burials ---- (Reported 01 thru 15 JUL 2019 | Ten) . * VA * . 20 == PTSD [252] ---- (Root Cause Research Project) 20 == VA Home Loan Funding Fee [02] ---- (Disabled Vet Refund Schedule Pending) 1 21 == VA Independent Living Program [03] ---- (Did You Know?) 22 == VA Income Limits ---- (Calculating Income for Benefit’s Eligibility) 23 == VA Religious & Spiritual Symbols ---- (Policy Overhaul to Protect Religious Liberty) 23 == VA Cancer Policy [04] ---- (Atomic Vets) 24 == VA Urgent Care ---- (Private Sector Benefit Suggestion) 25 == VA Agent Orange Claims [09] ---- (VA's Plan to Provide Benefits to Those Eligible) 26 == VA Blue Water Claims [73] ---- (Wilkie Orders Pending Claim Stay until JAN 1 2020) 27 == VA Home Loan [67] ---- (Starting Jan. 1, 2020 Cap Limit Will be Removed) 27 == VAMC Kansas City [01] ---- (Wrongful Death Lawsuit) . * VETS * . 28 == GI Bill [288] ---- (Disabled Vet Student Loan Forgiveness Effort Advances) 29 == GI Bill [289] ---- (Cap on Benefit Transfer Option to Dependents Moved to JAN 2020) 30 == Vet IVF Benefit ---- (In Vitro Fertilization Is Being Hobbled By Anti-Abortion Forces) 31 == Vet Suicide [35] ---- (Insomnia Impact) 33 == Vet Charity Watch [66] ---- (Put Vets First! Organization Disbanded) 34 == Vet Q&A ---- (What is the best way to locate veterans you served with?) 36 == Vet Poll ---- (Views on Iraq/Afghanistan Wars & Syria Involvement) 37 == PTSD Treatment | SGB [01] ---- (MOH Recipient Dakota Meyer Fundraising Campaign) 38 == WWII Vets 197 ---- (Pete DuPre | U.S Women's National Team Supporter) 39 == Did You Know? ---- (FL Driver License | UHL Youth Support | VA Housebound Support) 39 == Vet Jobs [246] ---- (10 Most Common Interview Questions) 41 == Vet Jobs [247] ---- (How to Write a Career Summary) 42 == Obit: H. Ross Perot ---- (9 Jul 2019 | Texas Billionaire and Navy Veteran) 44 == Obit: Joseph Iscovitz ---- (9 JUL 2019 | 103 Year Old Pearl Harbor Survivor) 45 == Obit: Rip Torn ---- (9 JUL 2019 | Korean War Vet & Actor) 47 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled As of 16 JUL 2019) 47 == Military Retirees & Veterans Events Schedule ---- (As of 16 JUL 2019) 48 == Vet State Benefits ---- (Missouri | 2019) . * VET LEGISLATION * . 48 == Toxic Exposure Documentation ---- (H.R.2617 | OATH Act) 49 == Vet Student Loans [07] ---- (H.R.___/S.2049 | FREED Vets Act for Disabled Vets) 50 == Medicare for All ---- (H.R.1384/S.1129 | Medicare for All Act of 2019 51 == VA SAH [10] ---- (H.R.3504/S.2022 | SAH Improvement Act of 2019) 52 == Vet Housing [15] ---- (H.R.1988/S.1749 | Protecting Affordable Mortgages for Vets Act) 52 == Vet Suicide [34] ---- (S.___ | Speed Act) . * MILITARY* . 52 == Military Immigrant Enlistment [06] ---- (New Policies Could Result in Deportations) 54 == Military Justice | Gallagher [01] ---- (Sentenced for Posing With Dead Detainee) 55 == Military Justice | Bergdahl ---- (Appeal Case Opened based on Trump’s Negative Comments) 56 == Relicensing Fee Reimbursement ---- (All Military Spouses Can Now Apply) 57 == Dietary Guidelines ---- (Mandatory Keto Diet May Enhance Military Performance) 59 == USS Gerald A. Ford [14] ---- (Inop Elevators a Black Eye for the Navy) 60 == Submarine Incident ---- (Russian Navy Deep-Sea Submersible Fire Kills 14) 61 == USCG Academy ---- (Unwanted Sexual Contact Reports Up) 2 62 == USS Stethem ---- (DDG-63 Returning Stateside After 14-Year Deployment with 7th Fleet) 63 == Army Recruiting [11] ---- (Recruits Can Get $40K Bonuses for Going Infantry) 64 == Army Recruiting [12] ---- (Would Lowering the Age Fix Military’s Recruiting Worries?) 65 == Pennsylvania National Guard ---- (New Dependent Education Benefit State Law) 66 == Navy Terminology, Jargon & Slang ---- (‘CBDR’ thru ‘CHOP’) 67 == Military Life ---- (Understanding Common Traditions and Customs) 68 == Military Consumers [01] ---- (4 Tips to Find Businesses You Can Trust) . * MILITARY HISTORY * . 69 == Battle of Kursk ---- (Facts About the Battle and Its Outcome) 71 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (16 thru 31 JUL) 71 == Every Picture Tells A Story ---- (Recovered Jap Nakajima B5N) 71 == Pacific Coast Garrison Monument ---- (Dedicated on Memorial Day 1897) 72 == Post WWII Photos ---- (Munchengdbach Cathedral Stands) 73 == Battle of the Coral Sea ---- (First Significant Clash between Aircraft Carrier Forces in History) 73 == WWII Bomber Nose Art [34] ---- (Peace on Earth) 73 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (Shizuya Hayashi | WWII) . * HEALTH CARE * . 75 == Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Lawsuit ---- (44 States | Scheme to Inflate Generic Drug Prices) 76 == TFL Enrollment [01] ---- (18 JUL Webinar Will Answer All Your Questions) 76 == Medicare for All [01] ---- (Eliminating Private Insurance | Differing Opinions) 78 == Opioid Addiction [06] ---- (Risk Factors | Incarceration &Falling Incomes) 70 == Eye Shingles ---- (All 50+ Adults Need Shingles Vaccine Shingrix) 80 == Parkinson’s Disease [04] ---- (Symptoms, Outlook, & Treatment) 82 == Cancer Q&A ---- (190701 thru 190715) 84 == Varicoceles ---- (Scrotum Varicose Veins | Prevalence & Treatment) 85 == Thyroid Disease [02] ---- (RAI Treatment Study Reveals Death Risk from Cancer) 86 == PTSD Treatment | iTBS ---- (Study Found it Helped Ease PTSD Symptoms) 87 == TRICARE Podcast 509 ---- (Water Safety) 88 == TRICARE Podcast 510 ---- (TRICARE Facebook Event - Disaster Plan - Traveling Overseas) . * FINANCES * . 89 == Amusement Park Military Discounts ---- (2019 Offers) 91 == VA Home Loan Lies ---- (7 Sneaky Ones) 92 == Career Jobs [01] ---- (10 U.S. Fields that Are Disappearing the Fastest) 94 == Vapor Taxes ---- (How High Are They in Your State) 95 == Social Security Q & A ---- (190701 thru 190715) 96 == Tech Support Scam 3 ---- (Fools with Phony Caller ID) 97 == Package Delivery Scam ---- (Phony Unable to Deliver Messages) 97 == Appliance Repair Scam ---- (Fridge Broken? Be Careful When Calling For Repairs) 98 == Tax Burden for New York Retired Vets ---- (As of JUL 2019) . * GENERAL INTEREST * . 100 == Notes of Interest ---- (01 thru 15 July 2019) 101 == Trump July 4th Airshow ---- (Watch the Aircraft that Flew) 3 103 == Iran Tensions [05] ---- (Israel Making Intervention Preps if Clash Occurs) 103 == Retirement Location ---- (Signs You Did Not Make the Right Decision) 105 == Retirement Planning (20) ---- (Average Annual Expenses) 106 == Robocalls ---- (BBB Tip: How to Spot and Stop Robocalls) 107 == French Navy ---- (1st Barracuda-Class Nuclear Sub Launched) 108 == National External Debt ---- (Countries With the Most) 109 == Memories ---- (McDonald’s Menu 1970’s) 109 == Vaseline ---- (9 Everyday Problems You Can Solve With It) 111== Car Selling ---- (Suggestions on How to Get Top Dollar) 112 == Interesting Idea ---- (Stop Cables From Falling Behind Desk!) 112 == One Word Essays ---- (Caring) 112 == Have You Heard? ---- (Coal Miners | God’s Aging Plan | Keep Those Grey Cells Active - 01) 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]. 3. Recipients of the Bulletin are authorized and encouraged to forward the Bulletin to other vets or veteran organizations. * ATTACHMENTS * . Attachment – Missouri Vet State Benefits Attachment – Military History Anniversaries 16 thru 31 JUL (Updated) Attachment – Trial by Fire in the Coral Sea * DoD * SBP DIC Offset Update 60 ► Fight for Widows Tax Repeal Turns to the House A long-shot attempt to repeal the widows’ tax may have failed in the Senate on 27 JUN, but there is still reason to hope – the House could include an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act that would repeal this unfair policy that short-changes more than 65,000 military widows across our country. The Military Officers Association of America needs your help in this fight. Please click here to tell your members of Congress, telling them to approve an amendment and repeal the so-called widows’ tax. “As a nation we have broken a contract with these widows,” MOAA President and CEO Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins, USAF (Ret), said. “And while more than 350 members of the House of Representatives have said it’s time to put an end to this offset, a political stalemate over funding could derail our best efforts again. Congress, on multiple occasions, has found the resources in the past to address these types of problems – let’s find a solution that once and for all