RAO BULLETIN 15 July 2017 PDF Edition All Hands: I anticipate moving 29 & 30 JUL and it is likely I will not have time to publish the 1 AUG Bulletin or at best a delayed one. Hopefully, now that I have reached age 77, this will be my last move FOREVER! Lt. James "EMO" Tichacek, USN (Ret) Editor/Publisher RAO Bulletin THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES Pg Article Subject . * DOD * . 04 == NDAA 2018 ------------------------------------- (House $631B | Senate $700B) 05 == NDAA 2018 [01] -------------------------------------------- (Civilian Workforce) 06 == NDAA 2018 [02] ------------------------------------- (Valor Awards Retention) 06 == NDAA 2018 [03] ------------------------------------- (TRICARE Fee Increases) 07 == NDAA 2018 [04] ----- (Transgender-Related Medical Treatment Funding) 1 07 == NDAA 2018 [05] ------------------------------------------------------ (BRAC Ban) 08 == Transgender Troops [06] ------------ (Enlistment Plan Opposed by House) 09 == Recruiting Non-citizens [02] ------ (Opposition to Contract Cancellations) 09 == Exchange Online Shopping [11] -------------------------- (Beta Test Results) 11 == DoD Budget 2018 [05] ----------------- (Congress Divided on Pay & BAH) 12 == Project 112 & SHAD [09] ----------------- (What Happened - Who Suffered?) 13 == DoD Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ------------------ (Reported 1 thru 15 JUL 2017) 15 == Pentagon Spending ------------------------- ( $33.6 Billion In Missed Savings) 15 == POW/MIA Recoveries ------------- (Reported 1 thru 15 JUL 2017 | Eighteen) . * VA * . 20 == VA Caregiver Program [43] -------------------- (DAV Unsung Hero Initiative) 21 == Gulf War Syndrome [41] ------------------------------------- (Claim Denial Rate) 21 == VA Vet Choice Program [55] ---------------- (Congress Running Out of Time) 22 == VA Prosthetics [17] -------------------- ( First 2 Vets Receive 'LUKE' Arms) 23 == VA Cancer Policy [03] ----- (Bile Duct | Vietnam Liver Fluke Worm Link) 24 == Fisher House Expansion [18] ---------------------------------------- (Bronx NY) 25 == VA Hospice Care [05] ----=----- (Increased Care Campaign Showing Results) 26 == VA Adverse Employee Actions ------- ( New Weekly Accountability Report) 27 == GI Bill [232] ------------------------------ (Recruitment Impact From Changes) 29 == VA Did You Know - (Death Confirmation | Ferry Rides | Separation Pay) 29 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ------------------ (Reported 1 thru 15 JUL 2017) . * Vets * . 31 == GI Bill [233] ---- (Reform Bill Receives Initial Congressional Agreement) 32 == Burn Pit Toxic Exposure [44] --------------------- (Lawsuit Ruling Pending) 34 == Medicaid Eligible Vets [05] ----------------- (GOP Health Care Bill Impact) 35 == Vet Jobs [224] ----------------------------- (Veterans Innovation Partnership) 36 == Massachusetts Vet Bonus [05] ------------------------- (OTH Vet's Lawsuit) 37 == Taps [03] ---------------------------- (Vet Faces $300 Fine for Daily Playing) 37 == Vet Cemetery Arkansas [04] ----------------- ( Fayetteville Land Donation) 38 == AFL Q & A -------------------------------------------------------- (Death Benefits) 39 == Retiree Appreciation Days --------------------------------- (As of 15 JUL 2017) 39 == Vet Hiring Fairs ------------------------------------ (16 JUL thru 15 AUG 2017) 41 == Vet State Benefits & Discounts ------------------------------ (Maine JUL 2017) * Vet Legislation * . 42 == VA Health Care Access [53]------------------------- (Serve Veterans First Act) 42 == VA Appeals Backlog [09] ---- (Appeals Improvement & Modernization Act) 43 == Military Retirement Pay [08] ----- (HR 3011 | Survivor Pay Upon Death) 43 == VA Caregiver Program [44] - (S.591/HR1472 | Expand Caregiver Benefits) 44 == GI Bill [234] -------------------------------- (Lifetime Benefit for New Recruits) 45 == VA Nursing Home Care --- (S.683 | Keeping Our Commitment to DAV Act) . * MILITARY * . 46 == USAF MQ-9 Reaper --------------------- (First Successful Combat Mission) 2 46 == USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) [01] -- (CO temporarily relieved of command) 47 == Award Devices [01] ------------------------------ (C & R Criteria Announced) 48 == Department of the Navy ---------------------------- (Name Change Proposed) 48 == Navy Lingo ------------------------ (19 Terms Only Sailors Will Understand) 50 == Navy Fleet Size [04] ------------------------------ (Smaller Carriers Proposed) 50 == Army Hydrogen Fueled Vehicles ------------------------------ (Testing Begun) 53 == KIA LCpl Joseph R. Giese ----------------------------------- (A Father's Grief) 53 == Navy Peacoat -------------------------------- (Will It Become Optional Attire) 54 == Recruiting Non-citizens [02] ----- (Opposition to Contract Cancellations) 54 == THAAD ---------------------------------------------- (14 of 14 Tests Successful) 55 == Military Recruiting [07] ----------------------------- (GI Bill Changes Impact) 57 == Trump 355 Ship Fleet [01] --------- (Navy Plans in Motion to Meet Goal) 59 == Trump 355 Ship Fleet [02] --- (Composition | Thinking Outside the Box) 59 == Navy Discipline --------------------------- (Confinement On Bread & Water) . * MILITARY HISTORY * . 61 == WWII Vets 105 ------------------------------------------------ (Cole~Richard 01) 62 == Maryland Vet Cemetery [03] -------------- (Loudon Park National Cemetery) 63 == China Submarine Program -- (Abacuses Used in Design of 1st Nuclear Sub) 64 == USS Laffey (DD-724) ---------------------------------- (Kamikaze Attack 1945) 64 == Abandoned Military Bases [02] ----------------------- (109th Iman Fortified) 64 == Insanely Daring Air Raids ---------------- (No. 2 | The Sinking Of the Tirpitz) 65 == Future of War ------------------------------------------ (Battle of Mosul's Impact) 66 == Civil War Soldier Heroism -------------------- (United States Colored Troops) 67 == Military History Anniversaries ---------------------------------- (16 thru 31July) 68 == Medal Of Honor Story ----------------------------- (Sal Guinta | Afghanistan) 68 == Medal of Honor Citations --------------------------(Eugene B Flukey | WWII) . * HEALTH CARE * . 71 == Heart Disease [03] ----------------------------------------------------------- (Men's) 72 == Flu Shots [10] ------------------ (Dissolving Microneedle Patch Alternative) 73 == Sleep Apnea [06] ------------------- (Don't Let It Steal Your Sweet Dreams) 74 == Biosensors --------------------------- (What's Your Body Trying to Tell You) 75 == Prostate Cancer [16] -------------------------- (Overdiagnosed and Overtreated) 76 == TRICARE Podcast 404 ------- (Prostrate Cancer | Child Obesity | Vitamin D) 77 == TRICARE Podcast 405 ---- (Updating DEERS | Oral Health | Heart Disease) . * FINANCES * . 79 == Linkedlin Scam ---------------------------------- (Bogus Connection Requests) 80 == Wi-Fi Scam ------------------------------------ (Beware Free Connection Offer) 80 == Debt Collection [12] -------------------- (Harassment | How to Deal with It) 82 == State Retirement Income Tax [01] -------- (North Carolina Senate Action) 82 == Medicare Coverage Rates --------------------------------------------------- (2017) 82 == Gig Economy -------------------- (A Means for Seniors to Available Funds) 83 == Credit Reports [08] ----------------- (Changes Will Help Some Consumers) 84 == Tax Burden for Rhode Island Retired Vets ------------------ (As of JUL2017) 3 . * GENERAL INTEREST * . 86 == Notes of Interest -------------------------------------------- (01 thru 15 JUL 2017) 87 == China Overseas Bases ---------------------- (First in Djibouti Being Manned) 88 == Battle of Mosul ----- (Victory Declaration | Iraqi Forces Brace for Future) 89 == Aging [01] ------------------------------------------------- (End of Life Decisions) 90 == Grocery Stores -------------------------- (Things You Should Not Buy There) 92 == Driving Tickets ------------------------------------------- (Car Insurance Impact) 94 == Toilets ------------------------------------------- (One Way to Deal with Stench) 94 == GTMO Detainees --------------- (Omar Khadr | Awarded $8M in Lawsuit) 95 == Coca Cola [02] --------------------------------- (23 more ways It Can Be Used) 97 == PRK Nuclear Weapons [12] --------------------------- (Cost Impact on Troops) 98 == PRK Nuclear Weapons [13] ---------------------- (First Successful ICBM Test) 99 == Garage Door Billboards --------------------------- (Making Yours Stand Out (5) 100 == Have You Heard? - (Old Man, Boy & Donkey | Dr. Young vs Dr. Geezer) 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 - Maine Vet State Benefits & Discounts JUL 2017 Attachment - Military History Anniversaries 16 thru 31 July Attachment - Mosul's Impact On the Future of War * DoD * NDAA 2018 ► House $631B | Senate $700B The House and Senate Armed Services Committees convened this in late JUN to markup their respective versions of the FY18 NDAA. The House version was approved 60-1 after almost 14 hours of debate, and authorizes funds for a base budget requirement of $631 billion, including a $28.5 billion increase for essential readiness recovery above the president’s budget request. Included in the House version are provisions that address quality of life and retention issues, such as: A 2.4 percent pay increase for service members; 4 A prohibition against the closing of military medical