RAO BULLETIN 1 April 2015 PDF Edition THIS BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES Pg Article Subject * DOD * . 04 == DoD 2016 Budget [01] ------------------------------ (2011 BCA Impact) 05 == Military Retirement System [18] --------------- (Proposed Alternative) 06 == DoD Sexual Abuse [20] --------------- (Male on Male Sexual Assault) 07 == Commissary Deli Closures ----------------------- (22 More in 12 States) 08 == Commissary Funding ----------- (Proposed $300M Cut | Death Spiral) 09 == AAFES Customer Satisfaction ----------- (Low | Tied with Wal-Mart) 11 == Sequestration [47] ------- (2016 Spending Plans | Keep Caps in Place) 12 == JIEDDO --------------------- (Fading into the Pentagon’s Bureaucracy) 13 == DoD Mobilized Reserve 10 MAR 2015 --- (24,417 | Decrease of 476) 14 == POW/MIA Recoveries ----------------- (Reported 150316 thru 150331) * VA * . 15 == VA In Vitro Fertilization [05] ----------- (Support Provisions of S.469) 16 == Agent Orange | C-123 Aircraft [10] -------------------- (Justice Denied) 16 == VA Vet Choice Program [10] -- (40 Mile Limit Calculation Changed) 17 == VA Vet Choice Program [11] ------------ (New Legislation Requested) 18 == VA Vet Choice Program [12] --- (Senate Bill Allows Under 40 miles) 19 == VA Rural Access [21] --------- (Overcoming Health Care Challenges) 19 == VA Medical Marijuana [12] -------- (Bill Gains Momentum in Senate) 20 == VA OIG [01] -------------------- (Watchdog Reports Disclosure Policy) 22 == VA Aid & Attendance [15] ------- (New Qualification Rule Proposed) 23 == VA Aid & Attendance [16] -------------------------------- (Not for Rent) 24 == TheWaitWeCarry.org - (Use to Post VA Experience Personal Stories) 25 == VA Golden Age Games -------- (Application Deadline May 15, 2015) 26 == VA Congressional Oversight [03] ------- (VA, Congress Trade Barbs) 27 == VA Congressional Oversight [04] -------------------------- (More Barbs) 1 28 == VA Health Care Eligibility ----------- (Net Worth No Longer a Factor) 28 == VA Claim Filing [04] ------- (New Laws Require Standard Form Use) 29 == VA Benefits --------------------------------------- (How to Apply Online) 31 == PTSD [187] ----------------------------------- (New Computational Tool) 32 == Agent Orange | C-123 Aircraft [09] ------- (No Timeline for Decision) 33 == VA Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ----------------------- (150316 thru 150332) 36 == VA Whistleblowers [21] ------- (Retaliation Fear Still Alive and Well) 37 == VA Whistleblowers [22] -------- (Montgomery CAVHCS Retaliation) 39 == VA Health Care Stories [10] ------- (3 Operations Led to Amputation) 40 == VA Health Care Stories [11] ----------- (Making Light of Vet’s Plight) 41 == VA Lawsuit | Kevin Hartbarger --------- (Continuity of Care | Suicide) 42 == VAMC West Los Angeles CA [13] ---- (90+ Day Wait Times Persist) 43 == VAMC Memphis TN [02] --------- (Performance Awards Questioned) 44 == VAMC Aurora CO [03] -- (New Hospital‘s Cost Escalates to $1.73B) 45 == VAMC Wilmington DE ------------ (Union Cites Sham Investigations) 47 == VA HCS Pittsburg ------- (COS Knew of Legionella Bacteria Hazard) 48 == VARO Philadelphia PA [04] ---------------------- (AIB Probe Initiated) * VETS * . 49 == Government Debt Limit -------------- (Impact on Vet’s Pay & Benefits) 50 == POW/MIA [55] ----------------------------------- (Punchbowl Unknowns) 52 == Vet Jobs [172] ------------------------------------- (Federal Hires in 2014) 53 == Arlington National Cemetery [51] ---------- (New Burial Site Planned) 54 == Agent Orange -------------------- (Ten Things Every Vet Should Know) 56 == Stolen Valor ------------------------------ (Reported 150315 thru 150331) 58 == Texas Veteran Tuition [02] -------- (Vets' Ed Benefit Costs Too Much) 59 == Veterans Memorial Palmerton PA ---------- (New All Wars Memorial) 60 == OBIT | Binnicker~James ---------------------------------- (21 MAR 2015) 61 == OBIT | Robert Hite ----------------------------------------- (29 MAR 2015) 62 == Retiree Appreciation Days -------------------------- (As of 29 Mar 2015) 63 == Veterans Vision Project [02] -------------------------- (Corporal, USMC) 63 == Vet Hiring Fairs ------------------------------------- (01 thru 30 Apr 2015) 64 == WWII Vets [83] -------------------------------------------- (Irwin Stovroff) 65 == America's Most Beloved Vets ------ (Operation Enduring Freedom (1) 66 == Vet State Benefits & Discounts --------------------- (New Mexico 2015) * VET LEGISLATION * . 66 == Long-Term Care for Vets [02] ------------------- (Reduce Red Tape Bill) 67 == Vet Jobs [171] ------------ (BRAVE Act | Boost Vet Employment Rate) 67 == Filipino Vet Inequities [29] ---- (Exempt Vet Children from Visa Caps) 68 == Federal Employee Bonuses - (S.841 | Stop/Repay for Illegal Activities) 69 == TRICARE Prime [32] ---- (Chance for Retirees to Reenroll | H.R.1500) 69 == VA Mental Health Care [28] --- (Remove Distance/Wait Time Criteria) 70 == VA Budget Plan of Action --------- (Long-Term Planning Bill H.R.216) 71 == Vet Bills Submitted to 114th Congress -------------- (150316 to 150331) * MILITARY * . 75 == Women in Service --------------- (All Military Jobs Will Open by 2016) 2 75 == USS John P. Murtha --------------------------------- (Controversial Name) 76 77 == PKG ----------------------------------- ('Dumb' 155mm Rounds Get Smart) 78 == USMC Air Station Futenma -------------- (Relocation Work Suspended) 79 == Medal of Honor Citations -------------------- (Fritz~Harold A | Vietnam) * MILITARY HISTORY * . 82 == Aviation Art ----------------------------------------- (Slowing the Red tide) 82 == Iwo Jima Survivors [01] -------------------- (Through a Survivor’s Eyes) 84 == WWII WAVES -------------- (20 Year Oral History Project Completed) 85 == Military Trivia [103] ---------------- (Battle of New Orleans Relevance) 87 == Military History -------------------------------- (WWII Task Force Baum) 87 == Vietnam at 50 ------------- (The 'Troubled Vet' | The Lingering Stigma) 90 == D-Day ---------------------------------- (USS Nevada Fire Support 6 JUN) 90 == WWII Prewar Events ---- (Nuremberg “Day of Community" Sep 1938) 91 == WWII PostWar Events --- (Hermann Goering's private loot May 1945) 91 == Spanish American War Images 21 ------ (3rd Wisconsin Volunteer Bn) 91 == Military History Anniversaries --------------------------- (01 thru 30 Apr) 92 == WWI in Photos 123 ------------------ (Here Rest Brave French Warriors) 92 == Faces of WAR (WWII) -------------- (Franklin D. Roosevelt JAN 1942) * HEALTH CARE * . 93 == Medicare Reimbursement Rates 2015 [01] ----- (Bill Moves to Senate) 94 == Tricare Vision Benefits [02] ---------------------------- (Emergency Care) 95 == Tricare Choice [02] --------------------------------- (What's in it for you?) 97 == Tricare Choice [03] -------------------------------------------------- (Q & A) 98 == Tricare Choice [04] ----- (No Consensus in HASC Hearing Testimony) 100 == TRICARE Pharmacy Policy [21] --------- (Some Pain Killers Dropped) 101 == Sinusitis [02] ------------------------------------- (Treating Acute Sinusitis) * FINANCES * . 103 == Bank Fees [02] ----------------------------------- (Tired of Paying, Switch) 104 == Premera Blue Cross Data Breach ----- (11 Million Americans Exposed) 105 == Bureau of Defaulters Scam -------------------------------- (How it Works) 106 == Malicious Tagging Scam --------------------------------- (How it Works) 107 == Tax Burden for Rhode Island Retired Vets ------------ (As of Mar 2015) 108 == Tax Burden for Washington DC Residents ------------ (As of Mar 2015) 109 == Thrift Savings Plan 2015 ----------- (Share Prices + YTD Gain or Loss) * GENERAL INTEREST * . 110 == Notes of Interest ------------------------------------ (16 thru 31 Mar 2015) 112 == Terror Attacks ----------------------------- (Pack a New Emergency Bag) 113 == Radio Shack --- (Attempting to Sell Customer Data to Highest Bidder) 114 == Powdered Alcohol ---------------- (Sale of Palcohol Approved by TTD) 115 == FOIA -------------------------------------------------------------- (What it Is) 117 == FOIA [01] ----------------------- (White House Sets Record on Refusals) 118 == Retail Store Closures --------------------------- (1600+ Planned for 2015) 119 == WWII Ads ------------------------------------------------ (Coca-Cola 1944) 3 120 == Photos That Say it All --------------------------------- (A Day at the Park) 120 == Normandy Then & Now -------- (Juno Beach Near Bernieres-sur-Mer) 120 == Have You Heard? --------------------------------------------- (Persimmons) 121 == They Grew Up to Be? ------------- (Jurnee Smollett (Full house 1990’s) 121 == Interesting Inventions ---------------------------------- (Independent Kids) 121 == Moments in US History ------------- (Last Florida Civil War Vet 1955) 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 29 Mar 2015 Attachment – New Mexico Vet State Benefits & Discounts Feb 2015 Attachment - Military History | WWII Task Force Baum Attachment - Military History Anniversaries 1 thru 30 APR Attachment - Retiree Activity\Appreciation Days (RAD) Schedule as of 29 Mar 2015 * DoD * DoD 2016 Budget Update 01 ► 2011 BCA Impact As expected, both the House and Senate acted on their respective budget resolutions in late MAR. On 25 MAR the House adopted a budget that would cut $5.5 trillion in