RAO BULLETIN 14 February 2018 PDF Edition THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES Pg Article Subject . * DOD * . 05 == Climate Change [03] ---- (Impact on U.S. Military Sites) 05== BRAC [61] ---- (Pentagon Skips Annual Request This Year) 06 == Commissary Funding [30] ---- (Falling Sales | Will The Benefit Survive?) 08 == Pentagon Personnel Policy [02] ---- (Harassing Behavior/Offensive Jokes Banned) 08 == Defense Budget 2019 ---- (MOAA's 5 Expectations) 09 == Pentagon Exoneration ---- (Afgan War Crime Vets Wrongly Accused) 10 == Pentagon Officials ---- (Increased Misconduct Case Rejection Concerns) 11 == Afghanistan War [04] ---- (Pentagon: Gag Order on Afghan Data Was A Mistake) 13 == Afghanistan War [05] ---- (Pentagon: War Costing US $45 Billion Annually) 13 == DoD Lawsuit ~ V-22 Osprey ---- (Denied) 14 == Non-deployable Troops ---- (Separation Policy Under Review) 16 == VVMF In Memory Program ---- (Applications Due 9 MAR 2018) 17 == DoD Fraud, Waste, & Abuse ---- (Reported 01 thru 14 FEB 2018) 19 == POW/MIA Recoveries ---- (Reported 01 thru 14 FEB 2018 | Eleven) 1 . * VA * . 21 == VA Caregiver Program [48] ---- (Program Expansion Cost vs. Savings) 22 == VA Claim Fast Tract System ---- (Speeds Up Process) 23 == VA Whistleblowers [54] ---- (Inside Trump's New VA Office) 25 == Vet Predatory Loans [01] ----(Churning | Nine Lenders Warned) 27 == VA HUD-VASH [06] ---- (FY 2018 Program Funding Intact) 28 == VA Accountability [51] ---- (Trump Did Not Exaggerate Figures on Dismissals) 29 == VA Accountability [52] ---- (More Proposed Firings, Fewer Settlements Seen) 31 == VA Performance [12] ---- (Steps Taken to Raise Lowest VAMC Facility Ratings) 31 == VA Loans ---- (Time in Service Requirement) 32 == VA Welcome Kit ---- (Launched to Guide Veterans to the Benefits/Services They’ve Earned) 33 == VA TECS Program ---- (Criticized As Subpar for Eye Care) 34 == VA EHR [11] ---- ($2 Billion Blown in Modernization Attempts) 35 == VA Claim Filing [10] ----- (Ensuring Maximum Entitlement Receipt) 37 == PTSD [240] ---- (White House Opposed to VA Marijuana Treatment Research) 39 == PTSD [241] ---- (Vet With PTSD Convicted of Wife's Unintentional Murder) 40 == VA Vet Choice [69] ---- (The Time For Congress to Act Is Now) 41 == VA Lawsuit | Kirk~Luke ---- (Therapist Sexual Advances) 41 == VA Lawsuit | Williamson~Michael ---- (Home Health Care Stopped After 17 Years) 42 == VA Fraud, Waste & Abuse ---- (Reported 01 thru 14 FEB 2018) 45 == VA OPC Norfolk NE ---- (Unauthorized Waiting List) 46 == VAMC Bedford MA [02] ---- ($1M Fraud Exposed by Whistleblower) 47 == VAMC Orlando FL [09] ---- (Substandard Care Complaints) . * VETS * . 48 == Green Alerts ---- (Missing Vulnerable Veterans Location System) 48 == Obit | Beatty~Dale ---- (12 FEB 2018) 49 == GI Bill [248] ---- (Things the 'Forever' Bill Will Do for Vets) 51 == Vet Housing [13] ---- (Oregon to Fund 71 New Affordable Homes) 52 == Vet Service Dogs [23] ---- (American Airlines Settles Lawsuit) 53 == Vet Service Dogs [24] ---- (Eviction Over Dogs Leads to Vet Death) 53 == Vet Unemployment [14] ---- (Below 4% For The First Time on Record) 54 == Vietnam Vets [27] ---- (John Canley | MOH Nominee) 55 == Vet Jobs [229] ---- (Best Places to Work in 2018) 55 == Vet Mental Health Care ---- (NASEM Report on OEF/OIF/OND Vet Needs) 57 == National Recreation Therapy Recreation Month ---- (February) 57 == AFL Q&A 18 & 19 ---- (Camp Lejeune Claim & VA Housing Certificate) 58 == Retiree Appreciation Days ---- (Scheduled As of 15 FEB 2018) 59 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled As of 15 FEB 2018) 59 == Veteran's State Benefits & Discounts ---- (Pennsylvania | FEB 2018) . * VET LEGISLATION* . 60 == Military Death Benefits [01] ---- (H.R.1928 | Families of Fallen Service Members) 60 == Claims and Appeals [01] ---- (H.R.506 | Vet Financial Protection Legislation) 61 == Vet Gun Control [14] ---- (S.2386 | A Bill to Provide Vet Protections) 61 == Homeless Vets [85] ---- (H.R.4099 | Homeless Veteran Families Act) 2 62 == Transition Assistance Program [03] ---- (H.R.4954 | TAP Reform) 63 == VA Burial Benefits [43] ---- (S.2372 | Veterans Cemetery Benefit Correction Act) 63 == Military Spouse Employment [04] ---- (S.2379 | Military Spouse Employment Act) 65 == VA Debt Billing Policy [02] ---- (S.2341 | Vet Debt Fairness Act of 2018) . * MILITARY* . 65 == Army Recruiting [05] ---- ($5,000 Bonus for College Sophomores) 66 == Air Force T-6 Trainer ---- (Grounded After Pilot Hypoxia Incidents) 67 == USS Gerald A. Ford [09] ---- (Six Year Shock Testing Delay Requested) 67 == MAVNI Program [05] ---- (Troops & Vets Now 'Protected' From Deportation) 68 == USCG Icebreakers [04] ---- (Polar Star Completes Mission Despite Challenges) 69 == ACTUV [03] ---- (Unmanned Warship Expanding Role) 70 == USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) [01] ---- (Acceptance Trials Completed) 70 == Military Tattoo Criteria [11] ---- (Marine Corps Commandant's Position) 71 == Destroyer Collisions [03] ---- (Personnel Charges/Reprimands Announced) 72 == Destroyer Collisions [04] ---- (Military Justice Process) 74 == Military Berets ---- (Use Is A Relatively Recent Phenomenon) 76 == Hooah! ---- (Where Did The Term Come From?) 78 == West Point [02] ---- (10 Ways to Improve Your Chance of Getting In) 80 == Beards In Uniform [02] ---- (Army Senior Enlisted Adviser Opinion) 81 == Swearing ---- (Turns Out It is F**king Good For You) 82 == Warships That Will Change The Future ---- (Dixmude) 82 == Overseas Troops ---- (Capt. Rebecca Bergstedt) . * MILITARY HISTORY* . 82 == Tet Offensive [02] ---- (The First 36 Hours) 82 == WWII Marines At Sea ---- (Bravery, Discipline, and Very Long Journeys) 84 == Siege of Bien Hoa Air Base ---- (Pilots Scrambled to Bomb Own Base) 86 == Berlin Wall ---- (Its Fall | And Let There be Light) 88 == USS Pueblo [04] ---- (Crewmembers Perspective After 50 Years) 89 == WWI African-American Troops ---- (Fought To Fight) 91 == Realities Of War ---- (WWII Pilot Shares Experiences) 93 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (15 thru 28 FEB) 93 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (Garman~Harold A | WWII) . * HEALTH CARE* . 94 == Overseas Pharmacy ---- (Is it Safe?) 95 == Seasonal Affective Disorder [02] ---- (Coping With Winter Depression) 96 == Nursing Homes [13] ---- (Hazardous Conditions Are Common) 96 == TRICARE Medication Adherence Pilot Program ---- (Diabetes & Cholesterol Drugs) 97 == Tricare/CHAMPUS Fraud [17] ---- ($20M Bilked by Ex-NFL Player) 98 == Medicare ID Cards ---- (What You Must Know About the New Card) 100 == Sleep [06] ---- (Alzheimer’s Disease & Sleep Apnea) 100 == Atrial Fibrillation ---- (What It is) 101 == TRICARE Podcast 435 ---- (Maintenance Drugs | Heart Health Months) 102 ==TRICARE Podcast 436 ---- (West Region Transition - TRICARE.mil Website - Dental Care) 3 . * FINANCIAL * . 104 == IRS VITA Program 2018 ---- (Free 2017 Tax Filing Assistance) 105 == Divorce [01] ---- (Impact on Federal Benefits) 107 == Auto Loan GAP Insurance ---- (MLA Impact on Servicemembers Eligibility) 108 == U.S. Data Breaches ---- (179 Million Records Exposed in 2017) 109 == Drug Cost Increases [12] ---- (Big PhRMA Takes On State Legislators) 111 == VA Farm Loans ---- (How They Work) 111 == VA Home Loan [55] ---- (No Money Down Doesn't Mean Money Not Needed) 112 == Facebook Quiz Scam ---- (How it Works) 112 == Opioid Addiction Treatment Scam ---- (How To Avoid) 113 == Tax Burden for Arizona Retired Vets ---- (As of FEB 2018) . * GENERAL INTEREST * . 115 == Notes of Interest ---- (01 thru 14 FEB 2017) 116 == Presidential Pardon [01] ---- (Request for Former 1st Lt. Michael Behenna) 117 == GTMO Detainees [02] ---- (al-Qaida Terrorist Ahmed al Darbi) 119 == IRS Phone Calls ---- (Challenge of Responding to Callers) 121 == 911 Terrorists [01] ---- (Trump Sued Over Conditions In Federal Prison) 122 == Military Parades ---- (Trump Wants One - Many Do Not) 123 == RP~China Dispute [23] ---- (South China Sea Almost Conquered by China) 124 == Border Wall [03] ---- (How Effective Are Other Nation's Walls) 125 == Taiwan-China Dispute [03] ---- (U.S. Flag Removed from Government Websites) 126 == Brakes ---- (How Often Should They Be Replaced?) 127 == Flag Protests [01] ---- (AMVETS Public Service Announcement) 128 == DPRK~US War [04] ---- (Would Not Go According to Plan) 129 == DPRK~US War [05] ---- (Our Military Has Seen the Writing on the Wall) 131 == Where There's a Will, There's a Way ---- (10) 131 == Have You Heard? ---- (Importance of Walking | Six Tiny Stories) 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 - Pennsylvania Vet State Benefits & Discounts FEB 2018 Attachment - Military History Anniversaries 15 thru 28 FEB Attachment - Vietnam Tet Offensive TO READ and/or DOWNLOAD THE ABOVE ARTICLES, ATTACHMENTS, OR PAST BULLETINS GO Online To: -- http://www.nhc-ul.org/rao.html (PDF Edition w/ATTACHMENTS) -- http://www.veteransresources.org (PDF & HTML Editions w/ATTACHMENTS) -- http://frabr245.org (PDF & HTML Editions in Word format) -- http://veteraninformationlinksasa.com/emos-rao.html (PDF & HTML Editions w/ATTACHMENTS) 4 * DoD * Climate Change Update 03 ► Impact on U.S. Military Sites Nearly half of U.S. military sites are threatened by wild weather linked to climate change, according to a Pentagon study whose findings run contrary to White House views on global warming.