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RAO
BULLETIN
1 October 2014
THIS BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES
Pg Article Subject
* DOD * .
04 == DoD/VA Seamless Transition [25] --------------- (Effort Progressing)
04 == Service Academies ------------------------------- (Nomination Process)
06 == POW/MIA [37] --------------------- (Maj. Bobby Jones 42 Year MIA)
08 == POW/MIA Recoveries --------------------------- (140916 thru 140930)
* VA * .
10 == VA Appointments [11] -------- (New Scheduling System in 6-Years)
10 == How to File a VA Claim [02] ------------ (New Process | New forms)
11 == VA Whistleblowers [08] - (OIG Investigation White Wash Alleged)
12 == VA Whistleblowers [09] ------------ (Retaliation Complaints Double)
14 == VA Physician Salaries -- ($20K to $30K Annual Increases Coming)
16 == VA Loans ---------------------------------- (Six Easy Step to a VA Loan)
17 == VA Fraud, Waste, and Abuse -------------------- (140916 thru 140930)
18 == VAMC Minneapolis [01] -------------------------- (Town Hall Meeting)
19 == VAMC West Los Angeles [11] -- (Land Use Under-Billing Revealed)
20 == VAMC Memphis TN [01] --------------- (Town Hall Meeting 18 SEP)
20 == VAMC Nashville TN --------------------- (Town Hall Meeting 22 SEP)
22 == VAMC Syracuse NY --------------------- (Town Hall Meeting 18 SEP)
23 == VAMC Muskogee OK ----------------------------- (A Pattern of Denial)
24 == VARO Philadelphia PA ------- (HVAC Investigative Hearing 3 OCT)
25 == GI Bill [182] ------------- (Corinthian Colleges CFPB $500M Lawsuit)
25 == GI Bill [183] -------------- (Incentive to Lower Vet State Tuition Rates)
26 == PTSD [175] ----- (Up to 80,000 Vets eligible for Discharge Upgrades)
* VETS * .
28 == Vet Charity Watch [48] ------------------------------- (Suits for Soldiers)
30 == Vet Charity Watch [49] ------------------ (Indiana Phony Vet Charities)
30 == Operation Grow4Vets -------------------- (Denver Cannabis Giveaway)
31 == Operation Grow4Vets [01] -- (Colorado Springs Cannabis Giveaway)
32 == Vet Cremains [24] ---- (5 Receive a Long-Overdue Official Farewell)
34 == Vet Toxic Exposure~Lejeune [47] --------- (Financial Relief Coming)
35 == Vet Toxic Exposure~Lejeune [48 ] ------------- (VA Final Regulation)
35 == Vet Smoking ----------------------- (Battling Tobacco Use in the Home)
36 == NORC -------------------- (A Means to Age Gracefully in Your Home)
37 == Illinois Veterans Homes [06] -- (New Chicago Home Breaks Ground)
38 == Retiree Appreciation Days --------------------------- (As of 28 Sep 2014)
39 == Vet Hiring Fairs -------------------------------------- (1 thru 31 Oct 2015)
40 == WWII Vets 71 ------------------------------------------------- (Martin~Jim)
42 == Afghanistan Vets 01 ------------------------------------- (Kong~Jonathan)
43 == America's Most Beloved Vets ------------------------ (World War II (2))
44 == State Veteran's Benefits & Discounts --------------- (Connecticut 2014)
* VET LEGISLATION * .
44 == VA Hospital Construction --------------- (House Passes Oversight Bill)
45 == TRICARE Birth Control [01] ------ (Legislation Introduced in House)
46 == VA Alternative Energy ------- (Bill to Cease Expenditures Introduced)
46 == Vet Bills Submitted to 113th Congress ------------ (As of 28 SEP 2014)
* MILITARY * .
48 == Military Pay & Benefits [02] ------- (Blue Star Families' 2014 Survey)
50 == Military Divorce & Separation [03] ------------ (Pay & Benefits Issues)
52 == Other than Honorable Discharge [01] --- (600k between 2000 & 2013)
54 == Army AKO [01] --------------------------------- (Beware Phony Website)
54 == Military 2015 Pay Raise [01] ----------------------------- (Last 30 Years)
55 == Medal of Honor Citations ---------------------- (Thompson, Max WWII)
* MILITARY HISTORY * .
57 == Aviation Art ---------------------------------------- (A Bandit Goes Down)
58 == Military History ----------- (Only U.S. Woman POW in WWII Europe)
58 == D-Day ------------------------------------------- (Andrew Jackson Higgins)
61 == WWII Postwar Events ----------------------- (Hitler's Retreat May 1945)
62 == Spanish American War Image 55 ------------- (Battle of Las Guasimas)
62 == WWI in Photos 112 ------------------------------ (Battlefield at Midnight)
63 == Faces of WAR (WWII) ----- (Returning B-17 Bomber Crewmen 1942)
63 == USS Nevada (BB-36) ---------------------------------- (100th anniversary)
65 == Military Kits -- (1645 Battle of Naseby | New Model Army Musketeer)
66 == Military History Anniversaries --------------------------- (01 thru 31 Oct)
* HEALTH CARE * .
66 == PTSD Update [176] --- (Funds Sought for Naprapathy Therapy Study)
68 == TRICARE Young Adult Program [09] ----- (2015 Monthly Premiums)
69 == TRICARE Pediatric Care ---- (Meeting the Needs with Some Caveats)
70 == Women Healthy Aging ------------------------- (Action Kit Availability)
70 == Traumatic Brain Injury [41] ------------------- (Concussion Coach App)
71 == TRICARE Flu Shots [03] - Flu and Cold Season Near | Get your shot)
* FINANCES * .
72 == Student Loan [02] ---------------- (Aging Americans Burdened by Debt)
73 == VA Disability Compensation [10] ----------------------------------- (Q&A)
76 == Money Flipping Scam --------------------------------------- (How It works)
77 == Click Bait Scam ---------------------------------------------- (How It works)
78 == Tax Burden for North Carolina Retirees ---------------- (As of Sep 2014)
79 == Tax Fraud ----------------------- (IRS Still Struggles With Identify Theft)
82 == Thrift Savings Plan 2014 ------------ (Share Prices + YTD Gain or Loss)
* GENERAL INTEREST * .
83 == Notes of Interest ------------------------------------- (16 thru 30 Sep 2014)
84 == Vet Toxic Exposure~Lejeune [47] ---------- (Financial Relief Coming)
85 == Presidential Salute ------------ (Obama's Latte Salute | Cut Some Slack)
86 == Unconditional Surrender Statue [01] ------ (On 1-Year Loan to France)
87 == Lighthouses ------------------------------ (Coast Guard Selling Them Off)
87 == Obesity ----------- (Mission Readiness Retreat Is Not an Option Report)
89 == Guantanamo Bay Navy Base ------ (Extension of the U.S.? | Yes & No)
92 == Photos That Say It All -------------------------------------- No Swimming)
92 == Normandy Then & Now ----- (Utah Beach at Les Dunes de Varreville)
93 == WWII Ads ------------------------------------------------------------- (Buick)
93 == Baby Powder ------------------------------------------ (Ways You Can Use)
94 == Have You Heard? ----------------------------------- (Grandpa's IRS Audit)
95 == They Grew Up to Be ----------------- (Addams Family - Christina Ricci)
96 == Interesting Ideas --------------- (Cellphone/Computer Alternate Charger)
*ATTACHMENTS* .
Attachment - RAO Bulletin 01 OCT 2014
Attachment - Veteran Legislation as of 28 Sep 2014
Attachment - Connecticut Vet State Benefits & Discounts Sep 2014
Attachment - Military History Anniversaries 1 thru 31 Oct
Attachment - Retiree Activity\Appreciation Days (RAD) Schedule as of Sept. 28, 2014
Attachment - VA Camp Lejeune Final Regulations Fact Sheet
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Notes:
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Lt. James "EMO" Tichacek, USN (Ret)
Editor/Publisher RAO Bulletin
RAO Baguio, PSC 517 Box RCB, FPO AP 96517
Tel: (951) 238-1246 in U.S. or Cell: 0915-361-3503 in the Philippines.
Office: Red Lion, 92 Glen Luna, cnr Leonard Rd & Brent Rd., Baguio City, 2400 Philippines
FPO Mail Pickup: TUE & THUR 09-1100 --- Outgoing Mail Closeout: THUR 1100
AMVETS | DAV | NAUS |NCOA | MOAA | USDR | VFW | VVA | CG33 | DD890 | AD37 |TSCL member
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Veterans Health Administration VA Access Audit At the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), our most important mission is to provide the high quality health care and benefits Veterans have earned and deserve - when and where they need it. In mid-April, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs directed the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to complete a nation-wide Access Audit to ensure a full understanding of VA's policy among scheduling staff, identify any inappropriate scheduling practices used by employees regarding Veteran preferences for appointment dates, and review waiting list management. VA is already taking corrective action to address issues resulting from the audit. On Wednesday, May 21, VA launched the Accelerating Access to Care Initiative, a nation-wide program to ensure timely access to care. As directed by President Obama, VHA has identified Veterans across the system experiencing waits that do not meet Veterans expectations for timeliness. VA has begun contacting and scheduling all Veterans who are waiting for care in VA clinics or arranging for care in the community, while simultaneously addressing the underlying issues that impede Veterans' access. In addition to the Access Audit process, VA also gathered additional data from each facility. This data includes: The number of appointments scheduled at each facility; the number of requested appointments that are on each facility's Electronic Wait List; The number of newly enrolled patients who have not yet been scheduled by facility; and Average Wait Times for Mental Health, Primary Care, and Specialty Care at each facility, for both new and established patients. Below you can find information about the complete findings of the Access Audit nation-wide, and in your VISN. Twice Monthly Updates
VA is posting regular data updates showing progress on its efforts to accelerate access to quality health care for Veterans who have been waiting for appointments. These access data updates will be posted at the middle and end of each month at VA.gov. The facility-level data show the current status of VA's: - New Enrollee Appointment Request (NEAR) List: The total number of newly enrolled Veterans that have asked for an appointment during the enrollment process. Out of an abundance of caution, VA reviewed the NEAR data from the past decade to identify any individual who:
- has enrolled for care since the inception of enrollment,
- indicated they desired an appointment on the enrollment form, and
- has not yet had a scheduled appointment in the VHA health care system.
- Electronic Wait List (EWL) Count: The total number of all new patients (those who have not been seen in the specific clinic in the previous 24 months) for whom appointments cannot be scheduled in 90 days or less; and
- Total Appointments Scheduled: Every appointment scheduled at the facility except surgery and medical procedures.
September 18 Data Pending Appointments, Printer Friendly Version | Pending Appointments, Condensed Chart Version August 28 Data Pending Appointments, Printer Friendly Version | Pending Appointments, Condensed Chart Version | Completed Appointments - With the August 28 data release, pending and completed appointments are separated into different documents. Additional detail about completed appointments is now available as well.
August 14 Data - Printer Friendly Version | Condensed Chart Version - The term "pending" has replaced the term "prospective," which predicts the availability of scheduled appointments in the future for new Veterans on a given date, and the term "completed" replaced the term "retrospective," which indicates when appointments actually occurred.
July 31 Data - Printer Friendly Version | Condensed Chart Version July 17 Data - Printer Friendly Version | Condensed Chart Version July 3 Data - Printer Friendly Version | Condensed Chart Version June 19 Data - Printer Friendly Version | Condensed Chart Version June 9 Data - Printer Friendly Version | Condensed Chart Version
Initial data published for 5/15/14 contained accurate data except for the count and percent of appointments less than 30 days. The timeliness for new patients were erroneously computed using the "desired data" for the Veterans' appointment versus the date the appointment was initially created. The net effect of this error is that, as published, the 6/9/14 report represents 6.7% more appointments occurring within 30 days. This current posting of data corrects this error. Archived Data
Factsheets from June 9, 2014 are available in the Access Audit Data Archive.
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