RAO BULLETIN 1 January 2020

[boardman]

RAO BULLETIN
1 January 2020

HTML/PDF Editions
THIS RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES
Pg Article Subject
. * DOD * .
04 == NDAA 2020 [28] ---- (Senate Passed 86-6 & President Signed)
05 == U.S. Space Force [14] ---- (6th Military Branch Becomes Official)
06 == Other Than Honorable Discharge [15] ---- (Will get Final Pentagon Review)
07 == COLA 2020 ---- (Dod Releases New Rates)
08 == Trump Impeachment ---- (Black Sea Patrols Never Cancelled)
08 == POW/MIA Recoveries & Burials ---- (Reported 16 thru 31 DEC 2019 | Nine)
. * VA * .
10 == VA Presumptive AO Diseases [28] ---- (Congress Wants VA Plan for Adding Diseases to List)
11 == VA Vet Choice [85] ---- (Budget Deal Advances Private Care Program)
12 == VA Financial Management System [01] ---- (Special Counsel Reveals $223 Million Wasted)
13 == VA Guam Care [03] ---- (For Island Vets, Benefits Are a 4,000-Mile Plane Ride Away)
14 == VA Direct Deposit [02] ---- (New Options for Veterans, Beneficiaries Introduced)
15 == VA Dental Benefits [04] ---- (New Pilot Program Pending Congressional Approval)
16 == VA Physician Accountability ---- (Senate Bill would Enhance Vet Care)
16 == VA Employment [08] ---- (More than 49,000 Positions are Vacant)
. * VETS * .
17 == Vet Service Dogs [26] ---- (Bill Would cover Vets w/PTSD)
18 == Other Than Honorable Discharge [16] ---- (Vets Help their Fellows Overturn Bad Discharges)
19 == Burn Pit Toxic Exposure [74] ---- (Effort to Submit a Presumptive Exposure Bill)
20 == WWII Vets [213] ---- (John Biddle | AAF Engineer-gunner & POW)
21 == WWII Vets [214] ---- (Leroy P. Baker | Battle of the Bulge Veteran)
22 == Diary of A Sargent --- (Amputee Harold Russell’s Training Film)
23 == Korean War Vets ---- (William E. Barber | Medal of Honor Recipient)
25 == Vet Hiring Fairs ---- (Scheduled as of 31 DEC 2019)
26 == Military Retirees & Veterans Events Schedule ---- (As of 31 DEC 2019)
26 == Veteran State Benefits ---- (New Jersey 2019)
. * VET LEGISLATION * .
27 == VA Physician Qualifications [04] ---- (S.3041 | VHA Caregiver Retention & Eligibility Determination)
28 == Veterans Legacy Program [01] ---- (S.3058 | Veterans Legacy Program Grants)
29 == Afghanistan Bonus ---- (S.J. Res 12 | AFGHAN Service Act}
. * MILITARY* .
30 == Burn Pit Toxic Exposure [73] ---- (Congress Wants Pentagon Plan to Shut Them All Down)
31 == USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) [02] ---- (Launched | Next Construction Phase to Take 30 Months)
32 == USAF Drones [01] ---- (Low Cost ISR Platform ‘Ultra LEAP’)
33 == Military Pay & Benefits [07| ---- (Are Troops Getting Paid too Much?)
34 == Commissary & Exchange [02] ---- (Authorized User Expansion Guidelines for 1 JAN)
35 == Navy Fleet Size [19] ---- (Navy to Slash 24 Ships in 2021 Plan)
36 == Navy Pilots ---- (In-flight Urination)
37 == Navy LCS Program [05] ---- (NDAA Limited Fleet to 35 Total)
38 == Military Stalking ---- (40% of Study Respondents Report Experiencing Incidents)
38 == Military Blast Exposure ---- (Pentagon Directs Inclusion in Troop’s Medical Histories)
39 == Military Proposed Weaponry [04] ---- (Project Pluto)
40 == Navy Terminology, Jargon & Slang ---- (‘Fantail’ thru ‘First Lieutenant’)
. * MILITARY HISTORY * .
41 == Operation Magic Carpet [01] ---- (Undertaking to Get WWII Vets Home for the Holidays)
41 == Aerial Combat Risks ---- (Gunner Survives 18,000 feet Parachute-less Jump)
42 == Remember Museum 39-45 ---- ('It IS not to forget them')
44 == Battle of Heligoland Bight ---- (Amongst the Most Important Actions of the Entire WWII)
45 == Admiral Graf Spee Scuttled ---- (18 December 1939)
46 == Battle of the Bulge [01] ---- (Army Platoon’s ‘Last-Ditch Stand’)
48 == Cobra Helicopter ---- (First Purpose-built Helo to Enter Military Service)
48 == Pearl Harbor Remembrance ---- (Survivor Relates His WWII Odyssey)
50 == Military History Anniversaries ---- (01 thru 15 JAN)
50 == MOH Awards [16] ---- (Can be Earned for Multiple Acts over Time)
51 == WWII Bomber Nose Art [45] ---- (Ruby’s Raiders)
52 == Medal of Honor Citations ---- (Leander Herron | Indian Wars)
. * HEALTH CARE * .
54 == Medicare Hospital Coverage [04] ---- (Inpatient vs. Outpatient | If You Have It– Ask!!!)

55 == Mammograms [03] ---- (3-D Screening under TRICARE Policy Change)
56 == Cancer | Bile Duct [01] ---- (Call for VA Study to Focus on Cancer Linked to Parasite)
57 == Epilepsy [01] ---- (What to Do if Someone Has an Epileptic Seizure)
58 == Diarrhea [01] --- (3+ Very Loose or Liquid Bowel Movements within 24 Hours)
60 == Peripheral Artery Disease ---- (VA Study Finds New Genetic Markers for PAD)
61 == TRICARE Podcast 532 ---- (Breast Cancer Screenings - Reporting TRICARE Fraud - Qualifying Life Events)
62 == TRICARE Podcast 533 ---- (MHS Nurse Advice Line – Emergency/Nonemergency Care – Pharmacy) Copay)
63 == TRICARE Podcast 534 ---- (Keep DEERS Up-to-Date - Expanded Coverage - Gaining or Losing OHI)
. * FINANCES * .
65 == Retirement Tax Credit [01] ---- (A Little-Known Federal Tax Credit)
65 == State Taxation [01] ---- (2020 Changes)
66 == IRAs [04] ---- (Secure Act Impact)
67 == Mortgage [12] ---- (Should You Pay It Off)
68 == Retirement Expenses ---- (11 Costs Many Forget to Figure into their Financial Calculations)
70 == Credit Card Destruction [01] ---- (How to Dispose of Chip Credit Cards)
71 == Car Insurance [21] ---- (Why Car Insurance Premiums Vary by State)
72 == Free Child Safety Kit Scam ---- (May Be ID Theft Trick)
73 == Public Charging Station Scam ---- (Juice Jacking)
74 == FTC Letter Scam ---- (Federal Trade Commission Fake Correspondence)
75 == Tax Burden for Virginia Retired Vets ---- (As of DEC 2019)
. * GENERAL INTEREST * .
77 == Notes of Interest ---- (16 thru 31 December 2019)
78 == U.S. Embassy Manila Outreach ---- (Tentatively Scheduled for 16/17 JAN 2020)
78 == Trump Border Wall [04] ---- (Federal Court Ruling Halts Construction)
70 == Afghan Peace Talks [06] ---- (Taliban Aiming for an 'Inclusive' Government)
80 == Trump Afghanistan Strategy [04] ---- (Private Meetings with Enlisted Troops)
81== Pentagon History ---- (Did You Know?)
83 == Nuclear Waste [02] ---- (Congress Directs Repairs to Nuclear Waste 'Coffin')
84 == Homeowners Insurance [14] ---- (Coverage for Your House and Personal Possessions)
87 == Robocalls [01] ---- (S.151 Will Reduce the Number you Receive)
87 == Army vs. Navy ---- (Spirit Videos)
88 == Book Review: With the Old Breed ---- (At Peleliu and Okinawa)
90 == Sleep [12] ---- (Study Finds Habits Predict Mortality)
90 == Interesting Inventions ---- (Table Tennis Door)
90 == Have You Heard? ---- (Military Humor 10 | Dead Penguins | Jewish Humor)
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 raoemo@sbcglobal.net.
3. Recipients of the Bulletin are authorized and encouraged to forward the Bulletin to other vets or veteran organizations.
. * ATTACHMENTS * .
Attachment – New Jersey Vet State Benefits
Attachment – Military History Anniversaries 01 thru 15 JAN (Updated)
Attachment – Christmas Word’s Surprising Histories
-o-o-O-o-o-
TO READ and/or DOWNLOAD THE ABOVE ARTICLES, ATTACHMENTS, OR PAST BULLETINS GO Online To:
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-- http://www.nhc-ul.org/01012020.html (PDF Edition with ATTACHMENTS)
-- http://frabr245.org (PDF & HTML Editions in Word format)
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-- http://www.veteransresources.org/rao-bulletin (past Bulletins)
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Notes:
1. The Bulletin is provided as a website accessed document vice direct access. This was necessitated by SPAMHAUS who alleged the former Bulletin’s size and large subscriber base were choking the airways interfering with other internet user’s capability to send email. To avoid removal of my email capability by them I notified all subscribers of the action required to continue their subscription. This Bulletin notice was sent to the 19,369 subscribers who responded to that notice and/or have since subscribed. All others were deleted from the active mailing list.
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7. Articles within the Bulletin are editorialized information obtained from over 100 sources. At the end of each article is provided the primary source from which it was obtained. The ++ indicates that that the information was reformatted from the original source and/or editorialized from more than one source. Because of the number of articles contained in each Bulletin there is no why that I can attest to their validity other than they have all been taken from previously reliable sources. Also, just because an article appears in the Bulletin it does not necessarily mean I support its content. If an article is based on the author’s opinion vice a government entity I try to note that after the author’s name. Readers who question the validity of any article’s content are encouraged to go to the source provided to have their questions answered or express their opinions. I am always open to comments but, as a policy, shy away from anything political. Too controversial and time consuming.
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RAO Bulletin Editor/Publisher:
Lt. James (EMO) Tichacek, USN (Ret) Tel: (858) 842-1111 Email: raoemo@sbcglobal.net
Bulletin Web Access: http://www.nhc-ul.org/rao.html, http://www.veteransresources.org, http://frabr245.org
, and http://veteraninformationlinksasa.com/emos-rao.html [PDF & HTML Editions w/ATTACHMENTS]
RAO Baguio Director:
SSgt Terrance (Terry) Parker, USAF (Ret), PSC 517 Box 4107, FPO AP 96517-1000, Tel: Smart 0921824728 or Globe 09454073380, Email: rao.dir.baguio@gmail.com
RAO Baguio Office: Mountain Lodge, 27 Leonard Wood Road, Baguio City, 2600 Philippines
FPO Mail Pickup: TUE & THUR 09-1100 --- Outgoing Mail Closeout: THUR 1100