RAO
BULLETIN
1 October 2014
HTML Edition
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)
1
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)
2
.
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 - 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
*********************************
3
TO READ OR DOWNLOAD THE ABOVE ARTICLES OR PAST BULLETINS REFER TO:
-- http://www.nhc-ul.com/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://www.veteransresources.org/rao-bulletin (past Bulletins)
-- http://w11.zetaboards.com/CFLNewsChat/topic/10387883/1 (Index of Previous Articles 140701)
* DoD *
DoD/VA Seamless Transition Update 25
► Effort Progressing
According to federaltimes.com, in the near future the Defense Department will choose a new commercial
electronic health records (EHR) management program. A request for proposals was released in late August
and responses from prospective vendors are due 9 OCT. However, the Pentagon is claiming that its plans to
implement the new EHR program are less about the IT systems and more about the ‘culture and change. ‘We
all know about the failed past plans regarding joint VA/DOD interoperable health records. Now DOD is
purchasing a new records management system while the VA plans to overhaul its existing, open-source VistA
program’. In order to focus on the people that are the end-users of the military healthcare system as well as
the processes that go into making the experience a pleasant one DOD is pursuing an approach to the
acquisitions process that incorporates elements of different traditional acquisition models. The hoped-for
result is one that officials say will permit flexibility that allows DOD to leverage fast-moving technology in
the future. By asking for things like training and support in the request for proposal, DOD officials hope that
once the system is deployed people are actually able to use an effective, efficient system. [Source: From
Washington: News for the Enlisted Sept. 22, 2014 ++]
********************************
Service Academies ►
Nomination Process
Each year, members of Congress exercise a little-known power to help constituents obtain a nomination to
one of the country's four elite service academies, which prepare future officers for the Army, Navy, Air Force
and Merchant Marine. In doing so, they are helping the nominees obtain a highly sought college education
4
worth nearly $500,000 while shaping the leadership of the military. Those nominations are often secret,
sometimes political and always prestigious. In some cases, a USA TODAY examination shows, they go to
children of friends, political supporters and donors to the lawmakers' campaigns. At a time when the public
ranks Congress' performance at all-time lows, lawmakers have retained this 171-year-old perk described by
historian Lance Betros as "a prized currency of patronage, a means of pandering to political favorites."
Defenders of the system say it ensures geographic diversity, tests the mettle of applicants and gives each
academy what amounts to a satellite recruiting office in every congressional district in the country. But the
system also has its dangers. It is not always a meritocracy. The nominations are open to political influence.
There are no consistent standards for nominations. The requirement that each congressional district be
represented means that better candidates in more competitive districts sometimes lose out. "In the House, it's
435 fiefdoms and there's no centralized policy on how you do it," said R. Blake Chisam, a former lawyer for
the House ethics panel. "Their method of collecting the candidates, the method of vetting the candidates and
the method of selecting the candidates is up to the members."
USA TODAY requested nomination lists from every member of Congress, compared them against
campaign finance data, and interviewed dozens of parents, congressional staffers and academy admissions
officers. The newspaper found a seldom-examined system with no oversight and little transparency — one
that can be impenetrable to even those who have navigated it:
 The nominations are made largely in secret. The service academies refused Freedom of Information
Act requests for the names of nominees. The Navy said the names would "shed no light" on how it
performs its function. Fewer than half of members released all or part of their nomination lists to
USA TODAY.
 There are no universal standards or ethical guidelines governing nominations, and each
congressional office has its own process and criteria for awarding them. Districts can vary widely
in the number of students seeking a nomination, while each member is allowed the same number of
nominations. The result: Where a candidate lives can have as much effect on a future military career
as grades, test scores or extracurricular activities.
 Some nominations go to children of well-connected families, friends and campaign contributors.
All told, representatives and senators have accepted more than $171,000 in campaign contributions
from the families of students they've nominated to military service academies over the past two
years, according to an analysis of nominations and campaign finance data. Members and staffers
interviewed by USA TODAY insist that politics and personal connections play no role in the
decisions.
 Though the nomination system ensures geographic diversity, it does a poor job of providing for
racial diversity. According to 2012 West Point data, only a quarter of black cadets get in with a
congressional nomination. The rest get in through special admissions programs for athletes, enlisted
soldiers or sons and daughters of active-duty military.
5
Admission to the service academies carries with it a financial benefit. Every student gets the equivalent
of a full scholarship, including room and board. The U.S. Air Force Academy pegged the taxpayer cost of
graduating each cadet in the Class of 2014 at more than $487,000. (Tuition, room and board accounted for
more than $188,000 of that amount. The rest covered the wide range of expenses that the government pays
to keep the academy running, from faculty salaries to building maintenance.) Cadets and midshipmen also
make a little more than $1,000 a month, out of which some fees are deducted. Those nominated are typically
exemplary young men and, increasingly, women. They include high school valedictorians, national merit
scholars, Eagle Scouts and captains of football teams. A nomination alone doesn't guarantee admission.
Candidates must also meet rigorous academic standards and pass medical and physical fitness tests.
The path to an academy education is full of obstacles. Applicants must first get a nomination — usually
from a member of Congress — and must pass academic, medical and physical fitness standards. USA
TODAY used academy reports and nomination data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act for this
look at how West Point, the nation’s oldest service academy, assembled its class of 2016.
 15,170 started the an application for admission
 4,765 Congressional Nominations. Candidates may receive more than one nomination. For most
high school seniors, their best chance of getting in is a nomination from their representative or
senator.
 2,640 qualified for admission. A nomination alone is no guarantee for admission. Candidates must
meet academic, physical fitness and medical requirements to be triple qualified.
 1,339 offered admission. Only half of those who get a nomination and are qualified are offered an
admission. The rest go on a national waiting list.
 1,183 accepted. The average new class size is 1,200 cadets. Historically, 75% to 81% will graduate.
For the class of 2016, 154 declined admission, often choosing another service academy.
If they pass all those hurdles, admitted students are on a fast track to join the military's elite after
graduating. Four of the seven members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are academy graduates. Graduates of the
academies are commissioned as junior officers, with salaries starting at $35,000. They must commit to at
least five years of military service. But before they can do that, a high school student who seeks to take the
academy route to a military career must first stop at the local congressional district office. [Source: USA
TODAY| Gregory Korte and Fredreka Schouten | Sept. 15, 2014 ++]
********************************
POW/MIA Update 37
► Maj. Bobby Jones 42 Year MIA
Whenever people pass through Macon’s interchange at Interstates 75 and 16, Jo Anne Shirley asks that they
say a little prayer, because she needs a miracle. The interchange is named for her brother, Bobby Jones, who
is the only person from Macon still listed as missing in Vietnam. She started looking for him more than 40
years ago, and she believes time is running out. Jones, an Air Force physician, was a passenger on an F-4
fighter jet thought to have crashed on a remote mountain during a non-combat mission. Starting in 1997 U.S.
investigators have made three trips to the suspected area of the crash and have found no remains. Due to the
acidic nature of the soil in Vietnam, Shirley said, within about five years there likely will be no bone
fragments left to be found. If there are, there probably won’t be enough for a DNA sample. She does not hold
out much hope her brother’s remains will ever be found. “The government says they’ve done everything they
can do, and basically they have,” Shirley said, as she stood 18 SEP by the POW/MIA monument at the
Museum of Aviation. “That’s the problem. There’s really nothing else they can do. But I think miracles do
happen, and I think that’s a possibility.”
6
JoAnne Shirley
Maj Bobby M Jones
The plane Jones was traveling in disappeared from radar on Nov. 28, 1972. Rescuers weren’t able to go
to the crash site at the time due to enemy activity. About a year later Shirley and her parents became actively
involved with the American League of POW/MIA Families. She would serve as chairwoman of the board of
directors for 15 years, and she is now the league’s coordinator for Georgia. Last week she traveled across the
state, including a stop in Warner Robins, for ceremonies held in connection with National POW/MIA
Recognition Day, which was Friday. Her father, who never missed a league meeting, died in 1994. Her
mother will soon turn 98 but still remains involved as much as she can. “I love my brother, but I learned very
quickly that this issue is not just about Bobby,” Shirley said. “It’s about all of our guys that are missing and
unaccounted for and the obligation that we have to never leave them behind.” She has made four trips to
Vietnam and surrounding countries through the years, not just for her brother but to promote better
cooperation to find all of the missing. She has been present at about a dozen site excavations.
After decades of frustration with her brother’s case, it might seem Shirley would be downtrodden, but
quite the opposite is true. She speaks about the POW/MIA issue with vigor and enthusiasm. “It’s been an
amazing experience, and it’s blessed me in so many ways,” she said. “Every time we get an answer for
somebody, whether it’s World War II or Korea and Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, that is a victory.” The
closest they have been to an answer is the discovery of her brother’s “blood chit” during a search of the crash
area in 2008. The blood chit is a segment of silk sewn into the uniform that, in varying languages, identifies
the person as an American and asks that any civilian who finds it render assistance to the person wearing it.
The number on it confirmed that it belonged to Jones. For Shirley, it was a little too convenient. It was found
easily at the base of a tree, and did not appear as eroded as would have been expected. She believes someone
who knew of the visit, which has to be approved by the Vietnam government, including the specific location,
put the blood chit there perhaps to give some resolution to the case. That and the fact that a diligent search
of the site turned up no bones and only some small aircraft parts, leads her to believe someone removed the
bodies. Therefore, she believes, the best hope in finding her brother is in finding the person whom she
believes put the blood chit there.
Michael Keith came to know Shirley when he worked as a B-1 bomber crew chief at Robins Air Force
Base. Once he learned about her cause, he became an ardent supporter and has been to Washington with her
many times to lobby Congress. Now retired, he said Shirley is not shy about telling people of any office or
rank what she thinks about the importance of bringing home missing troops. “She’s tenacious, diligent ... she
just never stops,” Keith said. “She has no problem putting foot to butt when needed. She has no problem
telling somebody when they are doing something right or doing something wrong.” Since the Vietnam War
ended in 1975, 942 of those missing in action have been accounted for. That leaves 1,641 still missing. For
7
World War II, there are 73,539 still missing, and for the Korean War there are 7,882, Shirley said. She also
listed 126 for the Cold War and four for Iraq and Afghanistan.
She said the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which was the primary responsibility for recovery,
does a good job. However, she said the problem is that the unit is underfunded. On average the remains of
about 70 missing in action are recovered each year. The 2010 defense spending bill, she said, mandated that
200 be recovered each year. The problem was that it included no additional funding to achieve that. Then
sequestration cut funds. “It sounds good and it looks good,” she said, “but we need increased funding to
accomplish this issue.” [Source: The Telegraph | Wayne Crenshaw | Sept. 19, 2014 ++]
********************************
POW/MIA Recoveries
► 140916 thru 140930
"Keeping the Promise", "Fulfill their Trust" and "No one left behind" are several of many mottos that refer
to the efforts of the Department of Defense to recover those who became missing while serving our nation.
The number of Americans who remain missing from conflicts in this century are: World War II (73,539)
Korean War (7,822) Cold War (126), Vietnam War (1,642), 1991 Gulf War (0), and OEF/OIF (6). Over 600
Defense Department men and women -- both military and civilian -- work in organizations around the world
as part of DoD's personnel recovery and personnel accounting communities. They are all dedicated to the
single mission of finding and bringing our missing personnel home. For a listing of all personnel accounted
for since 2007 refer to http: //www.dtic.mil/dpmo/accounted_for . For additional information on the Defense
Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the Department of Defense POW/Missing
Personnel Office (DPMO) web site at http: //www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call or call (703) 699-1169. The remains
of the following MIA/POW’s have been recovered, identified, and scheduled for burial since the publication
of the last RAO Bulletin:
Family members seeking more information about missing loved ones may call the following Service
Casualty Offices: U.S. Air Force (800) 531-5501, U.S. Army (800) 892-2490, U.S. Marine Corps (800) 8471597, U.S. Navy (800) 443-9298, or U.S. Department of State (202) 647-5470. The remains of the following
MIA/POW’s have been recovered, identified, and scheduled for burial since the publication of the last RAO
Bulletin:
Vietnam - None
Korea
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced 17 SEP that the remains of
a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for
8
burial with full military honors. Army Pfc. Arthur Richardson, 28, of Fall River, Mass., will be buried
Sept. 18 in Arlington National Cemetery, Washington D.C. In January 1951, Richardson and elements of
Company A, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment (IR), 24th Infantry Division (ID), were deployed northeast
of Seoul, South Korea, where they were attacked by enemy forces. During the attempt to delay the enemy
forces from advancing, Richardson and his unit were moving towards a more defensible position, when his
unit suffered heavy losses. It was during this attack that Richardson was reported missing. When no further
information pertaining to Richardson was received and he failed to return to U.S. control during prisoner
exchanges, a military review board reviewed his status in 1954, and changed it from missing in action to
presumed dead. In 1956, his remains were declared unrecoverable. Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea
turned over to the U.S. 208 boxes of human remains believed to contain more than 400 U.S. servicemen who
fought during the war. North Korean documents, turned over with some of the boxes, indicated that some of
the remains were recovered from the vicinity where Richardson was believed to have died. In the
identification of Richardson's remains, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC)
and Armed Forces DNA Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools,
to include mitochondrial DNA, which matched his niece and grand-niece.
World War II

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced 3 SEP that the
remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing since World War II, have been identified and are being
returned to his family for burial with full military honors. Army Pfc. Richard N. Bean. 24. Manassas.
Va, will be buried 3 OCT on Quantico Va. On June 15, 1944, as part of an Allied strategic goal to
secure the Marianas Islands, U.S forces were ordered to occupy Saipan. After a month of intense
fighting, enemy forces conducted a suicide assault, known as a banzai attack. This was designed to
inflict as many casualties as possible against the 105th Infantry Regiment (IR). 27th Infantry Division
(ID). During these attacks elements of the 105 th IR sustained heavy losses, with more than 900
soldiers killed or injured. Bean was reported missing in action on July 7, 1944. On July 8, 1945,
with no information concerning Bean or 21 service members of the 105 th IR, investigators issued a
presumptive finding of death. In November 1948, the American Graves Registration Service
(AGRS) reviewed the circumstances of Bean’s loss and concluded his remains were nonrecoverable. In Sept. 2013, several Japanese non-government organizations, with oversight from a
private archaeological company, recovered remains and personal effects belonging to American
servicemen from a unmarked burial. The remains were turned over to the Joint POW/MIA
Accounting command (JPAC). In the identification of Bean’s remains, scientists from JPAC and
the Armed forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence and
forensic identification tools including dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA, which matched
to Bean’s nephew.
[Source: http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/news/news_releases/ Sep 28, 2014 ++]
9
* VA *
VA Appointments Update 11
► New Scheduling System in 6-Years
The Department of Veterans Affairs will not install a new patient scheduling system to all of its 153 hospitals
and 50,000 users until 2020, according to contract documents released last week. VA views a new patient
scheduling system as key to resolving problems that have consigned veterans to a waiting list limbo for
months or years. In July, acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson told the House Veterans Affairs committee the
new scheduling system would be deployed in 2016. The new timeline for the patient scheduling system,
released last week, said VA expects to deploy an “Alpha” version to the first 300 users at two hospitals in
2016. That would be followed by a beta version to 700 users at five hospitals in 2017 and installation at all
153 hospitals in 2020. Last month, VA said it would issue an RFP for the patient scheduling system by the
end of this month, with bids due in 30 days. VA said it intends to buy commercial software, so why, oh, why,
will it take six years to field it? [Source: NextGov.com | Bob Brewin | Sept. 26, 2014 ++]
********************************
How to File a VA Claim Update 02:
New Process | New forms
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced 24 SEP that it is introducing a uniformed disability
claims form to better serve Veterans, families and survivors. Standardizing the process by which Veterans
file claims and initiate appeals will make it easier for Veterans and their survivors to clearly state what
benefits they are seeking from VA and provide information that is necessary to process their claims and
appeals. The new forms eliminate applicant guesswork, which often leads to delays in decisions and
ultimately delays in receiving benefits. The new regulations go into effect in late March 2015. “We must do
everything that we can to make it as fast and easy as possible for Veterans and their survivors to file for and
receive an accurate decision on their claim,” said VA Secretary Robert McDonald. “Our Veterans and
survivors will know, at the outset of the claims process, what is needed, which removes subjective
interpretation from the process. We want to eliminate any barriers that make it difficult for our Veterans or
survivors to receive benefits to which they are entitled.”
In the past, a Veteran or survivor did not have to use a certain form to seek compensation or other
benefits from VA. Claims or appeals (Notice of Disagreement) could be submitted on any piece of paper
which caused delays due to missing information. By using standard forms for all disability claims, VA can
more quickly and accurately identify what the Veteran is claiming or appealing. This will allow VA to
immediately move on to next steps in the evidence-gathering and decision-making process, which saves
10
administrative processing time and speeds the delivery of earned benefits. The existing process is also
inconsistent with most, if not all, other government and non-government application processes, such as
applying for social security, applying for a driver’s license, applying for a job or filing for an income tax
refund.
“These days, government agencies and private businesses rely on standard forms to deliver faster and
more accurate customer service,” said Under Secretary for Benefits Allison A. Hickey. “VA’s ability to
deliver better customer service requires the use of standard forms as well. That is why we worked
extensively with our partners in the Veterans community to streamline the way we process claims
while preserving the effective date rules concerning informal claims through the creation of a new intent to
file a claim process.” The updated process also includes standardizing the traditional informal claims
process by employing a new “Intent to File a Claim” process which affords the Veteran or survivor one
year to compile the necessary documentation or evidence to support the claim while preserving an effective
date of claim. More information about VA Forms 21-526EZ, 21-527EZ, 21-534EZ or VA Form 21-0958,
Notice of Disagreement, may be found at http://www.ebenefits.va.gov or http://www.va.gov/vaforms. The
forms which can be completed online and downloaded for signature and mailing are:
 http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-526EZ-ARE.pdf (Rev JAN 2014)
 http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-527EZ-ARE.pdf (rev JUN 2014)
 http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-534EZ-ARE.pdf (Rev JUN 2014)
 http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-0958-ARE.pdf (Rev FEB 2013)
[Source: VA News Release Sept. 24, 2014 ++]
********************************
VA Whistleblowers Update 08 ►
OIG Investigation White Wash Alleged
The main whistleblower in the scandal involving the Department of Veterans Affairs has asked for an
independent review of delays in care at the Phoenix VA, calling the recent investigation by the Office of
Inspector General a "whitewash." Dr. Sam Foote, a retired Phoenix VA doctor who testified before Congress
on 17 SEP, says the VA's inspector general has downplayed the way in which employee manipulations of
patient wait times contributed to deaths. "In my opinion, this was a conspiracy, possibly criminal, perpetrated
by senior Phoenix leaders," Foote said in his prepared testimony. "The Inspector General tries to minimize
the damage done and the culpability of those involved by stating that none of the deaths can conclusively be
tied to treatment delays."
The report released by the inspector general in August (http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/26/us/va-inspectorgeneral-report/index.html) states that no deaths at the Phoenix VA could be "conclusively" linked to long
wait times. CNN has learned the VA's inspector general told congressional officials in a private briefing in
August that 293 veterans died while waiting for care, though the deaths were not said to be caused by delays.
That information was not included in the IG report released a few days later. Instead, the report described
how 28 veterans had "clinically significant delays" in care, six of whom died. Foote said the number of
veterans who died vastly exceeds his original allegations that 40 veterans died while waiting for care at the
Phoenix VA. VA inspectors say Phoenix was in total 'chaos' and warn of more risk. You can read the full
OIG report at http://www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-14-02603-267.pdf.
Ahead of Wednesday's congressional hearing, the Acting Inspector General Richard Griffin defended the
recent investigation but said the report cannot adequately express the personal losses involved. "Our recent
11
report cannot capture the personal disappointment, frustration and loss of faith of individual veterans and
their family members with a health care system that often could not respond to their physical and mental
health needs in a timely manner," Griffin said. A copy of Griffin’s written statement to the HVAC
“Scheduling Manipulation and Veteran Death in Phoenix: Examination of the OIG’s final Report” Hearing
is available at http://www.va.gov/OIG/pubs/statements/VAOIG-statement-20140917-griffin.pdf. To view
the entire 5 hour hearing go to http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/scheduling-manipulation-and-veterandeaths-in-phoenix-examination-of-the-oig%E2%80%99s-final-report
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-FL) released a statement after the hearing
saying, "The confirmation from IG officials today that delays in VA medical care contributed to the deaths
of Phoenix-area veterans and IG officials' admission that they couldn't rule out the possibility that delays
caused deaths changes the entire bottom line of the IG's Phoenix report. Absent these qualifying statements,
the OIG's previous assertions that it could not 'conclusively assert' that delays caused deaths are completely
misleading." Miller also said it was "absolutely inexplicable and outrageous that the IG's Phoenix report
failed to clearly make these distinctions. While I am pleased IG officials finally cleared up these glaring
inconsistencies, I regret that they only did so several weeks after the release of the Phoenix report and after
hours of intense questioning. Getting the whole story out of inspectors general should not be this difficult."
Miller interrogated Griffin about changes to the August report and about whether House members were given
early drafts. If the inspector general did not like being challenged, Miller added, that was "tough."
For more than a year, CNN has been investigating and reporting on veterans' deaths and delays at VA
facilities all across the country, including detailed investigations in November and January 2013 examining
deaths at two VA facilities in South Carolina and Georgia. Foote first appeared on CNN in April, with detailed
allegations that as many as 40 American veterans had died in Phoenix, waiting for care at the VA. After
Foote's revelations about Phoenix, numerous other whistleblowers stepped forward with similar charges of
veterans' waiting for care and possible deaths of veterans who were waiting. The VA's inspector general
opened investigations at 93 sites of care in response to allegations of wait time manipulations. To date, 12
investigations have been completed but 81 remain active and are being coordinated with the Department of
Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as appropriate. In May, after reports of patients dying while
waiting for care at the Phoenix VA, Secretary Eric Shinseki was forced to step down. Robert McDonald was
appointed this summer to take over the agency. [Source: CNN Politics | Curt Devine, Scott Bronstein &
Patricia DiCarlo, CNN Investigations Unit | Sept. 17, 2014 ++]
********************************
VA Whistleblowers Update 09
►
Retaliation Complaints Double
Complaints of retaliation against whistleblowers at the Department of Veterans Affairs more than doubled in
recent months, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis, and one of the highest profile VA
whistleblowers claims he and the chief witness in his case have been subjected to retaliation in Atlanta. The
new claims from whistleblower Scott Davis, who testified before Congress in July, and the sharp increase in
complaints from other VA whistleblowers to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel raise doubt about whether
VA Secretary Robert McDonald can deliver on a pledge to end a hostile environment for employees who
report trouble at the scandal-plagued agency.
Since June, the Office of Special Counsel, which investigates whistleblower claims from most of the
federal bureaucracy, has received more than 80 new cases from VA employees alone, bringing the total
number of active VA investigations the agency is pursuing to 125, by far the most of any federal agency.
12
“Our committee continues to receive reports of possible retaliation against whistleblowers to this day,” Rep.
Jeff Miller (R-FL), chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, told the AJC in a strongly worded
statement. “Until VA officials at all levels take aggressive action to fire all managers who have sought to
punish employees for exposing fraud, waste and abuse within the system, I have no confidence VA’s
shameful treatment of whistleblowers will end any time soon.” Davis testified before Miller’s committee in
early July that he and other whislteblowers faced retaliation at the Health Eligibility Center in Atlanta, which
processes veteran claims for health care access. He testified about contract mismanagement, a backlog of
hundreds of thousands of pending health applications and the possible improper deletion of 10,000 others.
Posters such as this one have popped up in offices across the VA
Since then, Davis said he’s received emails and communications from VA threatening disciplinary
action and demands that he sign-away his rights to speak freely — all actions he views as harassment.
More troubling, perhaps, Davis’ chief witness told the AJC that she’s now been retaliated against for
supporting Davis and testifying in five investigations, including two by the VA’s Office of Inspector
General. Melissa Mason, a management/program analyst, said she faced written disciplinary action this
month by a supervisor at the Health Eligibility Center — the first time she’s been reprimanded in a 29-year
career with the VA. “I knew they would come after me,” said Mason, who has provided emails to backup
her claims but declined to comment on the case in detail.
Since taking command of the VA in late July, Secretary Robert McDonald has promised that retaliation
against whistleblowers will not be tolerated. Before the House committee 17 SEP McDonald said that in his
first two months on the job the agency reinforced a commitment to whistleblower protections and had begun
building a culture that encourages constructive dissent. “I can understand at this moment in time
whistleblowers who have been retaliated against are skeptical as to whether I mean what I say or whether I
can deliver what I say,” McDonald said. Davis and other whistleblowers interviewed by the AJC say not
much has changed under McDonald. In the past year, Davis said he’s been threatened with termination, had
13
his employee records altered illegally, been transferred, had his character defamed, and had his personal
medical records released to unauthorized members of management. The senior leaders who have overseen
this retaliation are all still in place, he said.
VA Whistleblower Scott Davis and Daphne Ivery, president of the local union unit at the Health
Eligibility Enrollment Center in Atlanta
Daphne Ivery, the union president at the Health Eligibility Center, said she has knowledge of 12
investigations at the center conducted by the inspector general’s office in less than two years. She said she
laughed when wall flyers appeared recently proclaiming whistleblower rights after rumors circulated that
McDonald or his top deputy would visit Atlanta. The flyers were viewed by many as just more show for the
new big boss in Washington, she said. As union rep, Ivery observes many of the investigative interviews at
the center conducted by the inspector general or other investigative bodies. She said she’s seen managers
harass and retaliate against employees after they testify. Some employees face job assignment transfers or
are suddenly written up for disciplinary actions after otherwise exemplary performance evaluations.
Employees, she said, know they will likely face retaliation, but they get tired of seeing the system fail veterans
while managers fail to correct the problems. “Whistleblowing is not for the faint at heart,” she said. “Once
you do, it comes hot and it comes heavy. This is not something you do thinking you’re going to get ticker
tape parade. You do it knowing you may lose your livelihood. You do because what’s going on is so egregious
you can’t let it go on anymore.” [Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Brad Schrade | Sept. 25, 2014
++]
********************************
VA Physician Salaries
►
$20K to $30K Annual Increases Coming
Due to a three-year federal pay freeze, the annual pay ranges for VA physicians and dentists haven’t increased
since October 2009. The Veterans Affairs Department wants to increase the annual salaries of new physicians
and dentists by up to $35,000 as part of a nationwide recruitment effort to hire more doctors and improve
veterans’ access to care. The change, which the department announced 17 SEP, would update existing pay
tables for several categories of physicians in the Veterans Health Administration, enabling newly hired
doctors to potentially earn between $20,000 and $35,000 more than the current salary ranges. The pay ranges
for physicians who serve in leadership roles, including department undersecretaries and VA medical center
directors, would not change. The notice outlining the new policy will be published 18 SEP in the Federal
Register and will take effect on 30 NOV. “We are committed to hiring more medical professionals across the
country to better serve veterans and expand their access to timely, high-quality care,” said VA Secretary Bob
McDonald, in a statement.
14
McDonald told reporters last week during a press conference that he’s worried about the department’s
ability to recruit and retain a talented workforce as it recovers from a major scandal and reinvents itself to
better serve the country’s vets. He said the department needs new doctors, nurses and clinicians for 28,000
jobs authorized by Congress in the 2014 Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act. That law was
passed in response to several whistleblower allegations that VA employees falsified documents related to
patient care and has sparked a department wide management reform and public relations effort that McDonald
hopes will improve services and rebuild the VA’s trust with veterans.
VA has seven pay tables for physicians and dentists with different levels or “tiers” that include a salary
range for positions in those categories. Each pay table corresponds to a specialty within the medical field, or
a specific executive position. Pay Table 1, for example, covers a range of medical specialties, including
allergy and immunology, geriatrics, psychiatry and general practice dentistry. The current annual pay range
for Pay Table 1, Tier 1 is $98,967 to $195,000. Under VA’s proposed increase, the maximum yearly salary
for new physicians and dentists covered in that category would jump to $215,000. For those in Pay Table 3,
which includes noninvasive cardiology, dermatology, ophthalmology and oral surgery, the maximum salary
for Tier 1 would increase $35,000—from $265,000 to $300,000. Of course, reaching the maximum pay in
each range depends on a doctor’s skill sets, and is not guaranteed.
“With more competitive salaries for physicians and dentists, VHA is in a position to attract and hire the
best and brightest to treat veterans,” said Dr. Carolyn Clancy, interim undersecretary for health. It’s unclear
how the pay changes could affect the morale or retention of current doctors and dentists. There are more than
40 physician and dentist specialties in the VA system, and more than 25,000 doctors and dentists who work
for the department. In crafting the new pay ranges, department officials looked at salary survey data that most
closely resembled the VA in terms of environment. The pay increase for new hires is one part of a wideranging VA recruitment effort. The department also plans to collaborate with nursing schools on psychiatric
and mental health to strengthen relationships between academia and VA facilities, expand the loan repayment
program, and augment a pilot program to bring in combat medics and corpsmen as clinicians at the VA. For
a comparison of the current salary ranges for each pay table and VA’s recommended increases click on
http://www.govexec.com/media/gbc/docs/pdfs_edit/091714kl1.pdf. [Source: GovExec.com | Kellie Lunney
| Sept. 17, 2014 ++]
********************************
15
VA Loans
► Six Easy Step to a VA Loan
The VA mortgage process can seem hard at first. But, if you take it one step at a time, you could be a
homeowner sooner than you think. A VA mortgage can be up to a 30-year commitment, so the terms of your
loan need to match your financial goals. Choosing the right VA-approved lender can make a big difference
in your mortgage experience and outcome. To help you with this important first step toward homeownership,
here are some “dos” and “don’ts” to consider when selecting your lender.
1. DO make sure the lender is VA-approved. Not all mortgage lenders have approval from the VA to
originate and fund loans backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. If you plan to use your home
loan benefits, the lender you use must be VA-approved. That’s a basic requirement. To find out if a lender
meets that criterion, be sure to ask if they originate VA home loans before you start the application process.
If you skip this step, you may end up well into the mortgage application process before you find out that a
VA loan isn’t an option with your lender.
2. DO ask the loan officer if he or she services VA mortgages on a daily basis. Asking this one question
can separate the occasional VA lender from one that specializes in VA loans. Many approved lenders
originate a variety of mortgage loans, with only a very small ratio of them being veterans’ loans. A specialist
makes VA loans day in and day out. Although any approved lender can process your loan, one that intimately
understands the lender’s guidelines may be able to achieve success where other lenders may fail. To read
about two Colonels who were able to purchase their dream retirement home when others said “NO,” click
here.
3. DO read the warning signs. Certain red flags could indicate that your lender may not be as experienced
in these government-backed loans as you’d like them to be. Here are some warning signs to look for:
 You’re not asked about your military service.
 You’re steered away from the VA home loan benefits you’ve earned.
 VA terms like “entitlement” and “eligibility” don’t roll off the loan officer’s tongue.
 The loan officer doesn’t know basic VA guidelines by heart.
 You get “I’m not sure” when you ask basic questions about your benefits
4. DON’T assume all VA-approved lenders are the same. Not all VA-approved lenders are created equal.
Some are more experienced in serving veterans than others. VA loan specialists process VA loans on a daily
basis. The loan officers are very familiar with the guidelines and, more often than not, handle special
situations unique to the military community. These can include repeat use of home loan benefits, frequent
16
relocations due to PCS and military retirement. One way to gauge experience of a VA-approved lender is to
look for good ratings with reputable organizations like the Better Business Bureau. Another is to consider
the number of years in business.
5. DON’T believe everything you hear. Misconceptions can get passed along when someone is not 100%
informed about the VA Loan Guaranty program. Just ask Major Tim Lewis, 23-year Army veteran. “When
I was ready to buy my first home, I wanted to use my VA loan benefits but my real estate agent talked me
out of it,” says Lewis. His real estate broker had heard horror stories about the VA loan process and advised
him to go with an FHA loan. He ended up paying mortgage insurance and a down payment. These myths –
that the VA loan process takes longer than other loans; that multiple VA loans aren’t possible; that you can’t
buy a home while overseas – keep eligible borrowers from using their hard-earned benefits. “I can’t tell you
how many times a borrower’s been told they’re not eligible for a VA loan when they really are,” says Lewis.
In reality, you may be able to use your VA home loan benefits over and over again, and, in certain situations,
it’s possible to own two homes at a time. Interest rates are competitive with national rates, approval
requirements are generally straightforward and there are exceptions to the occupancy guidelines if you are
serving overseas. If you’ve heard something that doesn’t sound quite right, you may want to get a second
opinion.
6. DON’T be strong-armed into a choice. Have you ever been told that if your credit is pulled by more
than one lender while shopping for a loan that it will hurt your score? Equifax, one of the major credit
bureaus, explains on its website that in most cases it won’t. According to the bureau, most credit scores are
not affected by multiple inquiries from mortgage lenders within 30 days. In such cases, the multiple inquiries
are treated as a single inquiry, having little or no impact on your credit score. If you are feeling pressured
early in the process to make a decision about a lender, know that it is your option to investigate the loan
products and services of more than one company. A good lender offers honest advice, a decent rate,
reasonable fees and excellent customer service. Home loan benefits are earned, and a reputable VA-approved
lender can help you understand what they are and how to use them. Contact a VA loan specialist today.
[Source: Military.com | Money | Sept. 2014 ++]
********************************
VA Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
► 140916 thru 140930
New Haven CT -- According to court documents and statements made in court, Venita Godfrey-Scott of
New Haven was employed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) at the Medical Center in West
Haven as a supervisor in the Facilities Management Service, which is responsible for carpentry, paint, locks,
doors, and other minor construction projects at the Medical Center. From approximately 2010 until 2013,
Godfrey-Scott directed VA employees that she supervised to perform home improvement projects at her
private residence, including a deck in her backyard, carpet installation, and various kitchen, bathroom and
basement improvements. She directed the employees to use materials, supplies, tools, and vehicles belonging
to the VA, and also had the employees purchase necessary materials at local stores using her governmentissued credit card. She sometimes directed the employees to work on her home improvement projects during
their regular work hours while they were being paid by the VA. The total loss to the government as a result
of he criminal conduct is estimated to be between $15,000 and $20,000. On May 14, 2014, she pleaded guilty
to one count of theft of government property. On 11 SEP U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford
sentenced Godfrey-Scott to four years of probation, the first six months of which she must spend in home
confinement with electronic monitoring, for stealing government property that she used for the various home
improvement projects. She was also ordered to perform 120 hours of community service and to pay
17
restitution in the amount of $15,000. [Source: USDOJ District of Columbia Press Release Sept. 11, 2014
++]
********************************
VAMC Minneapolis Update 01 ►
Town Hall Meeting
Veterans went to the microphone 12 SEP to call for change in culture of the massive Veterans Affairs
bureaucracy and to demand accountability from top local leaders who recently were accused of seeking
retribution against employees who complained of secret scheduling lists and canceled appointments. Close
to 100 vets attended the town hall meeting in Minneapolis, part of a nationwide effort by the VA to repair an
image tarnished by revelations that vets were forced to wait long periods for appointments and that some
workers were asked to keep separate books on how long it was taking for patients to be seen. Local VA
officials extolled the accomplishments of the Minneapolis VA, which had enjoyed a stellar reputation among
the nation’s VA hospitals. The local VA has made more than 600 specialty care appointments since April,
addressing a concern about a backlog. It will spend $100 million this year on non-VA care for vets who need
it. But they also acknowledged that mistakes could have been made and have to be addressed.
The VA’s inspector general was in town to investigate claims by two former workers that the Minneapolis
VA ordered them to falsify records in the hospital’s gastroenterology department. The former workers also
claim they were fired in retribution. The Minneapolis VA system also has been flagged in a national audit
for potential problems with how wait times were calculated, both at the Minneapolis hospital and at an
outpatient clinic in Rochester. “I fully commit for us to investigate those allegations, to call on the appropriate
oversight bodies to help us understand where we may have made mistakes if that’s the case, and to correct
those mistakes,” said Janet Murphy, network director for the VA’s Midwest Health Care Network, which
includes the Minneapolis hospital. “We probably have some work to do to regain the trust and confidence of
veterans and our stakeholders.” Some of the questions asked were:
 Several vets focused on the recent allegations. Jason Quick, Minnesota state director for Concerned
Veterans for America, asked why the local whistleblowers were fired while higher-level VA
officials are permitted to take administrative leave when accused of wrongdoing. Minneapolis VA
Health Care system director Patrick Kelly said a process is in place to determine whether
whistleblowers suffered reprisals because of their actions. Both the VA’s inspector general and its
Office of Special Counsel have been asked to investigate the recent local claims. “When they do,
18


there will be actions to hold people accountable if they took the wrong actions in those cases,” Kelly
said.
Air Force veteran Dennis Davis, who deployed to Afghanistan, complained of long waits for mental
health care, pointing out that an average 22 vets commit suicide a day across the nation. “Why is
there an average of six months on claims for [post-traumatic stress disorder] and mental health?
That’s just to get the claim done and then to get in the next line for care,” he said. “That’s not right.”
Navy veteran Brian Lewis said he has been told his “chronic pain is in his head.” Lewis, who told
the crowd he was the victim of military sexual trauma, also said care for male victims of sexual
assault at the Minneapolis VA is nonexistent. “If you had a five-star facility providing quality and
consistent care, you wouldn’t have a room full of people here,” he said.
Vets had to brave a long wait to even get into the parking lot for the meeting at the Bishop Henry Whipple
Federal Building at Fort Snelling. They were then required to go through a security screening to get through
the door. Not all the focus was on long waiting lines and accountability. Several questions focused on the
expense of a recent remodeling of the hospital’s atrium. The first question in the meeting was about why the
food is so expensive at the hospital cafeteria. [Source: Star Tribune | Mark Brunswick | Sept. 13, 2014++]
********************************
VAMC West Los Angeles Update 11
► Land Use Under-Billing Revealed
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has mismanaged its West Los Angeles campus by under-billing for
land use agreements and by improperly diverting funds, according to a Government Accountability Office
report issued 18 SEP. The GAO found weaknesses in the billing and collection processes for so-called sharing
agreements at three VA medical centers, including the sprawling, 387-acre campus between Westwood and
Brentwood. The VA has leased portions of its land to theater operators, a hotel laundry service, a private
school for use as tennis courts, UCLA for a baseball field and an entertainment company for set storage.
Saying that they were deeply disturbed by the findings, three Democratic lawmakers from California urged
Robert McDonald, the new chief of the VA, to act quickly to bring all land use agreements into compliance
with federal laws and policies, and to recover revenue that the West L.A. Veterans Affairs Medical Center
did not collect, or misused, and ensure that it be used for veterans' medical care. "It is clear to us that the
West Los Angeles [VA] violated federal law and shortchanged veterans in Southern California," said Sens.
Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and Rep. Henry A. Waxman.
The GAO, the auditing arm of Congress, identified instances in which potentially millions of dollars in
land use revenue went uncollected by the West Los Angeles VA. In addition, it found that the campus
inappropriately coded some billings so that proceeds of more than $500,000 were sent to its facilities account.
According to the facility's chief fiscal officer, the GAO report said, these proceeds were mainly used to fund
maintenance salaries. That's a violation of VA policy, which requires that such revenue be deposited into the
medical care appropriations account that benefits veterans. The West Los Angeles VA initially told the GAO
that sharing agreements produced about $700,000 in revenue in fiscal 2012, but the GAO concluded that the
agreements should have generated $1.5 million. "They couldn't figure out the number of active agreements
or revenues," said Steve Lord, the GAO's managing director of forensic audits and investigative service. "In
some cases, they didn't bill the entities correctly."
The report, which also looked at facilities in North Chicago and New York, is the latest blow to the
veterans agency, which has been under intense congressional scrutiny because of reports that veterans had to
wait months for medical appointments and that VA medical centers were covering up the delays. The West
19
Los Angeles VA has long been in the cross-hairs of veterans advocates. In 2011, the ACLU Foundation of
Southern California in Los Angeles and others filed suit on behalf of veterans, alleging misuses of the West
Los Angeles campus and failure to provide adequate housing and treatment for homeless veterans. In 2012,
a VA accountant pleaded guilty to theft of government funds after an investigation determined that $681,000
of VA funds had been embezzled. In August 2013, a federal judge ruled that the VA had abused its discretion
by leasing land for purposes "totally divorced from the provision of healthcare." The VA appealed the ruling,
as did UCLA and the private Brentwood School. The case is now in mediation. The GAO report made six
recommendations for improving billing, data reliability and monitoring of land-use agreements. The VA said
it generally agreed with the report's findings and concurred with the recommendations. A congressional
hearing on the report was scheduled 19 SEP in Washington. [Source: Los Angeles Times | Martha Groves |
Sept. 17, 2014 ++
********************************
VAMC Memphis TN Update 01
► Town Hall Meeting 18 SEP
There were small numbers but big opinions from the veterans at a town hall meeting hosted by the Memphis
VA Medical Center 18 SEP. The event was to let vets voice their concerns with the medical center and the
care they receive. The town hall meeting wasn’t held at the medical center or even in Memphis. Hospital
staff said they decided to hold it at the Pat Thompson Center in Millington so there would be more space.
But some vets think the VA was just trying to keep them and their negative opinions away. There were plenty
of harsh words for the Memphis VA at the meeting. “They don’t care,” one veteran, Luther King, said. The
hospital held the meeting for concerned vets to voice their opinions to both regional and local directors. “I’m
hopeful we will both walk out of here having learned a little bit from each other,” director of the regional
office of Nashville Edna MacDonald said.
Some were angry the VA held the meeting in Millington instead of downtown Memphis, since many rely
on public transportation. However, King said he wasn’t going to let anything stop him from sharing his story.
King claims the VA misdiagnosed him several times, leading to almost deadly consequences. “I’ve had two
heart attacks, because I had a moving blood clot they misdiagnosed,” he said. King said not only was he
misdiagnosed at the VA, he was also mis-medicated. “I was given outdated insulin that had expired in 2011,”
he said. When he confronted his provider about it, he said he was told to be grateful his situation was not
worse. “When I talked to one of the doctors at the VA, she said, ‘You’re lucky. There’s a guy there in the
ward now. They gave him outdated insulin, and his kidneys failed,'” he said. Many at the meeting said they
think the Memphis VA simply doesn’t care, and King thinks they would rather just get rid of him than help
him. “It’s a form of genocide to eliminate all the Vietnam and WWII era veterans to have enough money and
funding to take care of the veterans coming home now,” he said. For a video report on the Town Hall meeting
refer to http://wreg.com/2014/09/18/angry-vets-speak-out-at-memphis-va-town-hall-meeting. [Source:
Memphis Channel 3 News | Katie Rufener | Sept. 18, 2014
********************************
VAMC Nashville TN
► Town Hall Meeting 22 SEP
Veterans cried about how they were treated, worried whether they would live to see Christmas and reported
identity mix-ups that had nurses mismatching drugs at the VA hospital in Nashville, which has some of the
nation's longest wait times to see doctors. These were the stories Juan Morales, director of the Tennessee
Valley Healthcare System for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, heard 22 SEP during a town hall
meeting. About 90 people filled a small room, holding up their hands and waiting for a chance to speak. Their
20
list of complaints was long, ranging from reports of administrative staff ignoring them while talking on
cellphones to grievances about doctors abruptly canceling appointments or misdiagnosing illnesses.
The meeting was the third of four briefings Morales has scheduled with veterans in the wake of a
congressional investigation about delays veterans faced nationwide trying to see doctors. While established
patients in Middle Tennessee had an average wait time of three days, according to a government audit,
veterans needing to see a specialist didn't get in the door for 71 days on average. Those were veterans
primarily needing to see ophthalmologists, podiatrists and pain specialists. The wait time for a new patient
to see a specialist now averages 61 days, Morales said. But an established patient from Goodlettsville is also
concerned about wait times. Robert Morgan worries he has cancer that won't get diagnosed and treated soon
enough. After he complained of stomach pain and bathroom problems, he said, it took a month to get a CT
scan when nodules were found in his kidneys and liver. He said he thinks he may have colon cancer that has
metastasized. "They said I needed another CT scan, which was scheduled for two weeks later," Morgan said.
"Trust me, that's not expeditious. I'll die, and the reason I'll die is because I don't receive timely care. There
are a lot of guys in this room who are sicker than me, and it will probably happen to them, too." Morales said
he would have a staff member check on the situation. "I'd appreciate it if you'd do something, because I'd like
to be here come Christmas," Morgan answered. "Right now, I don't think I'm gonna be."
Misty Hollars told how she could not get her father, Miles Hollars, transferred from a hospital in Franklin,
Ky., to the VA hospital in Nashville. The family had to go to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, she said,
asking whether the VA system would cover that hospital bill. Roger Morris of Clarksville brought with him
the names of the nurses he said put him into a "bloody bed," neglected to put an identifying wristband on him
and then got the identities of patients mixed up and brought them the wrong medications. "Wrong
medications can kill somebody," Morris said. "Do you understand me, sir?" He said he asked to be discharged
so he could go to another hospital, and the nurse took his bloody IV tube out and laid it on a food tray. "Can
you explain that, sir?" Morris asked. Morales apologized and promised to investigate, saying, "First of all,
I'm sorry for the experience you had. If that's what happened, that's not acceptable."
Norman Nuismer listens in the audience during a town hall meeting with officials including
Tennessee Valley Healthcare System Director Juan Morales.
Jim Haggar said he had received "stellar expert care" recently at the Nashville VA hospital and had never
seen "a cleaner hospital room in my life." "I just want to make sure the people who do a fantastic job are
getting a little bit of notice as well," he said. But Haggar did suggest that the VA outsource hospitality training
for its front-line staff, with the goal of making them as customer-centric as people who work at the Cleveland
21
Clinic. Morales said the Nashville hospital was adding staff after receiving federal approval to bring on an
additional 323 personnel and build space for more examination rooms. He said the area's expanding
population had made it difficult to meet the growing demand for care. He admitted that it might be difficult
to fill some sub-specialty positions, such as pain physicians. "It takes time to recruit," he said. "We want to
hire the right staff for our veterans." [Source: The Tennessean | Tom Wilemon | Sept. 22, 2014 ++]
********************************
VAMC Syracuse NY
► Town Hall Meeting 22 SEP
Brad Edwards, 66, a military veteran from Rome, N.Y., said he got the run-around when he tried to make an
appointment to see a neurosurgeon at the Syracuse VA Medical Center three years ago. "We will get back to
you," Edwards said he was told by a staff person at the VA's Rome outpatient clinic. Edwards said he called
the clinic every month, but no one returned his calls. So last year he found a neurosurgeon on his own outside
the VA system and got the operation he needed. "I felt like one of those veterans they forgot about," Edwards
told VA officials 18 SEP at a public town hall meeting at the Syracuse VA Medical Center. He was one of
more than a dozen veterans who spoke, offering a mixture of criticism and praise of the Syracuse VA. About
70 people attended the event. All VA health care facilities nationwide are holding town hall meetings in an
effort to improve communications with veterans. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald ordered
facilities to hold the meetings in the wake of the recent controversy surrounding long waits for appointments
at some VA facilities nationwide.
James Cody, director of the Syracuse VA, opened the session by telling veterans the Syracuse VA
consistently ranks among the best in the nation in terms of quality, patient satisfaction and access to care. But
after hearing complaints from several veterans, Cody said, "Statistics show we are doing pretty well, but
obviously we have a lot of room for improvement." Bob Stewart, another veteran, complained that the
Syracuse VA refused to do an MRI scan of his knee because his income is too high. Stewart said he went
outside the VA and got an MRI he paid for out of his own pocket. "I could afford to do that, but there are so
many veterans that can't afford to do things like that and something needs to be done about it," he said.
The Syracuse VA Medical Center holds a town hall meeting to discuss concerns about the medical
care provided with veterans and members of the public.
22
One veteran complained that he waited in the Syracuse VA from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. one day before he
could get a prescription filled. Another said the Syracuse VA makes veterans wait too long to see eye doctors
and other specialists. Robin Searles, a veteran from Auburn, had nothing but praise for the Syracuse VA.
"For me this has been the best sort of medical care I've gotten," she said. Another veteran, who didn't give
his name, said he's been going to the Syracuse VA for 44 years and has never had a problem. "I appreciate
this hospital," he said. "It's one in a million." Larry Center Carter, a veteran from Auburn, said he is happy
with the VA's medical care, but criticized the VA for denying veterans like him pensions. Claims for pension
benefits are processed by the VA in Buffalo. Carter said many veterans trying to get pensions become
frustrated by the bureaucratic delays they encounter. "A lot of veterans give up and go get stoned," he said.
[Source: The Post Standard | James T. Mulder | Sept. 18, 2014 ++]
********************************
VAMC Muskogee OK
► A Pattern of Denial
Veteran Tziporah Pendleton found out she was pregnant on Super Bowl Sunday. A mother of five children,
all boys, she was elated to have another child. Now she visits Benjamin David's grave often. Benjamin is the
son she lost after Veterans Affairs denied procedures recommended by her maternity specialist. Her doctor
said if she did not get the procedures, she was at risk of bleeding out, and a week later she nearly did. She
was in the ER for a six-hour surgery. "I lost my baby, and I'm barren and that I buried my son, all at the
neglect of the VA," said Pendleton. But the denials did not stop there. Four days after burying her son, she
sought therapy through her VA doctor. "He denied me mental health counseling. He said I had to wait until
they had an opening and then had to evaluate me before he would approve a referral for me to go to mental
health," said Pendleton. From procedures, mental health, to surgeries, the denials continued (see article at
www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/investigations/veteran-loses-unborn-child-after-va-denies-procedures ).
Korean war vet, Monty Collins prior to his heart attack, called the VA about chest pains but says no one
returned his call. Then he suffered a heart attack. He was prepped for surgery at a local hospital, but then
the VA decided to send them to their hospital in Houston. Four and a half days went by, the surgery never
happened” The VA put Monty on a gurney in the back of ambulance and drove him back to Tulsa, an eightand-a-half-hour ride that left him with sores and bruises. "Bumping and bouncing. It just tore me up," he said.
He returned home, but Monty said the VA left him without oxygen, something he needed to survive. So he
ended back up in the hospital where he'd started, with tubes again in his nose. It was unbelievable, inhumane.
None of my family or anybody else could hardly believe it. You just don't treat people that way," said Collins.
After suffering a heart attack, going four and a half days without food or water and never getting a decision
on surgery, Monty just wanted to go home. "I can't help but think if I had gotten timely care when I first hit
23
this place on the 27th of April, that things might have been a whole lot different," said Monty (see article at
http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/investigations/veteran-monty-collins-of-tulsa-falls-victim-toveterans-affairs-problems-after-heart-attack).
A recent report by the Government Accountability Office found that more than 25 percent of veterans
emergency claims were wrongly denied. The 2NEWS Investigators wanted to know more about denials for
other health care services, like the denials for the procedures Tziporah needed, a bladder scan and an MRI.
They asked the Muskogee VA what criteria it uses to determine which procedures it will pay for and which
ones it won't. A spokesperson for the VA said a physician at the VA makes the call, meaning someone who
had never seen Tizporah decided she would not get the bladder scan or MRI. John Cloud worked for the VA
for more than 25 years, helping veterans with claims and benefits. Cloud is retired but is still helping veterans
with claims. He volunteers his services twice a week. He told 2NEWS what often goes into the VA
physician's decision-making, when it comes to approving or denying a procedure from a non-VA doctor. "He
has to look at the bottom line, cost and that's wrong, that's where it comes down to wrong," said Cloud. When
informed about the denials is Pendleton's case, he was shocked as to why the procedures were not approved.
"I don't know why other than money. Yah, they say they offer, this and this and this, but let's try something
new. Let's try to help someone," said Cloud.
The 2NEWS Investigators pored over the VA reform bill that just passed in July and found it doesn't
address the denials. As for Pendleton, she eventually did receive counseling for the loss of Benjamin David.
She was eventually approved for the MRI, after she buried her son. She was never approved for the bladder
scan. As for Monty Collins he took his own life, six weeks after he went to the Houston VA. [Source: Tulsa
Channel 2 News | Marla Carter | Sept. 22, 2014]
********************************
VARO Philadelphia PA
►
HVAC Investigative Hearing 3 OCT
Philadelphia's Veterans Affairs benefits office, which has been under national scrutiny for months, is
scheduled to be the focus of a congressional investigative hearing in New Jersey on 3 OCT. The hearing of
the House Committee on Veterans Affairs is set to probe whether administrators at the Germantown office
have corrected problems that came to light this summer when whistle-blowers alleged widespread
mismanagement there, organizers said. It will also delve into the facility's "management and leadership,
claims processing, and employee morale," according to an invitation sent to the head of the VA and the
agency's inspector general by Rep. Jon Runyan (R-NJ), chairman of the subcommittee on disability assistance
and memorial affairs. The benefits office - which processes claims for parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
24
and Delaware, and pensions for more than a dozen states - is being investigated by the VA Office of Inspector
General on allegations that staff manipulated dates on claims to hide delays. Kristen Ruell, a whistle-blower
who has worked at the office for seven years and has previously testified before lawmakers, said she had
been invited to speak. Representatives from the VA and Inspector General's Office are also expected to
attend, according to a staffer from the House committee. The hearing is open to the public and scheduled for
11 a.m. at Burlington County College's Pemberton Campus, 601 Pemberton-Browns Mills Rd., Pemberton
Township. [Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | Tricia L. Nadolny | Sept. 21, 2014 ++]
VAROIC, 5100 Wissahickon Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19144
********************************
GI Bill Update 182
►
Corinthian Colleges CFPB $500M Lawsuit
Corinthian Colleges is being sued by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for what it calls a
“predatory lending scheme.” The CFPB is seeking more than $500 million for borrowers who used the forprofit education company’s private student loans. The CFPB says that Corint]hian misled students about their
job prospects, in some cases paying employers to offer temporary jobs to graduates. The agency also says
Corinthian, based in Santa Ana, Calif., charged as much as $75,000 for a bachelor’s degree and pushed
students into private loans with interest rates of roughly 15 percent, more than double the rate for a federal
loan. The agency says that more than 60 percent of Corinthian students with those loans defaulted within
three years Corinthian Colleges schools enrolled 5,873 Post-9/11 GI Bill students in fiscal 2013, totaling $61
million, according to data from the Veterans Affairs and Education departments. That was enough to rank
the company as the 21st most popular school system among those beneficiaries. [Source: Associated Press
Sept. 16, 2014 ++]
********************************
GI Bill Update 183
►
Incentive to Lower Vet State Tuition Rates
A federal law passed earlier this month directing a massive $16.3-billion overhaul of the troubled Department
of Veterans Affairs health care system also aims to put pressure on colleges to lower education costs for
veterans. The law, called the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency
Act, bars the VA from paying education assistance to colleges that charge veterans more than in-state tuition
25
rates. Typically, students who reside in the same state as their public schools are given a break on tuition but
veterans who moved often during their military careers may face difficulties meeting residency requirements.
The change means schools must either extend the lower tuition rates to veterans who use VA assistance or
face losing revenue from the Montgomery GI Bill for active-duty forces and the new Post-9/11 GI Bill.
Overcharging any one veteran would mean the loss of all VA tuition assistance payments, according to the
staff of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) an architect of the VA overhaul law.
Significant money is at stake: The VA says it has doled out more than $20 billion in benefits to 773,000
vets and their family members under the Post-9/11 GI Bill since it became effective in 2009. The law does
not mandate the lower tuition, but instead gives a strong incentive for public colleges to tweak residency
requirements and what they charge veterans, congressional staff members said. The approach is similar to
how the federal government pushed states to create uniform age limits for alcohol consumption in the 1980s,
staff said. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 requires states to prohibit anyone under 21
years old from purchasing or possessing alcohol or face losing federal highway funding, which is key to the
construction and upkeep of roads and infrastructure. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on 7
AUG. For Fry Scholarship changes, the effective date is January 2015. For residency changes, the effective
date is July 2015. [Source: MilitaryOneSource.com | Travis J. Tritten | Sept 17, 2014 ++]
********************************
PTSD Update 175
► Up to 80,000 Vets eligible for Discharge Upgrades
As many as 80,000 veterans who suffered from post-traumatic stress and received Other Than Honorable
discharges can use evidence of their PTSD to petition service boards to upgrade the bad paper discharge.
At stake for individuals is removal of lifelong stigmas that have scarred reputations, limited job prospects
and blocked critical veteran benefits. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel this month directed that boards for
correction of military records or naval records begin to “fully and carefully consider every petition based on
PTSD brought by each veteran.” His 3 SEP memo gives Army, Navy and Air Force secretaries “supplemental
guidance” that boards are to use when petitioners seek discharge upgrades claiming that unrecognized PostTraumatic Stress Disorder caused the misbehavior that led to Other Than Honorable discharge. Many of the
veterans who will gain from the new guidance served during the Vietnam War, before the medical community
recognized PTSD as a disabling service-connected condition. PTSD only received a medical diagnostic code
in 1980, five years after that war officially ended.
26
Hagel instructed boards to give “liberal consideration” to any language found in medical records
describing one or more symptoms that meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD or related conditions. Liberal
consideration also is to be used when veterans’ civilian providers have diagnosed PTSD. And where PTSD
“is reasonably determined to have existed at the time of discharge,” it is to be “a mitigating factor” in the
misconduct that generated an Other Than Honorable, also then called Undesirable, discharge. Hagel likely is
reacting to several recent developments including a federal class action lawsuit filed last March on behalf of
Vietnam veterans, which generated a wave of publicity and attracted an influential advocate in Hagel’s
former Senate colleague, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). Blumenthal said last week that many veterans
went to war when PTSD “was undiagnosed and untreated” and it “caused many of them, particularly from
the Vietnam era, to be given less than honorable discharges.”
The Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale University Law School filed the class action lawsuit, Monk
v. Mabus, with five combat veterans and three veterans’ organizations named as plaintiffs. Their complaint
says that as a result of undiagnosed PTSD, these veterans were unable to perform assigned duties and were
discharged for misconduct attributable to post-traumatic stress. Yet over the years, the lawsuit contends, the
military “has near-categorically refused to correct these wrongful discharges.” One plaintiff, Conley Monk,
66, joined the Marine Corps at age 20. Nine months later he was in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam,
flinching at enemy mortar rounds and sniper fire and, for him, living in a nightmarish habitat of mosquitoes
and snakes, so different from what he had known. The day he arrived in Vietnam with the 9th Motor
Transport Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, the airport came under a barrage of mortar fire. From July through
November 1969, he drove troop trucks and “many times we would be under fire,” he recalled. “Every day I
prayed God would bring me back home to the United States.”
When his unit redeployed to Okinawa, but return to Vietnam remained a terrifying possibility, Monk said
he suffered flashbacks from undiagnosed post-traumatic stress. He used drugs too and was absent without
leave. One night on returning to his unit, his sergeant grabbed him and accused him wrongly of theft. They
fought. At his non-judicial punishment proceeding, Monk said, “they offered me an undesirable discharge.
I wanted to be relieved. I wanted to come home from the military. I accepted it.” But Monk soon learned a
ticket home on a bad discharge cost him a lot. While friends attended college on the GI Bill, Monk needed
student loans. He wasn’t eligible for a VA guaranteed home loan or VA healthcare or disability
compensation, which he sought for a foot condition he blamed on the dampness of Vietnam. The wartime
stress also stuck around. “I used to have nightmares of Vietnam,” Monk said. “And whenever I would hear
[a vehicle] backfire I would hit the ground, thinking I was under fire. I would wake up in the middle of the
night with cold sweats…change my tee shirt and go back to sleep.” Fortunately for Monk his “bad paper”
didn’t impact employment. He worked a full career as a substance abuse counselor in New Haven, Conn.
But today he has PTSD and Type II diabetes, both compensable conditions if a Navy board will upgrade his
discharge to general or honorable. Hagel’s guidelines have no effect on Bad Conduct or Dishonorable
discharges.
27
Advocates for Vietnam vets point to a sharp contrast in their treatment with that of Iraq and Afghanistan
vets see today. Under a recent policy change to protect PTSD victims, the services cannot separate a member
with bad paper discharge without screening for PTSD and traumatic brain injury. The idea is that members
with behavioral issues might be more deserving of mental health care and a medical discharge than a punitive
discharge. That wasn’t the mindset during Vietnam and hasn’t been the practice, even recently, of boards for
correction of records, writes lawyer Rebecca Izzo in a lengthy analysis of the issue published last spring in
Yale Law Journal. Not “every veteran with PTSD and a bad discharge deserves an upgrade,” Izzo wrote.
“However, under current practice, the [Army Board for Correction of Military Record] consistently
disregards later evidence of PTSD, making it nearly impossible for veterans with bad discharges arising from
conduct due to undiagnosed PTSD to get discharge upgrades.”
Hagel’s guidance will address that criticism. “We are very excited about the memo,” said Emma
Kaufman, a law student and intern at the Yale clinic that filed the class-action lawsuit. “It is the foundation
for a good solution [but not] a complete solution.” The lawsuit will remain active until plaintiffs are satisfied
with how the services are implementing the guidance, to include effective outreach to impacted veterans on
how and why to petition boards for better discharges. The Yale team came up with an 80,000 estimate of
Vietnam veterans impacted both by PTSD and having undesirable or OTH discharges. Kaufman said vets
who want help petitioning boards can call the legal services clinic at (203) 436-9270 or search for legal
services in their communities at Stateside Legal Services’ website http://statesidelegal.org. [Source: Stars
& Stripes | Tom Philpott | Sept. 18, 2014 ++]
* Vets *
Vet Charity Watch Update 48
► Suits for Soldiers
The Suits for Soldiers (SFS) website http://www.suitsforsoldiers.org notes that in the short time the
organization has been up and running at full capacity (July 2013), they have assisted with over 1200 resumes,
and are happy to report that 60 people were hired in last 120 days of 2013. They have also helped dozens of
veterans apply to school, obtained VA loans, and connected veterans with legal assistance and mental health
assistance. They have also given away over 1,000 pieces of business attire; all of this has been 100% free to
all veterans. Suits for Soldiers is here to change the lives of veterans and their family members, making life
a little easier, and by giving back to them by showing our gratitude for their sacrifices. SFS’a goal is for it
to be a one-stop shop for all veterans to turn to for anything they may need. It will always be 100% volunteerrun, and all services will be 100% free to veterans. They want to be able to touch the lives of the many men
and women that have risked their own to protect ours. To obtain funds to accomplish their goal they solicit
donations via their website and sell T-Shirts via eBay
28
However, it appears that all is not on the up-and-up with their operations. The following letter dtd 16 Sep
2014 has been sent to the Chairman of Suits for Soldiers, Inc. Scott Fader, by the State of Michigan Attorney
General Bill Schutte:
Dear Mr. Fader:
It has come to our attention that Suits for Soldiers, Inc. may be soliciting contributions in Michigan in
violation of the Charitable Organizations and Solicitations Act, MCL 400.271 et seq. (COSA). This letter
requires your immediate attention.
1.
2.
3.
Suits for Soldiers was registered to solicit contributions in Michigan, but its registration expired July
31, 2014 and was not renewed. Suits for Soldiers must either renew its registration or cease any
further solicitations, whether online or in any other manner.
The Suits for Soldiers website claims that donations are tax deductible, yet Suits of Soldiers does
not appear on the IRS website as a 50l(c)(3) organization. Misrepresenting that a donation is eligible
for tax advantages violates COSA. MCL 400.288(1)(1). Suits for Soldiers must cease any
misrepresentations. If Suits for Soldiers is, in fact, a 50l(c)(3) organization, it must provide proof of
that fact to the Attorney General.
Suits for Soldiers has reportedly raised funds and accepted donations to be used for the Hart Plaza
flag project of Revolution Flag Group which was to be completed around Memorial Day, 2014.
However, Suits for Soldiers has reportedly not returned donations upon request when the event did
not take place. Nor do we believe that it has forwarded all money raised for that purpose to
Revolution Flag Group. Diverting or misdirecting contributions to a purpose or organization other
than that for which it was solicited violates COSA. MCL 400.288(l)(i).
Suits for Soldiers is hereby ordered to cease and desist any misrepresentations regarding the taxdeductibility of donations to the organization, and to cease and desist all solicitations in Michigan until it is
registered with the Attorney General under COSA. Suits for Soldiers must respond to the Attorney General,
in writing, by Friday, October 3 to confirm that it has complied with this order. In its written response to the
Attorney General, Suits for Soldiers should also respond to allegation 3. Please note that violations of COSA
are punishable by civil fines of up to $10,000 or by other relief. MCL 400.290. If you have any questions,
please contact me.
Very truly yours,
Joseph J. JWlm, Auditor
Charitable Trust Section (517) 373-1152
[Source: VVA Chapter 494 | Ray Essenmacher | Sept. 2014 ++]
********************************
29
Vet Charity Watch Update 49
► Indiana Phony Vet Charities
Three groups that claim to be charities for veterans keep the money they raise, Indiana's attorney general
claims in court. Indiana sued Sandbox Veterans of America, Catholic Veterans of Indiana, and Iraq and
Afghanistan Veterans of America Inc., in Allen County Court. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Inc. is a "sham group" that is not affiliated with the "well-known and respected" Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans of America, the attorney general says. The state also sued the four people who incorporated the
groups: Adam Matthew Silvani (Sandbox), Olivia Jean Locke aka Olivia Jean Silvani (Catholic Veterans),
Roger Anthony Locke (Catholic Veterans), and Donald Shoppe (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans), all of Fort
Wayne. The defendants have solicited charitable contributions since June 2011, but "the contributions were
not given to veterans as represented," the state says in its 19 SEP complaint.
In its articles of incorporation, Sandbox Veterans of America claimed that its purpose was "to offer support
sessions and provide assistive services to local veterans who have recently served in overseas campaigns ...
hotel vouchers for patients at there [sic] local hospitals. To also give shelter to local homeless veterans. To
help local veterans in finding jobs and training them further in there [sic] career." The 9-page complaint
described the manner in which the defendants raised money. But when the attorney general's office in
February this year asked for proof of 501(c)(3) status with the IRS and bank accounts where donations were
held, Olivia Locke "informed plaintiff that neither Sandbox Veterans of America nor Catholic Veterans of
Indiana Limited had bank accounts where charitable donations were processed or kept," according to the
lawsuit.
The attorney general calls defendant Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Inc. "a sham organization
that is not affiliated with the IAVA. Defendants Olivia Silvani, Adam Silvani, and Donald Shoppe used
IAVA's name to gain recognition without actually donation to IAVA. To make the Indiana organization
appear to be affiliated with IAVA, Olivia Locke included IAVA's president and CEO names and New York
addresses in her Indiana Secretary of State filing, misrepresenting her organization's affiliation with IAVA,"
according to the complaint. The state seeks an injunction, penalties for deceptive trade, and costs of
investigation. [Source: Courthouse News Service | Chris Randolph | Sept. 26, 2014 ++]
********************************
Operation Grow4Vets
► Denver Cannabis Giveaway
Hundreds of military veterans received free marijuana during a special giveaway in Denver designed to show
that pot can help ease their pain. Four hundred bags of pot-infused products were given away during the
giveaway with veterans receiving more than $200 worth of cannabis products and other attendees who
donated $20 receiving over $100 worth of weed-infused products. Members of Operation Grow4Vets said
the 20 SEP event aimed to offer veterans an alternative to prescription drugs to help with anxiety, pain and
other problems. The organization also says it gave out 400 bags of marijuana-infused products at the Denver
Cannabis Giveaway. “We’re really here to help them with their medical conditions,” including post-traumatic
stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, the group’s founder, Roger Martin, himself a veteran, told KDVRTV ( http://bit.ly/1sfQhGK ). “There’s a wide variety of ailments. Anything that involves pain.” For a video
of the event refer to http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/09/20/hundreds-of-vets-receive-pot-free-of-charge-atspecial-event.
30
Stephanie Burton, a veteran Army nurse, told KCNC-TV that she struggles with PTSD, and marijuana
helps her sleep at night. Afghanistan veteran Brian Nance, 29, said he used marijuana to wean him off
morphine after he fell 40 feet into a ravine and broke his back. “I’ve been using cannabis, and it’s been
helping me,” Nance said. “If I don’t have to take a pill for four to five hours, for me, that’s a big deal.” But
pot critics questioned whether the event was safe. Colorado this year rejected marijuana as a treatment for
post-traumatic stress disorder, so the condition is not on the list of ailments for which doctors can recommend
medical marijuana. But it is legal in the state to give away pot for free. And Colorado allows any adult over
21 to buy the drug in recreational stores. Bob Doyle of the Colorado Smart Approaches to Marijuana
Coalition said organizers of Saturday’s event were reckless to give away a drug that can also cause paranoia
and may have other unforeseen side effects. “Obviously things that we would not want somebody with PTSD
to be experiencing,” he said. Grow4Vets now says it is launching a new project called Save 1,000 Vets that
aims to provide 1,000 veterans with a free lifetime supply of marijuana-infused goods.
Operation Grow4Vets website http://www.grow4vets.org states their mission is to help reduce the
staggering number of Veterans who die each day from suicide and prescription drug overdose. They provide
Veterans with the knowledge and resources necessary to obtain or grow their own marijuana for treatment of
their medical conditions. Their vision is to raise awareness by enlisting the public’s aid and support in
ensuring that all injured and wounded Veterans receive the respect and dignity of life that they deserve. And,
their purpose is to provide Veterans with unique products, programs and services designed to assist them in
living with injuries sustained while protecting our freedom. Operation Grow4Vets is a national, nonpartisan
organization headquartered in Colorado. A second cannabis giveaway was scheduled for 27 SEP, in Colorado
Springs at the Double Tree Hilton, 1775 E. Cheyenne Mountain Blvd, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Vets were
required to RSVP by 12 p.m. Sept. 26 to receive free product. [Source: The Associated Press Sept. 21, 2014
++]
********************************
Operation Grow4Vets Update 01
► Colorado Springs Cannabis Giveaway
Another free cannabis giveaway at a Colorado Springs hotel 27 SEP attracted about a thousand people
looking for an alternative medication for their physical and mental pain. Roger Martin, the executive director
and co-founder of Operation Grow4Vets, which put on the event, said the group's goal is to bring cannabis
to veterans with service-related conditions as an alternative to pain medications. "It isn't going to hurt them
as much as the prescription drugs," he said. Martin, an Army veteran, said he struggled with prescription
31
drug use to help with what he called "24-hour" pain and an inability to sleep. "I just need something to take
the pain away during the day," he said.
Extracting Innovations COO Seth Cox shows Navy veteran Hikima Nukes how to make active butter
for edibles at the Grow 4 Vets cannabis giveaway
Martin said he discovered edible marijuana as a way to reduce pain and help him sleep more, and he wants
other veterans to have the same chance to address ailments. Matt Kahl, a former Army specialist who works
for Operation Grow4Vets as a director of horticulture, said using marijuana saved his life and reduced his
dependency on pain medication. Kahl said he was injured when serving in Afghanistan when he was thrown
from a vehicle, causing a traumatic brain injury and hurting his spine and back. As part of his recovery, Kahl
started taking more than a dozen pain medications per month. After a suggestion from a friend, Kahl started
using marijuana to help with the pain. Now, he said, he is off all but two of his medications. "It doesn't make
sense that our first line of defense is toxic medication," Kahl said. He said marijuana use lessened his
symptoms of hyper vigilance and pain, and he moved to Colorado, "I would not be alive without this," Kahl
said.
People who came to the hotel Saturday were given a bag of items that included cannabis oil, an edible
chocolate bar and seeds to grow plants. Martin said some might have been disappointed because they were
not handing out bags of marijuana, but that was not his group's goal. "We're not about getting people high,"
he said, Martin said the organization plans to have at least three more events this year, including another in
Colorado Springs. Operation Grow4Vets also sponsored an event last weekend in Denver, which Martin said
attracted hundreds of people, but the event in Colorado Springs, he said, attracted about 1,000 people. Adults
21 and older were allowed into the event, and a $20 dollar donation for nonveterans was encouraged. Free
products were available to people who sent in an RSVP by Thursday afternoon. Future events will be posted
at http://www.grow4vets.org. [Source: Colorado Springs Gazette | Stephen Hobbs | Sept. 29, 2014 ++]
********************************
Vet Cremains Update 24
► 5 Receive a Long-Overdue Official Farewell
Five veterans of World War I or II received a long-overdue official farewell 23 SEP at the Massachusetts
National Cemetery, in an interment service attended not by relatives but by dozens of military supporters.
“Today, you are their family,” cemetery Director John Spruyt told the crowd. The five Massachusetts men
died between 1978 and 1993, but no one ever claimed their cremated remains at a funeral home in the
32
Brookline area, according to cemetery officials. The funeral home recently contacted the cemetery, and with
the help of the Veterans Administration, the five men were identified as U.S. military veterans. That
identification made them eligible for interment at the National Cemetery, according to cemetery program
sup-port assistant Barry Hughes.
Boxes holding veterans’ remains rest on a table at the Massachusetts National Cemetery as members
of the Patriot Guard stand by.
The World War I veterans were Cpl. Davis Chaet, 89; Pvt. Harold Klarfeld, 78; Pvt. Marcus Myers, 89;
and Pvt. Ralph Porter, 93.The World War II veteran was Capt. Arthur Stern Jr., 81. Ethel Porter, 79, the wife
of Ralph Porter, was interred Tuesday as well. The thought of the veterans being interred without family
members present, though, drew the Patriot Guard Riders. The Patriot Guard is a national nonprofit
organization that works to ensure dignity and respect at memorial services honoring fallen military heroes,
first responders and honorably discharged veterans. The group's motto is “Standing for Troops Who Stood
for Us”. Most of the members ride motorcycles and many are veterans themselves. On Tuesday, 35 of the
riders stood in a large L-shape formation holding American flags, in front of a table that held the six square
boxes of cremated remains. Behind the riders were about 20 cemetery workers and eight members of a
Massachusetts National Guard funeral squad from Bedford, a trumpet player and a handful of cemetery
officials.
The Veterans Administration regularly receives requests to determine eligibility for unclaimed, homeless
or indigent remains to receive military burials. The agency processed about 1,400 requests in fiscal 2013,
according to VA spokeswoman Genevieve Billia. Typically, a coroner or a funeral director contacts the
agency.VA officials then use sources such as the FBI, the Social Security Administration, military services
and other federal agencies or other avenues to identify eligibility for a military burial, Billia said.
Massachusetts National Cemetery handles about 50 to 60 burials or interments a week, for veterans, their
spouses and any of their children who have disabilities, Hughes said. In all about 60,000 people are buried
in the cemetery. An unaccompanied burial or interment is relatively rare, a few a month, and typically
involves a homeless or indigent individual, Hughes said.
The Patriot Guard Riders likewise rarely have the opportunity to stand in as a family for a veteran burial
or interment, possibly one every five years, the group's state captain, Howard Shrut, said Tuesday. In his
email to the riders about Tuesday's ceremony, Shrut said he emphasized that the event was an opportunity to
show what the group was all about. Usually five to 20 riders will show up, Shrut said. The service Tuesday
lasted about 30 minutes and included a rifle volley, the playing of taps and the presentation of an American
flag to Shrut. Taunton resident Roger Hoffmann, a rider and state chaplain for the Marine Corps League,
had traveled 35 miles on his bike to the cemetery. Hoffman said it was important that all veterans be given a
proper burial from the country they served. Shrut stood next to Hoffman, holding the flag, folded into a
triangle. “This is the essence of what we do,”Shrut said. [Source: Cape Cod Times | Mary Ann Bragg |
Sept. 24, 2014 ++]
33
********************************
Vet Toxic Exposure~Lejeune Update 47
► Financial Relief Coming
The Department of Veterans Affairs on 23 SEP announced it will soon start to cover out-of-pocket health
care costs for Marine dependents who contracted cancer and other illnesses from toxic water at Camp
Lejeune, as promised two years ago by law. In 2012, Congress passed the landmark Honoring America’s
Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act. It provided health care for Marines and family members
who had lived on the base near Jacksonville, N.C., from 1957-1987 and who suffered from any of 15 illnesses
named in the law. These included cancer related to the lungs, bladder, breasts, kidneys and esophagus, as
well leukemia and problems involving female infertility. An estimated 750,000 people were exposed to
drinking water at the base that was polluted with chemicals that included industrial solvents and benzene
from fuels. The chemicals resulted from spills, a dump site on base, leaking underground storage tanks on
base and an off-base dry cleaner.
Under the 2012 law, the VA immediately offered full care for veterans who had been stationed at Camp
Lejeune, but it told their dependents who suffered from covered illnesses that they would have to wait to be
reimbursed. The announcement of final rules on Tuesday meant that the VA later this year will start to
reimburse family members under the 2012 law for costs since March 26, 2013, that were not covered by
insurance. The date is when Congress appropriated funding. The rules first must be published in the Federal
Register, to be followed by a 30-day waiting period before people can file claims. The VA also planned to
release a document about health care services to veterans who were on active duty at the base for at least 30
days in the three-decade period.
Retired Marine Jerry Ensminger, whose 9-year-old daughter, Janey, died of leukemia in 1985, and Mike
Partain, who was born at the base and suffered from male breast cancer, led a long fight to get the law passed.
Both said Tuesday that they were dismayed it took two years to put it into effect. “As far as I’m concerned,
so many people have already died. They just keep dragging this thing out,” Ensminger said. Partain said
“institutional apathy and incompetence” were the reasons it took two years to write and approve the
regulations for how the law would be administered. The VA wrote the regulations, and then the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, part of the White House Office of Management and Budget, had to
approve them. The office’s website said approval was made on 9 SEP. The White House referred questions
to the VA, and the VA didn’t respond to a question about the length of time required for the implementation
of the law.
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), who proposed the legislation and fought for it to become law and for its
promises to be fulfilled, said in a statement that the final regulation “has been a long time coming.”
“Unfortunately, many who were exposed to the contaminated water have already died as a result of their
exposures and will not be able to receive the help this law provides,” Burr said. “I fully expect VA will now
move swiftly to implement all the regulations and extend a helping hand to the victims of this tragic episode
in our nation’s history.” Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., who joined Burr in pushing for the legislation when she
became a senator in 2009, said her office had been urging the VA to finalize the regulations since Congress
passed the bill. “I am relieved that action has finally occurred today,” Hagan said. “Our veterans and their
families exposed to toxic water contamination have waited too long for answers, and I am pleased they will
now begin to receive the critical health care benefits they deserve.”
34
For veterans, any reimbursement of co-payments would go back to Aug. 6, 2012, when the law was signed.
The law does not provide veterans with disability compensation. Veterans and family members can apply for
the Camp Lejeune benefits by enrolling with the VA online or at a local VA health facility. The VA said they
would have to prove they lived or worked at the base during the prescribed period. Burr and Hagan have
proposed legislation that would expand the eligibility dates for veterans and families to 1953. A study by the
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in 2013 estimated that the water was contaminated with
carcinogens as early as that date, four years earlier than previously thought. [Source: McClatchy Washington
Bureau | Renee Schoof | Sept. 23, 2014 ++]
********************************
Vet Toxic Exposure~Lejeune Update 48
► VA Final Regulations
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is committed to providing the best care for Veterans and families
related to Camp Lejeune historical drinking water contamination, as required by law. VA is announcing the
publication of two regulations: one providing health care for Camp Lejeune Veterans and the other for
reimbursing of health care expenses of family members potentially affected by contaminated drinking water
at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The regulations implement provisions of the
“Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012.”
The first regulation, entitled Hospital Care and Medical Services for Camp Lejeune Veterans (AO78),
will take effect immediately. The second -- Payment or Reimbursement for Certain Medical Expenses for
Camp Lejeune Family Members (AO79) – will take effect 30 days after publication. After referring to the
attached VA Fact sheet, should you have any questions, contact Mandy Hartman, Congressional Relations
Officer, VA’s Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs – Health Team, at (202) 461-6416 or
Mandy.Hartman@va.gov. She will be happy to assist you. In the interim reefer to the attachment to this
Bulletin titled, “VA Camp Lejeune Final Regulations Fact Sheet”. [Source: Florida St Johns County
Vet Council | Bill Dudley | Sept. 23, 2014 ++]
********************************
Vet Smoking ►
Battling Tobacco Use in the Home
A new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that veterans are less likely to implement
rules about having a smoke-free home when compared to nonveteran civilians. Smoke-free home rules are
policies adopted by household members or landlords that restrict] or ban cigarette smoking inside the
home. The study examined national trends in smoke-free home rules among US veterans and nonveterans.
It used data from the 2001–2002 and 2010–2011 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population
Survey to estimate and compare the existence of smoke-free home rules among veterans and nonveterans
for each survey period. The study found that the prevalence of a complete smoke-free home rule among
veterans increased from 64.0% to 79.7% between 2001 and 2011 but was consistently lower than were
rates estimated for nonveterans (67.6% and 84.4%, respectively). Disparities between the 2 groups
increased significantly over time. It concluded that despite the general increase in the adoption of smokefree home rules, veterans lag behind the rest of the US population. Interventions promoting the adoption of
complete smoke-free home rules are necessary to protect veterans and their families and to reduce
disparities. This finding, combined with the higher rates of smoking among veterans may contribute to a
prior finding that veterans are more likely to report poor or fair health and experience two or more chronic
conditions than their non-military peers. The report is available on the American Journal of Public Health
35
website http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2014.301975. [Source: Military.com
article Sept. 22, 2014 ++]
********************************
NORC
► A Means to Age Gracefully in Your Home
Virgil Petty had no idea he was about to become part of a trend when he moved to a suburban neighborhood
in St. Louis several years ago. Petty now views the move as one of the best things that ever happened to him.
When he lost his wife last year after 66 years of marriage, “I was ready to go with her,” Petty remembers.
The now-91-year-old World War II veteran had never heard of a NORC (naturally occurring retirement
community) before, but the local St. Louis NORC came to his rescue. Before long, meals were being
delivered to his home, and volunteers began showing up to help him with his extensive organic garden, which
he maintains on a power company easement behind his house. He was encouraged to attend NORC-sponsored
musical events and field trips, and soon Petty was getting out and about more than he had during his marriage.
“It’s been a lifesaver for me,” he says, “because I wasn’t in the habit of going out much at all.”
The primary goal of a NORC is to help people age gracefully in their homes, so they can get the benefit
of support services that, historically, were available only in a retirement community or another
institutionalized setting,” explains Philip Moeller, a research fellow at the Sloan Center on Aging and Work
at Boston College. “The common element is a group of like-minded older residents who want to come
together to help each other by pooling their efforts to get services that are of common benefit to everybody:
home maintenance, transportation, and discounts on products and services that seniors use a lot.” The St.
Louis NORC is sponsored and operated by the local branch of the Jewish Federation, which began
administering its first NORC in New York City in 1986. Since then, the concept steadily has spread and now
can be found in more than 25 states. As its name indicates, a NORC is not a planned retirement community;
it’s one that has evolved in one of three ways:
 Residents of a community moved in when they were younger and have aged in place;
 A large number of older residents moved into an area, a process called in-migration; or
 Younger residents moved out of a community while older residents stayed (out-migration).“
36
Finding new ways to serve an aging population is becoming increasingly important as more and more
people join that demographic. Around 40 million Americans are now age 65 and older, accounting for nearly
13 percent of the country’s population. Thirty years from now, that number is forecast to be three times as
high. Programs such as Meals On Wheels are vital in helping cash-strapped or homebound seniors stay
healthy and well-fed, but they don’t address the social challenges older people often face. As Petty found,
however, that’s where NORCs excel. Moeller notes NORCs can help fill the role historically provided by an
extended family, when several generations lived under one roof and caregiving was a family affair. Today,
families often are widely separated, and although technology helps fill the communication gap, many seniors
often need help with some aspects of their daily lives. Of course, that kind of aid is available in nursing homes
and other long-term facilities, but studies have shown around 90 percent of older people strongly prefer to
remain in their own homes. Another benefit of a NORC is financial. Social Worker Karen Berry Elbert,
manager of the St. Louis NORC, says a semi-private nursing home room can cost upward of $50,000 a year,
while her organization charges residents $395 a year. For that price, residents enjoy a cornucopia of exercise,
recreational, and social programs that keep them healthy and engaged, both physically and mentally, while
still remaining in the safety and familiarity of their homes. The cost is kept low through partnerships with
local churches, universities, charities, and state and national programs such as AARP
Although all NORCs share the same goal — allowing older people to successfully age in place — there
is no universal template. “One of the best descriptions I ever heard was from someone who ran one of these
programs, who said, ‘When you’ve seen one NORC, you’ve seen one NORC,’ ” says Moeller. “Some are
associated with religious or civic organizations, some are inexpensive, while others operate in a more forprofit way, with fees of up to $700 a year. Some have thousands of members; others have just 30 or 40.” No
matter how they’re structured, NORCs steadily are making inroads into the lives of seniors across the country,
bringing communities together in ways that mirror their residents’ desire for security, social interaction, and
a fulfilling lifestyle. As Petty puts it, “The NORC is great; I’m tickled to death that I belong to it. They’re a
wonderful outfit, and I’m fortunate to have someplace like that to go. For more information on NORCs refer
to http://www.norcs.org/index.aspx. For a Blueprint on how to start a NORC where you live go to
http://www.norcblueprint.org/. [Source: MOAA | Mark Cantrell | Sept. 15, 2014 ++]
********************************
Illinois Veterans Homes Update 06
► New Chicago Home Breaks Ground
Ground was broken Sunday on a new $70.5 million Illinois Veterans Home — the first such facility to be
built in Chicago and the fifth statewide, officials said. The Chicago region – where 60 percent of the state’s
veterans live – does not have one. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs approved federal reimbursement
for up to 65 percent — or $45.8 million — of eligible construction costs for the 200-bed facility, Illinois Gov.
Pat Quinn's office said. Construction is to begin in early October. Quinn attended the 21 SEP ground breaking
ceremony. The new home at 4250 N. Oak Park Ave. will be five-stories tall, have single occupancy rooms,
private bathrooms and common areas for dining and meeting with visitors. It also will have united to provide
long-term care for veterans suffering from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
The Illinois Capital Development Board is managing the construction project. The Illinois Department
of Veterans' Affairs will operate the home. Similar homes are in Anna, LaSalle, Manteno and Quincy which
currently house more than 900 veterans. The state department also operates a 15-bed supportive housing
facility for homeless and disabled veterans at Manteno. The state veterans' department will qualify for federal
payments to provide more than 25 percent of the home's operating budget, the governor's office said. Rodrigo
Garcia, acting director of the state veterans affairs department, said residents at state-run facilities currently
37
pay up to around $1,400 a month to live at the homes, as opposed to about $7,000 a month at private facilities.
About 20 percent of veterans nationwide are in need of Alzheimer’s care, he added. Currently, more than
100 veterans remain on a wait list to live at one of the state homes, said state veterans affairs department
spokesman Ryan Yantis. [Source: Associated Press September 21, 2014 ++]
Architectural Drawing of New Chicago Home
********************************
Retiree Appreciation Days
► As of 28 Sep 2014
Retiree Appreciation Days (RADs) are designed with you in mind. They're a great source of the latest
information for retirees and Family members in your area. RADs vary from installation to installation, but,
in general, they provide an opportunity to renew acquaintances, listen to guest speakers, renew ID Cards, get
medical checkups, and various other services. Some RADs include special events such as dinners or golf
tournaments. Due to budget constraints, some RADs may be cancelled or rescheduled. Also, scheduled
appearances of DFAS representatives may not be possible. If you plan to travel long distances to attend a
RAD, before traveling, you should call the sponsoring RSO to ensure the RAD will held as scheduled and,
if applicable, whether or not DFAS reps will be available. The current schedule is provided in the attachment
to this Bulletin titled, “Retiree Activity\Appreciation Days (RAD) Schedule”. For more information call
the phone numbers of the Retirement Services Officer (RSO) sponsoring the RAD as indicated in the
attachment.
An up-to-date Retiree Appreciation Days list is always available online at
http://www.hostmtb.org/RADLIST-2014.html. [Source: RAD List Manager | Milton Bell | Sept 28, 2014
++]
*********************************
Vet Hiring Fairs
► 1 thru 31 Oct 2015
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s (USCC) Hiring Our Heroes program employment workshops are
available in conjunction with hundreds of their hiring fairs. These workshops are designed to help veterans
and military spouses and include resume writing, interview skills, and one-on-one mentoring. For details of
each you should click on the city next to the date in the below list. To participate, sign up for the workshop
38
in addition to registering (if indicated) for the hiring fairs which are shown below for the next 4 weeks. For
more information about the USCC Hiring Our Heroes Program, Military Spouse Program, Transition
Assistance, GE Employment Workshops, Resume Engine, etc. visit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s
website at http://www.hiringourheroes.org/hiringourheroes/events.
Knoxville, TN
October 1 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Quantico, VA - Military Spouse Networking Reception
October 6 @ 7:00 pm to @ 9:00 pm Details Register
Quantico, VA - Military Spouse Hiring Fair
October 7 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Saratoga Springs, NY
October 7 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Wichita, KS
October 8 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Glen Allen, VA
October 9 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Ft. Irwin, CA - Military Spouse Networking Luncheon & Hiring Fair
October 9 @ 11:00 am to @ 2:00 pm Details Register
Boston, MA - Recovering Warrior Employment Conference
October 14 @ 9:00 am to October 15 @ 1:30 pm Details Register
McAllen/Mission, TX
October 15 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Knoxville, TN
October 1 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Quantico, VA - Military Spouse Networking Reception
October 6 @ 7:00 pm to @ 9:00 pm Details Register
Quantico, VA - Military Spouse Hiring Fair
October 7 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Saratoga Springs, NY
October 7 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Wichita, KS
October 8 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Glen Allen, VA
October 9 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Ft. Irwin, CA - Military Spouse Networking Luncheon & Hiring Fair
October 9 @ 11:00 am to @ 2:00 pm Details Register
Boston, MA - Recovering Warrior Employment Conference
October 14 @ 9:00 am to October 15 @ 1:30 pm Details Register
McAllen/Mission, TX
October 15 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Baton Rouge/Lafayette, LA
October 16 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA - Washington State Service Member for Life Transition Summit
October 21 @ 12:00 pm to October 23 @ 4:00 pm Details Register
Toms River, NJ
October 22 @ 10:00 am Details
Houston, TX
October 22 @ 10:00 am Details Register
39
MCAS Miramar, CA - Military Spouse Networking Reception
October 22 @ 7:00 pm to @ 9:00 pm Details Register
Raleigh/Durham, NC
October 23 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
MCAS Miramar, CA - Military Spouse Hiring Fair
October 23 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Ft. Worth, TX
October 29 @ 10:00 am to @ 1:00 pm Details Register
Virtual Job Fair
October 29 @ 11:00 am to @ 3:00 pm Details Register
Caregiver Summit Washington, DC
October 30 @ 8:15 am to @ 1:30 pm Details Register
[Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Assn 28 Sep 2014 ++]
*********************************
WWII VETS 71
► Martin~Jim
Veteran paratrooper Jim "Pee Wee" Martin, who jumped into Normandy on D-Day returned to coastal France
to mark the 70th anniversary of the invasion that changed the course of World War II. Martin, who spoke in
an interview ahead of the anniversary, remembers looking out in the night sky before making the historic
jump. "When we made our initial jump into France, there were a few cirrus clouds up above, just enough so
you still saw shadows down below," he said at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton Ohio.
"It was just unbelievable to see as many ships as there were down there," he said. Martin said he hoped to
leap from the skies again during the anniversary. "I truly would want to do that one, because there's no other
93-year-old guy in the unit who can do it but me," he said. Martin was a private first class with the elite 506th
Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.
93 year old Jim "Pee Wee" Martin
Martin said he and his unit were known as the "Toccoa Men," because they attended basic training at
Camp Toccoa, Ga. They were trained alongside Easy Company of the 506th, later depicted in the "Band of
Brothers" series. Martin said he was aware then that they were part of something big. "We knew that the
40
success was going to hinge on us. We were absolutely certain of that. Eisenhower was too, that's why he
made the decision to send us in, even though all the others didn't want to," Martin said. Martin said he "never
had a doubt about the success of the mission," but had concern about what the human cost would be. "I knew
it was going to be bad," he said. He and his unit were among the first wave of paratroopers to jump into
Normandy. They later jumped into Holland in "Operation Market Garden," were among the defenders of
Bastogne, during the Battle of the Bulge, and captured Adolph Hitler's mountain retreat in Bavaria at the end
of the war.
"Going into Normandy, it wasn't so much scary," he said. "Now going into Holland, we were different,
we had already been there, and we showed more fear, but don't let anybody tell you that he wasn't scared
going in to any combat, whether it was us or others." Men died all around him; the unit endured a lot during
the war, Martin said. It was terrible when his unit landed in Normandy, he said, because German paratrooper
and SS troops were right where they landed. "It was a slaughterhouse on that drop zone." The plane ride over
Normandy was typical, Martin recalled, but the pilots didn't slow down and make a slight left turn, to protect
the Soldiers and the equipment. "As a consequence, we lost most of our equipment," he said. Soldiers were
also killed making the jump as well.
The unit's objective was one of the most important ones of the whole operation, Martin said, to capture a
pedestrian bridge and a vehicle bridge, both of which were put in a few months prior to let reinforcements
down to the beach when forces landed on shore. "It was paramount we get the bridges, which we did," he
said. But he said the unit lost all of its communication equipment in the jump. "Division thought we had been
wiped out, so they ordered the bridges bombed, and here we are right there at the bridges," he said. The
danger was present every day as Soldiers were killed around him; he thought each day might be his last. Once
you accept you might die, "you're better off," and can focus on the mission at hand, Martin said. "You got to
understand that you can't let the fear control you; you have to do your job regardless of the fear, and we all
did it. That's what we had to do and we did," he said. Martin would "absolutely" do it all over again.
Supreme Allied Commander U.S. Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower speaks with 101st Airborne
Division paratroopers before they board airplanes and gliders to take part in a parachute assault into
Normandy as part of the Allied Invasion of Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
He enlisted in 1942, at the age of 21. He knew the situation was deteriorating in Europe, and that France
and Britain were no match for Germany. Besides, men were being drafted and had to leave their wives and
children at home. "Here I am a young person with no family to worry about and these guys are going away
and leaving their families. That did change me," he said. "I went down, I had a deferment, I didn't have to
41
go, but I went down and signed up for submarine service." Not wanting to wait the months that it would be
before the Navy finished the ship it was building that he would be on, he then signed up and shipped off with
the Army. When the Navy came knocking on his mother's door saying he was a deserter, she showed the men
the letters he had written home from the Army, and they reportedly said "'Well, that's OK, he's in, he's in.'"
Times were certainly different then, he said. Serving one's country, he said, is part of the duty of living in
a free nation. "I don't consider it a sacrifice. A lot of people said it was a sacrifice. It's not a sacrifice. It's a
duty that you're obligated to do," he said. "If you live in a free country, whether you agree with what they do,
if you're called, you should go and do your very best." Martin is proud of the men and women who serve the
nation today. What advice does he have for the fighting generation: "Go in there and do the best you can. Be
thankful that you have a country that will back you with materiel." [Source: Army News Service | Lisa
Ferdinando | June 2, 2014 ++]
*********************************
Afghanistan Vets 01
► Jonathan Kong
Former Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (FMF/SW) Jonathan Kong waited nearly four years for his first
firefight. When it finally happened, his actions that day led to a Silver Star. After a Marine collapsed from
gunshot wounds at the start of a four-hour battle in Afghanistan’s deadly Sangin district in 2011 — their
squad’s first enemy contact — Kong, then an HM3, rushed into the hail of bullets to pull Cpl. Michael Dawers
out of the kill zone. Kong received the military’s third-highest award for valor during a 19 SEP ceremony at
Camp Pendleton, California.
Then-Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (FMF/SW) Jonathan Kong, right, with former 5th Marines
squad mate Lance Cpl. Marshall Kotchasak.
Kong’s unit, 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, had been in country for three
months without enemy contact, he said, and they were starting to wonder if they’d ever see real combat. The
fighting season was just kicking off, Kong recalled in a 17 SEP phone interview, when his squad headed out
to the village of Kotozay on 17 JUN to clear a known Taliban stronghold. “They kept telling us, ‘It’s going
to happen, it’s going to happen,’ ” Kong recalled. Two hours into the four-day operation, locals approached
to warn them of the Taliban. Suddenly, bullets were flying overhead and the Marine in front of him was down
42
on the ground. “When Dawers got hit, it was so real, instantly,” Kong recalled. “The Taliban, until this point,
were these mythical creatures that we’d never encountered.”
Kong took action immediately. According to his citation, he ran toward the Marine, returned fire on the
enemy positions, then braved a hail of bullets to drag the wounded Marine 15 meters to pack the gunshot
wound to his chest. “I think as a corpsman, it’s always in the back of your head. You’re trained, and you’re
so ready to do this, and you think about that moment all the time,” he said. “Ideally, I don’t ever have to do
my job.” It wasn’t until they got back to Patrol Base Nevada that he had time to take stock of what had
happened. “It’s not that scary until afterward, when you sit there and think about it and you’re like, ‘Oh man
— I could’ve died,’ ” he said.
Kong joined the Navy in 2007, picking the corpsman rating because he knew it could get him closer to
the action. He spent his first deployment with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, cruising the
Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf. When he reported to 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton in early
2011, he said, he was more than ready to go. Two months later he was in Afghanistan. “I always joke that I
know more about the Marine Corps — weapons tactics, fire team maneuvers — than I do about ships,” he
said. The 25-year-old admitted that being a Silver Star hero is still sinking in. “It’s not a conversation starter,”
he said. “It’s not like, ‘Hey, my name’s Jon, I’m getting a Silver Star.’ ” Kong left the Navy a year ago and
returned home to Milpitas, California, where he’s studying pre-medicine at a local community college. He
remains on inactive reserve for the next year, he said. He said things might change once he works his way to
medical school, but for now, he plans to take his experience into the civilian world as an emergency room
doctor. [Source: MarineCorpsTimes | Meghann Myers | Sept. 20, 2014 ++]
*********************************
America's Most Beloved Vets
Doris Miller




►
World War II (2)
Douglas MacArthur Dwight Eisenhower Ernest Borgnine
Gene Roddenberry
For carrying fellow sailors to safety and manning an anti-aircraft machine gun during the Pearl
Harbor attack, Miller was the first black American to receive the Navy Cross.
The decorated general fought in World War I, Douglas MacArthur commanded Allied forces in
the Pacific in World War II, and was relieved of his command in Korea after criticizing the
president's handling of the conflict.
The supreme commander of Allied forces in Western Europe, Dwight Eisenhower went on to
serve two terms as president, championing an interstate highway system, space exploration and
desegregation.
The TV and film actor of "McHale's Navy", Ernest Borgnine served on USS Sylph, which
patrolled for U-boats and tested new equipment.
43

The creator of "Star Trek" Gene Roddenberry flew combat missions in the Pacific with the
"Bomber Barons" of the 394th Bomb Squadron.
*********************************
Veteran State Benefits & Discounts
► Connecticut 2014
The state of Connecticut provides several benefits to veterans as indicated below. To obtain information on
these plus discounts listed on the Military and Veterans Discount Center (MCVDC) website, refer to the
attachment to this Bulletin titled, “Vet State Benefits & Discounts – CT” for an overview of the below
benefits. Benefits are available to veterans who are residents of the state. For a more detailed explanation of
each of the below benefits refer to http://militaryandveteransdiscounts.com/location/connecticut.html
& http://www.ct.gov/ctva/site/default.asp.
 Housing Benefits
 Financial Assistance Benefits
 Employment Benefits
 Education Benefits
 Other State Veteran Benefits
 Discounts
[Source: http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-state-benefits/connecticut-state-veterans-benefits.html
Sep 2014 ++]
*********************************
* Vet Legislation *
VA Hospital Construction
►
House Passes Oversight Bill
The House has passed a bill to increase oversight of veterans' hospitals under construction, following a report
that some medical centers take three years longer to complete than estimated and cost an extra $366 million
per project. Republican congressman Mike Coffman of Colorado says the Veterans Affairs Department's
oversight of construction projects is dysfunctional and leads to delayed health care. A report by the
Government Accountability Office last year found that at least four medical centers were behind schedule
and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget. The hospitals are in Las Vegas, Denver, New Orleans and
Orlando, Florida. The House bill would require the VA to appoint a project manager from the Army Corp of
44
Engineers to oversee construction projects that cost more than $60 million. [Source: Associated Press |
Matthew Daly| Sept. 16, 2014 ++]
********************************
TRICARE Birth Control Update 01
►
Legislation Introduced in House
All women enrolled in the military’s health care program would have access to birth control, counseling and
family planning services for free, under legislation pending in the House and Senate. The Access to
Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act aligns TRICARE coverage with the 2010
Affordable Care Act ensuring birth control and education are available without a health insurance co-pay to
female service members who are not on active duty, or female dependents of service members. Currently
women on active duty with TRICARE coverage do not have to pay out-of-pocket for prescription drugs,
including contraception. The legislation defines pregnancy prevention care as all Food and Drug
Administration-approved birth control, sterilization procedures and patient education and counseling.
Rep. Jackie Speier sponsors TRICARE contraceptive bill
“The Affordable Care Act established that being a woman is not a preexisting condition,” said Rep. Jackie
Speier (D-CA) who introduced the bill in the House on 17 SEP. “We owe female servicemembers the same
access to contraception and family planning services as the women they fight to protect.” Under Obamacare,
new insurance plans have to offer free birth control and reproductive education to the enrollee; however,
because some insurance coverage—mostly employer-sponsored plans—was grandfathered into the health
care reform law, many women still have co-payments for contraception. The Defense Department provides
health care to more than 3 million women, including active-duty service members, non-active duty women
and female dependents enrolled in TRICARE. “We need to make sure women in the military and women
who rely on military health care are receiving the comprehensive care they deserve, and that needs to include
access to basic preventative health care, including contraception and family planning counseling,” said Sen.
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) who introduced a similar bill (S.2687) in the Senate in July.
The legislation also requires the department to make sure every military treatment facility is fully-stocked
with FDA-approved birth control for beneficiaries, to ensure access to contraception counseling for women
and to educate all service members—male and female—on family planning. Under the bill, military treatment
facilities also would be required to provide, upon request, emergency contraception and information about
emergency birth control to any woman who is a victim of sexual assault, or “reasonably believed to be a
survivor of sexual assault.” A 2008 survey by Ibis Reproductive Health, an international nonprofit group that
aims to improve women’s reproductive choices, found that the unintended pregnancy rate for women in the
military was 50 percent higher than for civilian women. “Unintended pregnancy is not only a public health
45
and reproductive justice concern, but also impacts troop readiness, deployment, and military health care
costs,” the study stated. “The large number of unintended pregnancies among servicewomen each year likely
has a significant impact on military operations and troop readiness; however, there are limited public data on
this topic.” [Source: GovExec.com | Kellie Lunney | September 19, 2014 ++]
********************************
VA Alternative Energy
►
Bill to Cease Expenditures Introduced
Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) has introduced legislation that would prevent the Department of Veterans Affairs
from spending funds on alternative energy projects. Weber said he was spurred to offer the measure after
finding that the department had spent at least $420 million on solar and wind renewable energy projects at
VA facilities. Under the Texas Republican's bill, the VA would be required to instead spend that money on
reducing the veterans' benefits backlog unless the alternative energy funds are specifically authorized by law.
Weber argued that funds allocated for renewable energy projects were "wasteful," especially compared to the
need address the benefits backlog. "If enacted, this legislation would prohibit the VA from spending any
more money on wasteful alternative energy projects. Instead, that money would go toward reducing the VA
backlog," Weber said. The measure further states that the VA should focus first and foremost on veterans'
medical care. "The primary responsibility of the Department of Veterans Affairs is to provide the best
possible medical care to wounded veterans," the text reads. [Source: The Hill | Cristina Marcos | Sept. 23,
2014 ++]
********************************
Vet Bills Submitted to 113th Congress
► As of 28 SEP 2014
For a listing of Congressional bills of interest to the veteran community introduced in the 113 th Congress
refer to this Bulletin’s “House & Senate Veteran Legislation” attachment. Support of these bills through
cosponsorship by other legislators is critical if they are ever going to move through the legislative process
for a floor vote to become law. A good indication of that likelihood is the number of cosponsors who have
signed onto the bill. Any number of members may cosponsor a bill in the House or Senate. At
https://beta.congress.gov you can review a copy of each bill’s content, determine its current status, the
committee it has been assigned to, and if your legislator is a sponsor or cosponsor of it by entering the bill
number in the site’s search engine. To determine what bills, amendments your representative/senator has
sponsored, cosponsored, or dropped sponsorship on go to:
 https://beta.congress.gov/search?q=%7B%22source%22%3A%5B%22legislation%22%5D%7D
 Select the ‘Sponsor’ tab, and click on your congress person’s name.
 You can also go to http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php
Grassroots lobbying is the most effective way to let your Congressional representatives know your wants
and dislikes. If you are not sure who is your Congressman go to https://beta.congress.gov/members. Members
of Congress are receptive and open to suggestions from their constituents. The key to increasing
cosponsorship support on veteran related bills and subsequent passage into law is letting legislators know of
veteran’s feelings on issues. You can reach their Washington office via the Capital Operator direct at (866)
272-6622, (800) 828-0498, or (866) 340-9281 to express your views. Otherwise, you can locate their phone
number, mailing address, or email/website to communicate with a message or letter of your own making at
either:
 http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
46

http://www.house.gov/representatives
Tentative 2014 Legislative Schedule 113th Congress, 2nd Session: The below list identifies the remaining
expected non-legislative periods (days that the Senate will not be in session)
Date
Action Note
Target Adjournment Date TBD
FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF VETERAN RELATED LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN
THE HOUSE AND SENATE SINCE THE LAST BULLETIN WAS PUBLISHED:
 H.R.5432 : Wounded Warrior Act. Workforce Enhancement. A bill to require the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to award grants to establish, or expand upon, master's degree or doctoral degree
programs in orthotics and prosthetics, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Cartwright, Matt
[PA-17] (introduced 9/10/2014)

H.R.5480 : Empowering Our Veterans Act of 2014. A bill to prohibit the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs from obligating or expending funds for alternative energy generation projects
unless specifically authorized by law, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Weber, Randy K. Sr.
[TX-14] (introduced 9/16/2014)
 H.R.5494 : Incentives for our Nation's Veterans in Energy Sustainability Technologies. A
bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide the work opportunity tax credit with
respect to the hiring of veterans in the field of renewable energy. Sponsor: Rep Lee, Barbara [CA13] (introduced 9/16/2014)
 H.R.5500 : Protect Veterans Employment and Training Services Act of 2014. A bill to amend
title 38, United States Code, to protect employment and training services for veterans, and for
other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Fitzpatrick, Michael G. [PA-8] (introduced 9/17/2014)
 H.R.5518 : Assuring Quality Care for Veterans Act. A bill to amend title 38, United States
Code, to improve the continuing professional education reimbursement provided to health
professionals employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sponsor: Rep McNerney, Jerry
[CA-9] (introduced 9/17/2014)
 H.R.5554 : Helping Wounded Warriors Cover Medical Expenses Act. A bill to amend the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit distributions from 529 accounts for medical expenses of
account owners who are veterans with disability ratings of greater than 50 percent. Sponsor: Rep
Bishop, Timothy H. [NY-1] (introduced 9/18/2014)
 H.R.5563 : Veteran Employer Special Recognition. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Labor
to award special recognition to employers for veteran-friendly employment practices. Sponsor:
Rep Cardenas, Tony [CA-29] (introduced 9/18/2014)
 H.R.5589 : Veteran Education Empowerment Act. A bill to direct the Secretary of Education
to establish a grant program to assist institutions of higher education in establishing, maintaining,
and improving veteran student centers. Sponsor: Rep Frankel, Lois [FL-22] (introduced
9/18/2014)

H.R.5618 : VHA Management And Accountability Pilot Program. A bill to establish a pilot
program to improve the management and accountability within the Veterans Health
Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to provide oversight of the Veterans Health
Administration, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Kilmer, Derek [WA-6] (introduced
9/18/2014)
47






H.R.5680 : VA Toxic Exposure Registry. A bill to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
establish a registry for certain toxic exposures, to direct the Secretary to include certain
information in the electronic health records of veterans, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Walz, Timothy J. [MN-1] (introduced 9/19/2014)
S.2794 : Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act of 2014. A bill to amend the Small
Business Act to direct the task force of the Office of Veterans Business Development to provide
access to and manage the distribution of overseas excess or surplus property to veteran-owned
small businesses. Sponsor: Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] (introduced 9/11/2014)
S.2810 : Service Members Transition Improvement Act of 2014. A bill to require the
Secretary of Defense to develop procedures to share certain information with State veterans
agencies to facilitate the transition of members of the Armed Forces from military service to
civilian life, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Sen Toomey, Pat [PA] (introduced 9/15/2014)
Related Bills: H.R.3493, S.1684
S.2822 : Dignified Interment of Our Veterans Act of 2014. A bill to require the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on matters relating to the burial of unclaimed remains of
veterans in national cemeteries, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Sen Toomey, Pat [PA]
(introduced 9/16/2014)
S.2834 : Protect Veterans Employment and Training Services Act of 2014. A bill to amend
title 38, United States Code, to protect employment and training services for veterans, and for
other purposes. Sponsor: Sen Toomey, Pat [PA] (introduced 9/17/2014)
S.2837 : Military and Veterans Education Protection Act. A bill to count revenues from
military and veteran education programs toward the limit on Federal revenues that certain
proprietary institutions of higher education are allowed to receive for purposes of section 487 of
the Higher Education Act of 1965, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Sen Carper, Thomas R. [DE]
(introduced 9/17/2014)
[Source: https://beta.congress.gov & http: //www.govtrack.us/congress/bills Sept. 28, 2014 ++]
* Military *
Military Pay & Benefits Update 02 ►
Blue Star Families’ 2014 Survey
Military families have a lot to worry about, and their biggest fears are over pay and benefits. Concerns over
changes to military pay and other compensation, as well as changes to the retirement system, were the top
two issues cited by spouses, service members and veterans in a new survey from Blue Star Families, a
nonprofit, nonpartisan organization supporting the military community. Pay and benefits issues represented
the No. 1 fear for 73 percent of military spouses and 75 percent of service members in the Blue Star Families’
48
2014 military family lifestyle survey. Sixty-four percent of vets named compensation as their second biggest
worry, followed by potential changes to the military’s pension system. The survey drew 6,270 responses.
The Defense Department’s planned force reduction after 13 years of war and sequestration is driving the
anxiety many military families feel over their short- and long-term financial future, the survey found. “These
issues are not lost on individuals serving in the military, veterans or their families,” the report said. “National
decisions also trickle down to the dinner table at home, increasing concern among military families on how
they will be personally impacted by each decision.” Military families also listed pay and benefits issues as
their top concern in 2013.
A commission studying military compensation and retirement will submit recommendations to President
Obama and Congress in February 2015, and the proposed changes could affect a range of third-rail military
compensation issues, including commissary benefits, housing allowances and the pension system. “With
these forecasts and discussions as the backdrop, concerns about uncertainty and financial stability were of
top importance to military members, families and veteran survey respondents in this survey,” the report
stated. Seventy percent of the survey respondents were military spouses, followed by 21 percent who were
either service members or veterans. The remaining participants included other family members of activeduty military members or vets. Military spouses and active-duty members also cited spouse employment, the
uncertainty of the military lifestyle and the impact of deployment on children among their top five “lifestyle”
concerns. Vets reported the greatest anxiety, after pay and benefits worries, over the disability claims backlog,
the perceived disconnect between the military and civilian communities, and post-traumatic and combat
stress.
Military spouses often encounter difficulty finding jobs, which contributed to respondents’ general sense
of financial uncertainty, according to the survey. The challenges vary, but typically include a lack of child
care, frequent moves or employer bias. “Within open-ended responses, many spouses described encounters
with potential employers who reportedly held preconceived notions that military spouse job seekers lacked
adequate education, skills or experience, or who were concerned that frequent moves would ultimately mean
short periods of employment,” the survey said. “Employers may be unaware that many military tours are
about the same length of time as the average worker’s tenure with one company--around four years.” In fact,
the 2014 survey’s military spouse respondents were better educated than the general public, with 33 percent
having a bachelor’s degree and 20 percent holding an advanced professional degree.
Some spouses who do work are feeling another kind of pressure. One Navy spouse told Blue Star Families:
“I am so broken as a mother because I work, then I come home and run around to take them both to their
activities. We have less than two hours each night to be in our home and I am dying inside! I am away from
my other family because the military required us to move and then deployed my husband. I have no outlet
but am expected to maintain normalcy for my children, continue working, and take on the EVERYDAY role
of two parents for two children for over a year with absolutely NO break!”
The survey also touched on a range of other issues important to military families including, military kids’
education and emotional well-being, transitioning to civilian life, ability to cope with stress, healthiness of
respondents’ marriages and the quality of Defense Department services. The top services used by respondents
were the commissary and exchange network; health care system; morale, recreation and welfare; base
housing; and child development centers. The survey found that most services were “underutilized,” but for
those respondents who did take advantage of the programs, a majority reported they were satisfied with them.
Along those lines, 71 percent of respondents said they “felt prepared” to transition to civilian life, compared
to 29 percent who said they did not.
49
One of the most interesting findings from the survey: Despite the pride and commitment most respondents
reported feeling about their own or their loved one’s military service, nearly half (48 percent) said they
weren’t likely to recommend the path to a young person. [Source: GovExec.com | Kellie Lunney | Sept. 18,
2014 ++]
********************************
Military Divorce & Separation Update 03
► Pay & Benefits Issues
Servicemembers’ and veterans’ benefits are administered by either the services or the VA. Because there are
no VA benefits for former spouses, all potential benefits for former spouses come from the services. This
article summarizes the major programs affecting divorcing servicemember couples. For detailed or
personalized information, you need to consult legal or functional experts within the services. Look to the
Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act (USFSPA) for greater detail.
Retired pay. The USFSPA allows state courts to treat “disposable” service retired pay as property of the
marriage. Disposable retired pay can be split between the divorcing couple. There are some misconceptions
about the law and how it works. The law allows disposable retired pay to be treated as property. It does not
state it has to be split. Also, the law does not state the former spouse automatically gets 50 percent of the
retired pay. State divorce courts will award to a former spouse whatever amount they feel is appropriate
within their laws. Many courts use a formula to determine what portion of the retired pay a former spouse
gets.
The 10/10 rule. If the marriage and the member’s service time overlap by at least 10 years, the pay
agencies (Defense Finance and Account service [DFAS], for the military services) can directly pay a spouse
up to a maximum of 50 percent of the disposable retired pay amount, assuming the court awarded the former
spouse 50 percent or more. Note the nuance in the paragraph above. This is an administrative limitation on
the amount of retired pay a pay agency can directly pay to a former spouse. The court can award more or less
than 50 percent. If the court awards 50 percent or less, the former spouse can be paid directly by the pay
agency. If the award is more than 50 percent, the servicemember must figure out how to get any amount over
50 percent to the former spouse. By law, a servicemember’s service disability compensation is not considered
part of the divorce property eligible for award to a former spouse. Specifically, service disability pay under
the medical retirement law (10 USC Chapter 61) is not considered disposable retired pay for division as
marriage property. However, VA disability compensation is not protected from the requirements of family
or child support by a state divorce court as is commonly believed. So again, note that the court doesn’t have
to award, meaning specifically assign, disability compensation whether from service retired pay or VA
disability compensation to a former spouse. A court can order a general amount to be paid by the
servicemember to a former spouse or family. Where the money comes from is up to the servicemember, even
if disability pay has to be tapped.
20/20/20 rule. For a former spouse to be entitled to service benefits (health care, ID card, base benefits),
the servicemember must serve for 20 years and the couple must be married 20 years with 20 years overlapping
with the service period. This is the rule of law used to determine a former spouse’s eligibility for the following
service benefits (10 USC, Sections 1072, 1078a, and 1086a). Exceptions to the 20/20/20 rule are based on
old rules from the 1980s that probably won’t apply to cases today. Special rules also exist for abused spouses.
50
Health care. The 20/20/20 rule must be met before a former spouse is eligible for TRICARE. There are
two catches. (1) The former spouse can’t remarry. Once remarried, the former spouse loses TRICARE
forever (unless the former spouse remarries a military retiree) and (2) the former spouse can’t have an
employer-sponsored health care plan or a purchased health care plan. The choice is between an
employer/purchased plan and TRICARE. Exceptions to the 20/20/20 rule involve at least 15 years of overlap
for limited TRICARE eligibility (no more than 1 year) or eligibility for the Continued Health Care Benefit
Program (CHCBP), which is similar to purchasing a plan through the health care marketplace. CHCBP is for
unremarried former spouses and is limited to 36 months.
ID cards. Spouses previously enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS)
can get service from any ID card office. (Locate the nearest ID card office.) Initial applications must be made
through the parent service. The former spouse application for an ID card requires the following documents:



A certified copy of marriage certificate,
A certified copy of final divorce decree,
A notarized statement that the former spouse has not remarried, and a notarized statement
that the former spouse does not have medical coverage under an employer-sponsored
health plan. Provide the name, address, and telephone number of the employer.
Base benefits. An ID card confers base benefits; commissary and exchange privileges; Morale, Welfare,
and Recreation services; and other benefits that come with an ID card. Any questions can be addressed to the
parent service or to the nearest uniformed services ID card issuing office. Unlike the TRICARE benefit, a
subsequent remarriage that ends because of death or divorce does not exclude a former spouse from
reapplying for base benefits.
The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). The SBP is the only program that provides to a beneficiary a
monthly lifetime income based on the servicemember’s retired pay amount. A beneficiary gets 55 percent of
the servicemember’s base amount, which is usually the amount of retired pay. The 20/20/20 rule does not
apply to SBP. If a divorce decree states a former spouse is to get SBP, it happens, if timely notification is
made to the pay agency by the servicemember or the former spouse The former spouse must provide an
official copy of the court document to the service pay agency and declare a “deemed election.” This means
the former spouse makes a claim for the SBP based on legal grounds, whether the servicemember is involved
or not. The deemed election changes the beneficiary on the SBP to “former spouse.” It also allows for “former
spouse and child” coverage. The deemed election must be made to the pay agency within a year of the divorce
date.
Remarriage does not cancel the coverage, but it will be suspended until the remarriage ends in death or
divorce and the SBP is reactivated. If the former spouse is receiving survivor payments because of the
servicemember’s death and the former spouse remarries, payments are suspended if the spouse remarries
prior to age 55 and can start again if the remarriage ends. Remarriage by the former spouse at or after age 55
does not stop the payments. The servicemember is not allowed to have another beneficiary as long as the
former spouse has beneficiary status. If a former spouse dies as the SBP beneficiary while the servicemember
is still alive, the servicemember loses the SBP and the policy is cancelled.
VA benefits. Generally there are no VA benefits for former spouses, but you can contact a local Veteran
Service Office to confirm there are no special circumstances granting eligibility in your situation. If
previously eligible for CHAMPUS that eligibility ends with divorce.
51
[Source: MOAA | Lt. Col. Shane Ostrom, USAF (Ret) | Sept. 12, 2014 ++]
********************************
Other than Honorable Discharge Update 01
► 600k between 2000 & 2013
While on tour with the Navy in Guam in 2000, Brian Lewis says he was raped by a higher-ranking service
member. He said his superiors told him not to report the incident, suggesting that he could lose his job and
that "it would have made the command look bad." About a year later, while suffering from posttraumaticstress disorder from the assault, Lewis received what he says was a misdiagnosis of personality disorder
instead of PTSD. He was dismissed from the military without an honorable discharge. "The way they did it
was to send me from Guam and a doctor that knew the area, to San Diego, where the doctor has no idea of
me, or of the situation out there, and basically called me a liar," said Lewis, 34, who has testified before
Congress about his experience. (A Navy spokesperson said the service is familiar with Lewis's case, but could
not discuss it due to privacy issues.) Lewis, who received a general discharge under honorable conditions, is
one of the tens of thousands of service members who leave the military each year with something other than
an honorable discharge. Without it, they are ineligible for some or all of a sliding scale of VA benefits, which
can include education, health care, and disability compensation.
The Pentagon says that the majority of soldiers—about 77 percent—do receive an honorable discharge.
But more than 600,000 received a lesser rating between fiscal years 2000 and 2013, according to a Defense
Department breakdown. These soldiers often feel left behind by the government and find it very hard to get
the full benefits they believe they have earned. "Basically what people view it as is walking down an equal
flight of stairs, where honorable is at the top, dishonorable is at the bottom, and it's equal gradations the entire
way. And that's not the case, at all," said Lewis, who was eventually correctly diagnosed with PTSD but still
is denied education benefits to help cover his law school expenses. "Basically, it's a long step down from
honorable to general. It's kind of like falling down a flight or two of stairs to get to the next level [other-thanhonorable]. And then you're into the court-martial discharges, which is like falling down an elevator shaft."
52
When soldiers leave the military, their time in the service gets characterized: honorable; general under
honorable conditions; other-than-honorable conditions; bad conduct; dishonorable; or uncharacterized. And
the level of categorization—along with the reason for discharge—can impact what VA benefits are available.
Service members who do not receive honorable discharges can try to get their benefits back in two ways:
through the VA, or through the Pentagon. They can ask the VA to grant them benefits that their discharge
status might block them from automatically getting. But VA spokesperson Meagan Lutz said the department
isn't able to quantify how frequently it grants benefits to these soldiers. Separately, soldiers can also try to
get their discharge status changed after they leave the military through Pentagon boards, but they face an
uphill climb, with estimates of successful upgrades at less than 10 percent. "These discharges are extremely
hard to correct after the fact.... The batting average for veterans getting corrections is in the single digits,"
said Phillip Carter, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based defense
think tank. " ... In absence of really compelling evidence from the veterans, the board members are going to
presume that everything was done right by the service. And it's really hard for veterans to overcome that, so
it usually has to be some clear policy change."
And getting a non-honorable discharge can have impacts well beyond the government world of VA and
military benefits, making it more difficult for these veterans to find civilian employment after they leave the
service. "This is a hard question I think the military is wrestling with … essentially how to exercise that
judgment at the moment of discharge," Carter said. "... There's this vast category in the middle where I think
the military is adopting a more humanitarian approach toward its own." Overall, the number of honorable
and general discharges has increased over the past decade, and the number of other-than-honorable
conditions, bad conduct, and dishonorable discharges have declined, according to Pentagon numbers. "The
overwhelming majority of our service members are tremendous professionals. There will always be those
who don't meet the standards we set, and when they do, we hold them accountable," Lt. Cmdr. Nathan
Christensen, a spokesperson for the Defense Department, said in an email. "Trust is the foundation for
everything we do as military professionals, and we expect our service members to conduct themselves with
integrity and character from accession to retirement."
The Veterans No One Talks About
And though many service members who receive something other than an honorable discharge are largely
overlooked, there is some hope for those—like Lewis—who believe they were wrongly discharged while
suffering from PTSD. The Pentagon announced earlier this month that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is
53
ordering the discharge review boards to give "liberal consideration" to upgrade requests, including from
service members who were diagnosed with PTSD by a civilian doctor or those that can prove they suffered
from at least one PTSD-related symptom. These symptoms can include nightmares, flashbacks, and changes
in personality, sleeping disorders, and suicidal thoughts. Veteran’s advocates hope the new Pentagon policy,
which is expected to be implemented by late October, could lead to getting help for those veterans who may
not currently qualify for VA care because of a less than honorable discharge. "The end goal for anything in
this sort of realm is that it really needs to be a standardized streamlined process that is veterans-centric," said
Lauren Augustine, the legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "... The DOD is
moving toward that, they have been moving toward that, and we'll ensure they continue moving toward that."
[Source: NJ Daily Sept. 15, 2014 ++]
********************************
Army AKO Update 01 ► Beware Phony Website
DoD personnel continue to be targeted by unscrupulous individuals in an attempt to gain access to individual
PII (Personally Identifiable Information). Over the past year alone US businesses have been targeted on
several occasions with hundreds of thousands to millions of passwords and account information being stolen.
A potentially malicious website: http://akoarmymil.com is posing as the legitimate Army Knowledge
Online (AKO) website. Caution is advised when accessing AKO to ensure the correct site is being accessed.
It is unknown if all Army activities have blocked access to this site. When attempting to access AKO from
an other than dedicated DoD access point ensure the correct URL https://ako.us.army.mil is being used. The
key to identifying the phony website is that it is NOT a .mil address. It is recommended that users are certain
of the sites they visit, change passwords on a regular basis, provide PII only to authorized persons, and
carefully consider the ramifications before downloading and installing unknown drivers. ASSISTANCE: For
assistance or questions please contact the 24-hour Army Enterprise Service Desk (AESD) at 282-4444.
[Source: US Army Signal Network Enterprise Center Detroit Arsenal Network Bulletin 14-061 Sept. 15,
2014 ++]
********************************
Military 2015 Pay Raise Update 01
► Last 30 Years
Civilian federal employees seem headed for a 1 percent pay raise in 2015. President Obama called for it, and
Congress has shown no inclination to stand in his way. The fate of the military raise, however, hangs much
more in the balance. Obama and a Senate committee have backed a 1 percent pay boost, while the House has
passed legislation that would give uniformed service personnel a 1.8 percent base salary increase. The
military pay raise is technically automatically tied to a Bureau of Labor Statistics figure -- the Employment
Cost Index -- that measures wage increases in the private sector. The president will usually make his own
proposal, however, and Congress has the final say. Civilian and military pay raises have, at times, mirrored
each other, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, according to the Congressional Research Service. Since the
turn of the century, Congress has by and large granted military personnel larger salary bumps. The chart
below shows the pay raises for military and federal civilian employees over the last 30 years:
54
[Source: GovExec.com | Eric Katz | Sept. 15, 2014 ++]
********************************
Medal of Honor Citations
► Thompson, Max WWII
The President of the United States in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
To
THOMPSON, MAX
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company K, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division
55
Place and date: Place and date: Near Haaren, Germany, 18 October 1944
Entered service at: Entered service at: Prescott, Arizona Nov 1942
Born: July 21, 1922, Bethal North Carolina
Citation
On 18 October 1944, Company K, 18th Infantry, occupying a position on a hill near Haaren, Germany, was
attacked by an enemy infantry battalion supported by tanks. The assault was preceded by an artillery
concentration, lasting an hour, which inflicted heavy casualties on the company. While engaged in moving
wounded men to cover, Sgt. Thompson observed that the enemy had overrun the positions of the 3d Platoon.
He immediately attempted to stem the enemy's advance single-handedly. He manned an abandoned
machinegun and fired on the enemy until a direct hit from a hostile tank destroyed the gun. Shaken and dazed,
Sgt. Thompson picked up an automatic rifle and although alone against the enemy force which was pouring
into the gap in our lines, he fired burst after burst, halting the leading elements of the attack and dispersing
those following. Throwing aside his automatic rifle, which had jammed, he took up a rocket gun, fired on a
light tank, setting it on fire. By evening the enemy had been driven from the greater part of the captured
position but still held 3 pillboxes. Sgt. Thompson's squad was assigned the task of dislodging the enemy from
these emplacements. Darkness having fallen and finding that fire of his squad was ineffective from a distance,
Sgt. Thompson crawled forward alone to within 20 yards of 1 of the pillboxes and fired grenades into it. The
Germans holding the emplacement concentrated their fire upon him. Though wounded, he held his position
fearlessly, continued his grenade fire, and finally forced the enemy to abandon the blockhouse. Sgt.
Thompson's courageous leadership inspired his men and materially contributed to the clearing of the enemy
from his last remaining hold on this important hill position.
Born in the community of Bethel in Haywood County, North Carolina, Thompson joined the Army from
Prescott, Arizona in November 1942. By October 18, 1944, he was serving in Europe as a sergeant in
Company K, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. During a battle on that day, near Haaren,
Germany, he single-handedly attacked the German forces on several occasions. For his actions, he was
awarded the Medal of Honor eight months later, on June 18, 1945. He was one of two people from
Haywood County, North Carolina, to receive the medal in World War II, the other being William D.
Halyburton, Jr..
In addition to the Medal of Honor, Thompson also received the Purple Heart and, from the Soviet Union,
the Order of Glory, third class. He reached the rank of technical sergeant before leaving the Army,
After his military service, Thompson worked in Canton, North Carolina, for Champion International
Paper's inspection department. He died at age 74 on November 30, 1996, and was buried at Forest Lawn
Cemetery in Enka, North Carolina.
56
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Thompson_(Medal_of_Honor) &
www.history.army.mil/html/moh/wwII-t-z.html Sep 2014 ++]
* Military History *
Aviation Art 74
► A Bandit Goes Down
A Bandit Goes Down
by William S. Phillips
57
Hedgehopping sometimes gives a scared pilot the chance to shake off pursuit. Not this time. “As I closed in
to fire, he must have looked back,” recollects Col. “Bud” Anderson” and inadvertently shoved forward maybe
an inch on the stick. At that height and speed, an inch would have been more than enough. The Messerschmitt
simply flew into the ground at full power and blew up like a bomb.”
[Source: http://www.aviationarthangar.com/bagodobywisp.html Sep 2014 ++]
*********************************
Military History
►
Only U.S. Woman POW in WWII Europe
On September 27, 1944 a C-47 assigned to the 813th Medical Air Evacuation Squadron lifted off from
England into the clear morning sky. Its destination was a landing field at St. Trond, Belgium to pick up
casualties. Since the aircraft usually carried military supplies and troops on the outbound flight and casualties
on the return trip, it was not marked with the Red Cross. Aboard the aircraft was 24-year-old Texas born
Second Lt. Reba Whittle, an experienced flight nurse with 40 missions and over 500 hours flight time.
Somewhere along the way to Belgium the plane strayed far from its intended route, entering German airspace
where it was hit by German flak a couple of miles outside Aachen. The crew braced themselves as the plane
gained and lost elevation from heavy shrapnel tearing through its thin-skinned fuselage and disabling an
engine. Whittle held onto her seat for dear life as they began to nosedive.
On impact, Whittle was violently thrown from her seat and into the navigator's compartment five feet
away. Sergeant Hill, her surgical technician, was wounded in the arm and leg, one of the pilots was killed,
the other badly hurt. Whittle herself suffered from concussion, and injuries and lacerations to her face and
back. Dazed, the crew immediately evacuated the burning plane through the top hatch. As soon as the last of
the crew had left the plane, they saw German soldiers had arrived and were pointing their rifles at them.
Whittle was startled when a German soldier suddenly stepped forward, set down his rifle, grabbed a bandage
out of his bag and began to wrap it around her head. She didn't even know that she was bleeding. Soon the
other Germans followed his lead and began providing the rest of the aircrew first aid before marching them
the two miles to Aachen.
In Aachen, they were led to a brick house where they were each given some fruit to eat before being
questioned by an English speaking officer. They each gave the officer their name, rank and serial number (as
required by the Geneva Conventions) and were then taken into the kitchen where they were given coffee with
black bread and butter. When finished eating, the five American prisoners were ushered onto an old bus and
driven 40 miles to their next destination. After driving through a tall metal fence, they were taken into an
office filled with officers working on assorted paperwork and led upstairs to sleeping quarters. The four men
were given one room and Whittle was given another. About an hour and a half later the five were awakened
and taken back downstairs where another English speaking officer question each of them as the officer had
done at their previous stop. At 1100, they were loaded into the back of a truck and brought to a German
military hospital where the doctor finished Whittle's treatment and said, "Too bad you're a woman, you are
the first one and no one knows exactly what to do with you."
On October 1, 1944 the group was separated as the men were sent to a nearby Stalag or prison camp and
Whittle waited for the Germans to decide on what they were going to do with her. Five days later, she was
sent to Stalag IXC or 9C in Meiningen where she was assigned to work in the hospital, caring for her fellow
POWs. A Swiss legation that negotiated POW transfers, mostly of wounded prisoners, discovered her in
custody and began to arrange her release. Whittle was escorted by the German Red Cross away from the
58
camp along with 109 male POWS as part of a prisoner exchange. She was then transported by train to
Switzerland along with other prisoners who were being returned on medical or psychiatric grounds, then flew
back to the United States. She returned to duty in the hospital at Hamilton Field, California where she was
awarded the Air Medal and a Purple Heart, and promoted to first lieutenant. She also married Lieutenant
Colonel Stanley W. Tobiason, her fiancé before being captured. They later had two sons, one who was a
naval aviator who flew mission in Vietnam. She was discharged on January 13, 1946.
Whittle continued to suffer from an assortment of physical and psychiatric problems. She sought
compensation from the Veterans Administration, and in 1950 began a series of appeals for military medical
retirement. Despite diagnoses of post-traumatic encephalopathy, chronic severe anxiety reaction, and early
lumbosacral arthritis, her appeals were denied. Finally, in January 1954 the Army Physical Disability Appeal
Board agreed that she was relieved from active duty by reason of physical disability, and thus eligible for
retirement pay benefits, but as her disability was not "combat incurred", it was backdated only to the time of
her application, April 1952. Her retroactive pay amounted to $3,780. After another review of her case an
additional $999 was added. Had she received retroactive pay from the date of her discharge in 1946 it would
have totaled $13,760. In 1960 she appealed for the full amount of retroactive pay, but this was rejected.
Whittle made no further attempts to pursue her case. She and Colonel Tobiason had two sons, one of whom
became a naval aviator and served in Vietnam. Reba Whittle Tobiason died of cancer on January 26, 1981
and was buried in the San Francisco National Cemetery.
In April 1983, Colonel Tobiason wrote to the Department of the Army following the announcement of
the honoring of the Army and Navy nurses captured and imprisoned by the Japanese, which stated that the
Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration knew of no other American military women to have
been taken prisoner. On September 2, 1983, she was finally given official prisoner of war status. When that
acknowledgment finally came, her husband said, "She would have been very delighted." No known photos
of Reba white hve ever been released to the public. [Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reba_Z._Whittle
& Together We Served Sept. 2014 ++
*********************************
D-Day ►
Andrew Jackson Higgins
In 1964, Dwight D. Eisenhower called Andrew Jackson Higgins "the man who won the war for us". Without
Higgins's famous landing crafts (LCPs, LCPLs, LCVPs, LCMs) the strategy of World War II would have
been much different and winning the war much more difficult. Higgins was born in Columbus, Nebraska, on
August 28, 1886. His early life was spent along the Loup and Platte Rivers near the city. Perhaps his interest
in shallow draft boats was born on these shallow, sandbar-infested rivers. His interest in shallow draft boats,
the type you would see on these rivers, was a life-long influence. He built his first boat in the basement of
their Omaha home. Unfortunately he had overlooked the technicality of having to remove the boat from the
basement, and a wall had to be knocked down in order to get his boat to water. His independence and selfassurance became obvious as his high school and college days were marked by conflict with authority figures.
59
In the early 1900's Higgins joined the Nebraska National Guard and served as an infantry officer. Higgins
then moved south to pursue opportunities in the lumber business. He designed shallow-draft boats Higgins
tried for years to sell his boats to the U.S. military,
In order to get to the stands of hardwood trees in the back swamps of Louisiana and to rescue Mississippi
River flood victims he developed a shallow draft boat. in the late 1920s . This design would later help the
nation win a war. In the 1930's Higgins created Higgins Industries of New Orleans and designed the famous
Eureka boat. The design features of this craft would be used in the LCVPs (Land Craft Vehicle Personnel)
of World War II. Prior to WWII, Higgins had traveled to the Philippines to acquire stocks of mahogany (a
primary material for his boats) with his own capital. He realized that steel would be in short supply should
a war break out, and in that case he would be far ahead in actual production of landing craft.
Land Craft Vehicle Personnel Ship
During the war, his company produced over 20,000 boats for the war effort, including the famous LCVP,
more often called the Higgins boat. This landing craft participated in every major invasion of the war,
including North Africa, Sicily, Italy, D-Day at Normandy, and the islands of the Pacific, including
Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Socially, Higgins and his company were ahead
of the times. Higgins Industries employed blacks and whites, men and women, paying them all equally. In
turn, the workers produced a world class product that helped win the war. Andrew Jackson Higgins died on
August 1, 1952. He is buried in Metairie Cemetery just outside of New Orleans. [Source:
http://www.higginsmemorial.com/higgins.asp Jun 2014 ++]
*********************************
60
WWII PostWar Events
► Hitler’s Retreat May 1945
A P-47 Thunderbolt of the U.S. Army 12th Air Force flies low over the crumbled ruins of what once
was Hitler's retreat at Berchtesgaden, Germany, on May 26, 1945. Small and large bomb craters dot
the grounds around the wreckage.
*********************************
Spanish American War Images 55
►
61
Battle of Las Guasimas Illustration
Battle of Las Guasimas on June 24. The battle ended indecisively in favor of Spain and the Spanish
left Las Guasimas on their planned retreat to Santiago. 16 Americans were killed and 10 Spanish
soldiers were killed.
*********************************
WWI in Photos 112
► Battlefield at Midnight
The front in France, a scene on a battlefield at midnight. Opposing armies were sometimes situated
in trenches just yards apart from each other.
*********************************
Faces of WAR (WWII)
► Returning B-17 Bomber Crewmen 1942
Returning B-17 bomber crewmen of the 8th Bomber Command being interrogated by Intelligence
officer 1942
*********************************
62
USS Nevada (BB-36)
► 100th anniversary
As Nevada celebrates its 150th year of statehood, one of her storied namesakes is marking an anniversary as
well. One hundred years ago on July 11, 1914 the battleship USS Nevada (BB-36) "kissed the waves" for
the first time with these words from Gov. Tasker Oddie at the Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation in Quincy,
Mass. "I believe we all share a pride that the nation has selected Nevada as the name of a ship that will be
one of the greatest of our navy or of any navy. There is no citizen of the state who will not follow the vessel's
career with close, personal interest, whatever port she may enter and whatever sea she may sail." Oddie's 10year-old niece, Eleanor Ann Siebert, christened the battleship with a bottle of Champagne, and so began the
story of the "unsinkable Nevada," which would go on to endure two world wars, the attack on Pearl Harbor,
a kamikaze strike and two nuclear bombs. The christening bottle used by Ms. Siebert was scheduled to be in
Carson City 11 JUL, part of a ceremony to commemorate the battleship's 100th anniversary. A new plaque
was also scheduled to be unveiled at the USS Nevada Memorial.
In 1914, the Nevada and her sister ship, Oklahoma, were the newest and most-advanced battleships in the
U.S. fleet. Nevadans were excited to have a namesake ship and a 65-piece silver service set was produced,
crafted from 250 pounds of silver from Tonopah and gold from the mines of Goldfield. The Nevada did not
see battle during World War I, but that changed drastically at the onset of World War II. On Dec. 7, 1941,
the Nevada was one of eight battleships in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese launched their surprise attack in
the early morning hours. The Nevada was the only battleship to get underway during the attack. It was hit
with at least six Japanese bombs and a torpedo which opened a 45-by-35 foot gash in the side of the ship.
Crew members manning the guns were the first to shoot down an enemy plane. As the Nevada moved out,
the Japanese turned their attack to her. Fearing she might be sunk and block the harbor, she was ordered to
run aground, which she did at Hospital Point. At the end of the battle, the Nevada suffered 50 deaths and 140
wounded. The names of the 50 soldiers killed are listed on the USS Nevada Memorial at the Capitol in Carson
City.
Nevada during her running trials in early 1916, stern of Nevada during WWI, and in drydock at
Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, c. 1935
The Nevada eventually was refloated and taken to the shipyards at Bremerton, Wash., for repairs. She was
off the beaches of France for the Normandy invasion in 1944. The crew fired a continuous volley of shells
for three consecutive days in support of the allied assaults. Nevada Gov. James Carville, proud of the
accomplishments of the state's namesake battleship, asked Nevadans to contribute silver dollars that would
be given to the officers and crew of the battleship. More than 2,300 were collected. They were placed in a
magnesium chest, the magnesium mined at Gabbs and processed at Basic in Southern Nevada. When the
Nevada returned to the states for repair, Joseph Kievit, a University of Nevada student before the war and an
officer on the Nevada, was charged with traveling to the state to secure the chest containing the silver dollars.
On Nov. 19, 1944, the crew was assembled on deck, and all were presented with a silver dollar.
63
Nevada beached and burning at Hospital Point, providing artillery support for Allied ground forces
in France on D-Day, and painted in red-orange for the atomic tests
The Nevada's war service was not done, however. It was sent to the Pacific, where it was involved in the
invasion of Iwo Jima and the battle of Okinawa. At Okinawa, the ship was hit by a Japanese kamikaze
airplane, resulting in the deaths of 11 crewmen. With the end of World War II, the Nevada was deemed too
old to continue in service and was selected as a target ship for nuclear bomb testing at the Bikini Islands.
Despite two atomic bomb blasts, the ship was still afloat, though damaged and radioactive. She was towed
back to Pearl Harbor and decommissioned on Aug. 29, 1946. In July 1948, the Navy decided to dispose of
the Nevada by sinking her in deep water 65 miles southwest of Hawaii, but the "unsinkable Nevada" proved
stubborn. After five days of bombardment ranging from explosives inside the ship to 5-inch shells from other
ships, the Nevada would not go down. Finally, an aerial torpedo dropped at amidships sent the Nevada to the
depths. For those who served on the Nevada, there was a sense of pride that continues to this day. "They are
very proud of their battleship, they're very proud of their service during World War II," said Ellen Derby
McCollum, president of the USS Nevada Reunion Association and the daughter of crewman Woodrow
Wilson Derby, who served on the Nevada throughout World War II. "I know they'll be proud to know their
memorial (in Carson City) is being restored and that people still remember their service." For more
information
on
the
USS
Nevada
refer
to
the
association’s
Facebook
page
https://www.facebook.com/pages/USS-Nevada-BB-36/123566977746973. [Source: Reno Gazette-Journal
| Guy Clifton | Jul 10, 2014 ++]
The USS Nevada Hawaii memorial located at the Naval Station Pearl Harbor complex is only
accessible to the general public with a military escort
64
*********************************
Military Kits
► 1645 Battle of Naseby | New Model Army Musketeer
Personal equipment carried by the common British soldier:
1. Latchet shoes - straight lasted shoes, i.e. no left or right foot
2. Stockings
3. Linen shirt and a pair of breeches
4. Brown doublet; these would be the soldiers own clothes
5. Red coat issued by the New Model Army (NMA). The NMA was the first to try and standardize equipment
and equip its soldiers with a standard coat. Red was the cheapest dye you could get, apart from natural grey
which the Scots army had already adopted
6. Powder flask with spare gunpowder
7. Belt with bandoliers – each have a measured amount of gunpowder in
8. Satchel
9. & 10. Dagger with its sheath
11. Whetstone and to it’s left, a picker, which clears the touchhole in the musket in case of blockages
12. Matchlock Musket, which used a slow match to fire the main charge. The barrel was four feet long and
fired a lead ball weighing 1/12th of a pound
13. & 14. Cards and some dice - although this was a religious army, the men still liked to play games and
gamble
15. Very fine comb used for removing nits from hair
16. Lump of animal fat soap
17. Belt
18. Woolen leg ties to hold stockings up
19. Smoking pipes made from clay; tobacco was expensive, so the bowls of the pipes are very small
65
20. Letter from home - the army operated a fairly regular postal service to the major towns – and news-sheet
(early newspaper)
21. Bag for tobacco
22. Metal striker and flint
23. Knife and fork - forks were a reasonably new invention and were just starting to work their way down
the social scale. At the time they only had two prongs
24. Spoon
25. Drinking vessel made from horn
26. Wooden bowl
27. Leather flask lined with pitch
28. Felted woolen hat, the paper in the hat band is a religious tract. A lot of the soldiers of the New model
Army were from the "low church" tradition, where sermons are the central feature of the service. Levels of
literacy were quite high from soldiers recruited from London and the major towns and they would buy
published sermons to read, as well as other works explaining the passages from the bible and news-sheets
which were printed weekly and gave news of the war
29. Tuck – soldier’s sword
[Source: The Telegraph | Inventories of war | Aug 07, 2014 ++]
*********************************
Military History Anniversaries
► 01 thru 31 Oct
Significant events in U.S. Military History over the next 30 days are listed in the attachment to this Bulletin
titled, “Military History Anniversaries 01 thru 31 Oct”.
* Health Care *
PTSD Update 176
► Funds Sought for Naprapathy Therapy Study
For more than 30 years, Marine veteran Dan Gandee, 51, had trouble talking about the 1983 bombing of the
U.S. military barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, by the Islamic Jihad. The attack killed 241 American servicemen,
including 220 Marines. He was deployed there in the aftermath of the carnage. The memories hurt. His body
aches, too, recoiling into a defensive position when he hears unexpected noises. "It's the armor protecting us.
The events we experienced caused us to be ultra-vigilant and ever-ready. There's a lot of tension associated
with that," he said. But recently he said he has gotten some relief from an alternative type of medicine: For
66
more than 30 years, Marine veteran Dan Gandee, 51, had trouble talking about the 1983 bombing of the U.S.
military barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, by the Islamic Jihad. The attack killed 241 American servicemen,
including 220 Marines. He was deployed there in the aftermath of the carnage.
The memories hurt. His body aches, too, recoiling into a defensive position when he hears unexpected
noises. "It's the armor protecting us. The events we experienced caused us to be ultra-vigilant and ever-ready.
There's a lot of tension associated with that," he said. But recently, Gandee said, he has gotten some relief
from an alternative type of medicine: naprapathy. A form of physical therapy, it works on the soft connective
tissue that holds the skeletal frame together. After 10 visits to Patrick Nuzzo's Southwest University of
Naprapathic Medicine at The Lofts on Cerrillos Road, Gandee said he is feeling better, sleeping longer and
opening up emotionally. Now Nuzzo is hoping to get a bill through the Legislature that would appropriate
$90,000 for a study on the efficacy of naprapathic medicine in treating veterans suffering from post-traumatic
stress disorder.
Currently, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System for New Mexico does not sanction
naprapathy for treatment of PTSD. Spokesman Bill Armstrong said in an email, "Naprapathy therapy for
PTSD is not considered the standard of care within our VA or nationally. This therapy is not used at our
clinics." But after 11 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands of military men and women are at risk
of developing PTSD. Veterans Affairs estimates PTSD afflicts 11 percent of veterans of the war in
Afghanistan and 20 percent of Iraq War veterans. While there are about 170,700 veterans living in New
Mexico, the state Department of Veterans' Services doesn't know how many are affected by the condition.
Naprapathy is just one of the methods for treating people diagnosed with PTSD.
When Nuzzo started practicing naprapathy in Illinois more than 25 years ago, he focused on the treatment
of adult survivors of childhood abuse, including his former wife, who had been diagnosed with PTSD. Nuzzo
said he never set out to use it to heal veterans, but over time several veterans came to him for care and felt
that his work was relieving their headaches and physical tension brought about by PTSD. "Because the body
holds on to pain," Nuzzo said, "guys who go through IED [improvised explosive device] explosions are
hunkering down. They are very, very guarded." Naprapathy was founded in the early 1900s by a chiropractor.
According to the website of the American Naprapathic Association, it employs hands-on connective tissue
manipulation, nutritional counseling and a wide variety of therapies, such as ultrasound or electric
stimulation. It focuses, the association says, on conditions caused by "contracted, injured, spasmed, bruised
and/or otherwise affected myofascial and connective tissue."
Connective tissue supports and contains all the integral structures of the body, including the tissue
surrounding the spinal column and spinal cord, the muscles, organs and joints. It includes ligaments, tendons,
fascia, intervertebral discs and cartilage. Connective tissue problems can be caused by traumatic injury,
repetitive motion and temperature-related events. Nuzzo said naprapathy is different from chiropractic work
because chiropractors apply a "high velocity adjustment" that pulls the bony structure back into alignment.
He said such treatments are usually less than 10 minutes long. Naprapaths work on releasing tension in the
connective tissue, through allowing the vertebrae and body structure to fall back into alignment. Such
treatments run 30 minutes.
Earlier this month, Nuzzo appeared before the New Mexico Legislature's Military and Veterans Affairs
Committee to present the results of a preliminary survey his clinic performed on the impact of naprapathic
therapy on nine military retirees who were diagnosed with PTSD. Among other outcomes, the study indicates
that treated veterans experienced less pain and slept better after 10 weekly treatments. He asked the
committee to consider a broader study of 50 vets, who would be recommended to Nuzzo's clinic by the state
67
Veterans' Services Department. Looking ahead, Nuzzo said he would like to train veterans in naprapathy so
they can ultimately treat others suffering from PTSD.
Rep. Rudy Martinez, D-Bayard, and chairman of the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, said by
phone that the committee will decide during its November meeting which legislative bills and actions to
support. He said he was encouraged by Nuzzo's initial report. "Anything positive that is going to help veterans
is certainly something to consider," Martinez said. "His work seems to be helpful to veterans suffering from
PTSD." Martinez said he wants to hear from veterans who have benefited from naprapathic healing.
Committee member Dianne Miller Hamilton, R-Silver City, said she supports Nuzzo's plan and likes the fact
that he paid for the initial naprapathic study out of his own pocket. Last year, she introduced a memorial
requesting a similar study. She also has been working to pass a bill supporting a virtual-reality treatment plan
for veterans suffering from PTSD. "We have young men and women going to serve in Iraq and elsewhere,
and they have had four or five tours of duty, and it takes its toll," she said. "They've had been friends blown
up next to them -- just a horrible, horrible experience."
The Veterans Affairs website defines PTSD as "an extremely complex illness that requires a
comprehensive approach to healing." It notes that possible treatments include medication, talk therapy, rest,
stress reduction, time and understanding, adding that alternative methods -- including naprapathy -- are
available. Speaking by phone, Chicago naprapathic therapist and VA compliance officer José Diaz -- an
Army veteran who suffers from PTSD -- said he has treated more than 50 veterans in the past year at his
clinic. He said he first came across the uses of naprapathy at the National College of Naprapathic Medicine
in Chicago and discovered that the work some of his fellow students were doing on him was easing his pain
and helping him sleep better. He said the therapy helped him concentrate and finish his studies. So he began
calling some veterans he knew and asked if he could practice naprapathy on them. He said vets suffering
from PTSD cannot disconnect from the trauma. "You are going to be on an 'on' switch all the time."
The problem, he said, is that it's "like trying to run a car for a month nonstop. You are going to have
mechanical or electric problems. The same happens with vets.” Napaprathy's focus on the body's connective
tissue relieves inflammation and congestion in the nervous system and helps turn that switch "off" for a while,
Diaz said. Diaz said holistic medical approaches like this are still considered new to the VA, and that the
department still prefers to stick to traditional treatments. But, he said, "The VA is trying acupuncture. It may
work. I see no results on it yet." He said if enough data regarding the effects of naprapathy are collected, "I
don't think it will take too much to convince the VA." [Source: The Santa Fe New Mexican | Robert Nott |
Sept. 21, 2014 ++]
*********************************
TRICARE Young Adult Program Update 09
► 2015 Monthly Premiums
Last week the Department of Defense announced the new monthly premiums for TRICARE Young Adult
(TYA) for calendar year 2015. Next year the TCA’s Standard Plan’s monthly premium will be $181 (up
from $156 this year- an increase of 16.0%) The TYA’s Prime plans’ premium will be $208 a month (up
from $180 a month this year a 15.5% increase). These numbers are of course extremely important to
TRICARE families with unmarried adult children between the ages of 21 and 26 who are not eligible for
employer provided health insurance. It is also important to all other TRICARE beneficiaries because this is
the DoD calculation of what the full monthly TRICARE cost is for providing the benefit. [Source: TREA
News for the enlisted Sept. 29, 2014 ++]
68
*********************************
TRICARE Pediatric Care
► Meeting the Needs with Some Caveats
A recent Defense Department report finds that the military health system is meeting the needs of its youngest
beneficiaries — but raises concerns that Pentagon officials don’t have enough data or information in some
areas to make a complete assessment on the quality of care provided to dependent children. The report,
required by the fiscal 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, summarizes policies, programs and
personnel related to pediatric care across the services and through Tricare. “[The military health system] is
meeting the needs of the children in its care, including those with special needs,” wrote members of the DoD
working group that compiled the report. “The data confirm that the MHS provides comprehensive and highquality health benefit programs for all children.” But the working group then identified several issues —
including DoD’s lack of a centralized health data system — that make it difficult to draw direct, complete
comparisons between care across the services or in military hospitals or clinics versus private care.
The National Military Family Association, which has spent years lobbying for an analysis of Tricare’s
services for children, found the report disappointing, said Karen Ruedisueli, the group’s deputy director for
government relations. “We expected a more thorough analysis of children’s access to care,” Ruedisueli said.
“We hope this is just a first step in identifying the issues and the move forward.” The 108-page report, the
Study on Health Care and Related Support for Children of Members of the Armed Forces, also known as
“Tricare For Kids,” concluded that children have adequate access to primary care and specialty care and that
physicians with pediatric certification conduct more than 80 percent of the specialty appointments for kids.
But the gaps in data and need for “areas of clarification” noted in the report have called into question the
findings, said a coalition of advocates, including NMFA, the American Academy of Pediatrics, MOAA, the
Children’s Hospital Association and 11 other groups, which provided a collective formal response to the
Defense Health Agency as the “Tricare for Kids Coalition.” “An overarching theme woven throughout the
report is the lack of data and meaningful utilization of data, or inability to collect data, which then limits the
analysis in many of the elements examined,” the advocates wrote.
Among the biggest concerns, the advocates said, is the lack of a standard definition across the services
and various health agencies of a child with special needs. Also not evident is a plan to improve and monitor
pediatric care, especially in light of the working group’s findings that Tricare’s “well child care” programs
don’t comply with American Academy for Pediatrics guidelines or the Affordable Care Act. “From the
analysis presented in the report, it’s clear to me that DHA is not tracking the right things to be able to
determine whether or not children can adequately access care. And they aren’t tracking compliance either,”
Ruedisueli said.
Jeremy Hilton, an Air Force spouse whose daughter requires specialty health care, called the report a
“starting place” and said it will help set standards for the health care of future military dependents. “It’s not
going to help my daughter,” he said, “but it gets the ball rolling so that someday, we may look back and say
‘What a great system we have for treating military kids thanks to the hard work that’s going on now.’
According to Hilton, the next step for advocates is to press for congressional hearings on the report’s findings.
“To borrow a quote from another advocate on this matter: ‘We’ve admired this problem for long enough. It’s
time for action,’ ” Hilton said. [Source: MilitaryTimes | Patricia Kime | Sept. 24, 2014 ++]
*********************************
69
Women Healthy Aging
► Action Kit Availability
Health concerns change as we age, but you don't have to be overwhelmed or confused by all the changes.
Take charge of your health no matter what your age. Order the Healthy Aging Action Kit to learn what you
need to know about a variety of health issues older women face. You'll be armed with questions to ask your
doctor and a firm understanding of how to live your healthiest no matter what your age. You may order
printed copies of the Healthy Aging Action Kit for yourself and the other important woman in your life at
http://promotions.usa.gov/healthyaging.html?utm_source=GovDelivery2&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=healthyaging2014.
To
download the publications in the kit click on the title desired below.
PUBLICATIONS FEATURED IN THE FREE HEALTHY AGING ACTION KIT
1. Mammography - Fact Sheet (534 Kb)
2. Menopause and Hormones (800 Kb)
3. My Medicines (6.43 Mb)
4. Osteoporosis (116 Kb)
5. Health Scams (1.82 Mb)
6. Heart Health (134Kb)
7. Clinical Trials (120 Kb)
8. Use Medicines Wisely (2.43 Mb)
9. Cholesterol - Medicines to Help You (533 Kb)
[Source: Food and Drug Administration's Office of Women's Health and the Federal Citizen Information
Center Sept. 17, 2014 ++]
********************************
Traumatic Brain Injury Update 41
► Concussion Coach App
To better meet the needs of Veterans and others who have suffered mild to moderate concussion associated
with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has developed "Concussion
Coach," a mobile application (“app”) that provides portable tools to recognize symptoms and to identify and
make use of coping strategies. The Concussion Coach app is designed to educate users about concussions,
related symptoms, treatments and to enable users to recognize and assess symptoms. The app identifies
resources for managing symptoms and planning tools to build resilience. It also provides access to crisis
resources, including personal support contacts and ways in which the user can obtain professional health
care. “In developing the Concussion Coach, we applied the science and the clinical recommendations that
have emerged from the recent efforts of researchers and practitioners across many agencies, organizations
and institutions to better understand the nature and consequences of injury to the brain,” said Dr. Micaela
Cornis-Pop, Speech Pathologist and lead subject matter expert for the application. “We are looking forward
to the Concussion Coach becoming a trusted resource among self-help tools for Veterans and others to
manage the troubling symptoms of concussion.”
The application will be helpful to everyone who suffers from mild to moderate concussions. Its
development came about as a result of knowledge gained by VA medical staff in treatment of TBI. While
combat injuries to Servicemembers and injuries to professional athletes gain media attention, TBI is most
often caused by falls, vehicle accidents and violence. TBI is a major cause of death and disability worldwide,
especially in children and young adults. “The development of the Concussion Coach application shows how
70
work conducted by VA also helps the general public,” said Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy, VA’s Interim
Undersecretary for Health. “VA is taking innovative approaches and making use of technology to provide
personalized health care for the nation’s Veterans, and this app is an example of that.” The application is a
useful tool, and is not intended to replace professional diagnosis, medical treatment or rehabilitation therapies
for those who need them. “We believe that Concussion Coach will support treatment with a health care
professional by providing portable, convenient tools for the user to recognize symptoms and cope with
concussion-related problems,” added Dr. Cornis-Pop.
Concussion Coach was collaboratively developed by the VA’s Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Services and
the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and the Department of Defense National Center for
Telehealth and Technology. Concussion Coach is available for mobile Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, and
IPod Touch) from the App Store and will be available to Google Play for Android devices later in 2014. For
additional information, visit http://www.polytrauma.va.gov. [Source: VA News Release Sept. 16, 2014 ++]
********************************
TRICARE Flu Shots Update 03
► Flu and Cold Season Near | Get your shot
Fever? Check. Muscle aches? Check. Chills? It’s almost flu and cold season, and in order to make sure these
flu symptoms don’t ruin your Fall, the best way to protect yourself is with the flu vaccination. Influenza,
also known as the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone six months of age and older get a flu vaccine every
year. Serious flu cases can result in hospitalization or death. Some people, such as older people, young
children, and people with certain health conditions, are at a higher risk for contracting the disease and
developing serious complications. TRICARE covers two forms of the flu vaccination, the flu shot and the
flu mist. Beneficiaries can get the flu vaccine at no cost from military hospitals and clinics, or any TRICAREauthorized provider and participating network pharmacies.
Additionally, beneficiaries can make use of the new TRICARE Nurse Advice Line (NAL) especially after
normal business hours, if you are traveling or if you cannot reach your Military Medical Treatment Facility
(MTF) or Primary Care Manager (PCM). The NAL nurses will ask you questions about your symptoms;
based on a standard set of questions developed by physicians and] nurses, and will recommend either selfcare, or for you to seek medical help from a provider. If self-care is appropriate, NAL nurses will give you
advice on what to do. If you need to seek medical help from a provider, the NAL will help you decide what
the best place is for you to seek care based on your medical condition.
The patient with the medical problem will need to be present during the NAL assessment. If the patient is
a minor, the NAL will ask the parent to assess the child’s symptoms or may ask to listen to the child cough
in order to help make the best recommendation on needed care. If you have questions about lab or other
medical tests, prescription refills or questions on benefits, please contact your PCM or clinic directly. To take
advantage of the MHS’ newest initiative to improve access to safe, high quality care, call the NAL toll-free
24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-TRICARE, option 1. Remember, if you are feeling ill, you can
always call your PCM or MTF to make an appointment. Beneficiaries enrolled at an MTF can contact their
PCM via secure messaging through the RelayHealth/MiCare portal, or make an appointment on TRICARE
Online. To learn more about flu basics, treatment and prevention, visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu.. For more
information on TRICARE coverage and where to get flu vaccines go to http://www.TRICARE.mil/flu .
[Source: TRICARE Communications Sept. 18, 2014 ++]
71
* Finances *
Student Loan Update 02
► Aging Americans Burdened by Debt
Rosemary Anderson could be 81 by the time she pays off her student loans. After struggling with divorce,
health problems and an underwater home mortgage, the 57-year-old anticipates there could come a day when
her Social Security benefits will be docked to make the payments. Like Anderson, a growing percentage of
aging Americans struggle to pay back their student debt. Tens of thousands of them even see their Social
Security benefits garnished when they cannot do so. Among Americans ages 65 to 74, 4 percent in 2010
carried federal student loan debt, up from 1 percent six years earlier, according to a Government
Accountability Office report released 10 SEP at a Senate Aging Committee hearing. For all seniors, the
collective amount of student loan debt grew from about $2.8 billion in 2005 to about $18.2 billion last year.
Student debt for all ages totals $1 trillion. “Some may think of student loan debt as just a young person’s
problem,” said Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) chairman of the committee. “Well, as it turns out, that’s increasingly
not the case.” Anderson, of Watsonville, California, amassed $64,000 in student loans, beginning in her 30s,
as she worked toward her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She said she has worked multiple jobs —
she’s now at the University of California, Santa Cruz — to pay off credit card debt and has renegotiated terms
of her home mortgage, but hasn’t been able to make a student loan payment in eight years. The amount she
owes has ballooned to $126,000. “I find it very ironic that I incurred this debt as a way to improve my life,
and yet I still sit here today because the debt has become my undoing,” Anderson testified. Despite not
making payments, she’s managed to keep the education debt in good standing by getting permission to defer
the payments even as the amount she owes has grown, she said.
Ed Boltz, a bankruptcy attorney in Durham, North Carolina, who is president of the National Association
of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, said in an interview that many of the seniors he sees with student loan
debt are also struggling with challenges such a medical problems, job loss or divorce. Some, he said, went
back to school with hopes of making a higher salary and that didn’t pan out, or the children they helped fund
to attend school are not in a position to help the parent in return. “They are stuck with these debts and they
can’t try again,” Boltz said. “There’s no second act for them.” The GAO found that about 80 percent of the
student loan debt by seniors was for their own education while the rest was taken out for their children or
other dependents. It said federal data showed that seniors were more likely to default on loans for themselves
compared with those they took out for their children.
72
It’s unclear when the loans originated, although the GAO noted that the period to pay back such debt can
range from a decade to 25 years. That means some older Americans could have taken out the loans when
they were younger and they’ve accumulated with interest, or got them later in life — such as workers who
enrolled in college after a layoff in the midst of the economic downturn. The GAO found that about a quarter
of loans held by seniors ages 65 to 74 were in default. The number of older Americans who had their Social
Security benefits offset to pay student loan debt increased about fivefold, from 31,000 to 155,000, from 2002
to 2013. “As the baby boomers continue to move into retirement, the number of older Americans with
defaulted loans will only continue to increase,” the GAO said. “This creates the potential for an unpleasant
surprise for some, as their benefits are offset and they face the possibility of a less secure retirement.”
Typically, student loans can’t be discharged in bankruptcy. In addition to docking Social Security, the
government can use a variety of tools to recoup student loans, such as taking wages or tax refund dollars.
Sandy Baum, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, said these seniors having their Social Security docked
likely don’t have much discretionary income and Congress should consider taking away this option. There’s
a limit to how much Social Security can be docked, but some seniors are left with benefits below the poverty
level, the GAO said. “It’s not an issue that affects large numbers of people,” Baum said. “It’s a very big issue
for people who are affected by it.” [Source: The Associated Press | Kimberly Hefling | Sept. 19, 2014 ++]
********************************
VA Disability Compensation Update 10:
► Q&A
How VA Disability Compensation Affects Military Retirement Pay. If you have a VA service-connected
disability rating of 10% or higher, you are eligible to receive a monthly compensation check from the VA.
The monthly compensation payments vary by your disability rating—and if your rating is 30% or higher—
the rates are increased, depending number of dependents you have filed on your claim. You can be eligible
to receive VA disability compensation even if you didn’t retire from the military. But if you are retired from
the military and are also eligible for VA disability compensation, determining how much you get paid, and
from where, can seem complicated. You see, until 2004, it was against the law to receive military retirement
pay and VA disability compensation at the same time. Retirees had to choose which pay they wanted to
receive, and if they chose to receive their VA disability compensation, those funds were “offset,” or deducted,
from their military retirement pay. There have been two major changes to this law in the past decade, and
some veterans may be eligible to receive their full military retirement pay along with their VA disability
compensation. These laws are:
 Concurrent Retirement Disability Pay (CRDP) (2004), which applies to military retirees who have
a combined VA disability rating of 50% or greater, and
 Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) (2008), which applies to military retirees who have
a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% that stems from a combat-related incident.
It is possible to be eligible for both of these programs, however, you can only receive the additional
monetary compensation from one of them. Veterans who qualify for both plans will be given the choice of
which they wish to receive when they apply for their benefits. But you can also change your election if your
situation changes. CRDP sends out open season letters annually each December; veterans must select their
choice by the end of January. Let’s examine your options if you are eligible for military retirement pay and
VA disability compensation: There are a lot of rumors, myths, and misconceptions about how VA disability
compensation affects military retirement pay. So let’s take a look at some of those rumors and misconceptions
and break them down so you have a clear understanding of how these forms of compensation work together.
73
How Do VA Disability Compensation and Military Retirement Pay Differ? Military retirement pay and
VA disability compensation are entirely separate forms of compensation. They are paid from different
agencies, and paid from different buckets of money. They also represent two different forms of compensation.
Military retirement pay is a pension that is based on your years of service. VA disability compensation is a
monetary award that is based on your decreased ability to perform work after leaving the military. Military
retirement pay is taxable by the federal level, and is taxed by most states (some states do not have an income
tax or do not tax military retirement pay). VA disability compensation, however, is considered non-taxable
income by the federal government (I am not aware of any states that tax VA disability compensation). This
has a big advantage: dollar for dollar, VA disability compensation gives veterans more spending power than
military retirement pay because VA compensation is never taxed.
What Happens When You Are Eligible to Receive Retirement Pay & Disability Compensation? The
answer to this question is dependent upon your disability rating.
 If you have a combined disability rating of 50% or greater, you should be eligible to receive
Concurrent Retirement Disability Pay (CRDP).
 If you receive CRDP, you will receive your full military retirement pay along with your full VA
disability compensation. There will be no reduction to your military retirement pay.
 If you have a combined VA service-connected disability rating of 40% or lower, then you are not
eligible for CRDP. However, if you have a service-connected disability that is considered a combatrelated disability, then you may be eligible for Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC).
CRSC also replaces the VA disability offset, and will increase your total compensation, even if you
don’t have a combined rating of at least 50%.
 If your combined disability rating is 40% or lower and you do not have a combat-related disability,
then your military retirement pay will be offset, or deducted, by the amount of VA service-connected
disability compensation you receive.
What is Concurrent Retirement Disability Pay (CRDP)? Up until 2004, the law prevented military
retirees from receiving part or all of their military pay if they also received disability compensation from the
VA. Military members had to choose which payment they wanted to receive: military retirement pay, or VA
disability compensation. If they chose to receive both forms of payment, they had to offset, or waive, a portion
of their military retirement pay equal to the amount they received from the VA. Basically, it prevents
servicemembers from double-dipping and receiving compensation from both the VA and the military. In
2004, the law was changed, and military retirees were eligible to receive both military retirement pay and
VA disability compensation, but only if they had a VA service-connected disability rating of 50% or higher.
Here is how the compensation breaks down if you are eligible to receive both types of compensation:
 VA disability rating of 40% or lower. Military retirees who choose to receive VA disability
compensation will have their military retirement pay offset by the amount of compensation they
receive from the VA. Most retirees choose to receive their VA disability compensation because it is
tax-free income, while their military pension is taxed by the federal government and by most states.
They still receive the same amount of total compensation they otherwise would have received,
however, the VA compensation portion is tax-free, giving them more spending power.
 VA disability rating of 50% or greater. Military retirees with a disability rating of greater than 50%
are eligible to receive both payments under CRDP. They will receive their full military retirement
pension, along with 100% of their VA disability compensation. They do not need to offset their
military pay by the amount of the compensation they receive from the VA.
What is the difference in compensation difference between a 40%% and 50% disability Rating?
Thousands of dollars per year because the difference comes in the form of the increased disability
74
compensation at the higher rate, along with the full military pension that is not offset by the concurrent receipt
laws. Let’s run through an example.
How is Military Retirement Pay Offset by VA Compensation? If your VA disability rating is 40% or
lower, your military retirement pay is offset by the amount of your VA compensation. In other words a 40%
disability rating doesn’t mean 40% of your retirement pay is tax free. It means you receive tax-free
compensation from the VA at the 40% rate, and your military retirement pay is deducted by that amount.
(Refer to http://www.benefits.va.gov/COMPENSATION/resources_comp01.asp for current rates.) For
example. Let’s say a retiree earns a monthly retirement check of $2,000. Let’s also assume he has a VA
service-connected disability rating of 40%, and he has one dependent (a spouse). His VA disability
compensation would be $641.28/mo. He would receive $641.28 from the VA, which would be tax-free. He
would then receive $1,358.72 as his military retirement pay ($2,000 – $641.28 = $1,358.72). The total amount
still equals $2,000 per month. But $641.28 of that is tax-free income. The overall affect gives the veteran
more spending power. You can also see how this uniform method for computing the VA disability offset is
easier than awarding retirees a percentage of their pay as tax free.
What is the Value of Concurrent Receipt? As you can see from the example above, the main benefit of
the VA disability offset is receiving the tax-free pay from the VA. The final dollar amount is the same, but
the tax-free portion gives the veteran greater spending power than if he received the full value of his pension
from the military with no VA offset. But the amount would be much greater if the veteran received both
forms of compensation under Concurrent Retirement Disability Pay laws. The increase would mean the full
value of the military retirement pay, plus the full value of the VA disability compensation. Going from a 40%
rating ($641.28) to a 50% rating ($901.83) is huge. Not only does the VA disability compensation increase
by $260.55 per month, but the $641.28 is not deducted from the military retirement pay. The net effect is
this: 40% disability rating: $2,000 total ($1,358.72 taxable; $641.28 non-taxable) and 50% disability rating:
$2,901.83 total ($2,000 taxable; $901.83 non-taxable). The difference is an increase of $10,821.96 per year,
none of which is taxable income.
How do you qualify for Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) Pay? To qualify for CRSC, you
must have a service-connected disability rating that is considered combat-related. There are a few other
eligibility criteria:
 You must be a military retiree (Active or Reserve with 20 years or creditable service; Chapter 61
medically retired with less than 20 years of service; Retired under Temporary Early Retirement Act
(TERA); or retired under the Temporary Disabled Retirement List (TDRL)).
 You must have a VA service-connected disability rating of at least 10% that is considered to be
combat-related.
 Your military retirement pay must currently be reduced by the VA disability offset.
The injury doesn’t have to be from direct combat. Disabilities may be considered combat-related for CRSC
purposes if they are a direct result of:
 Armed Conflict / Combat: direct or indirect wounds that happened during armed conflict.
 Hazardous Duty: demolition duty, diving, parachuting, aerial flight, and more.
 An Instrumentality of War: An injury sustained from exposure to an instrumentality of war, such
as a weapon or weapon systems specifically designed for military duty or warfare. This can include
certain military combat vehicles, vessels, aircraft, or an injury or sickness caused by exposure to
fumes, gases, or chemicals. Agent Orange exposure would qualify as an instrumentality of war.
75

Simulated War: Activities such as military training, exercises, airborne ops, live fire exercises,
hand-to-hand combat training, and more. This does not include standard physical training such as
running, jogging, or group sports activities.
Anyone can be eligible so long as they meet the above criteria. This includes military retirees who have
been retired for decades, or someone who retired last month. There is even the possibility of back pay,
however, it can only be extended back to the effective dates of the laws, which are June 1, 2003 for those
with 20 years of service, or January 1, 2008, for those who were medically retired under Chapter 61 with less
than 20 years of service. You must apply with your branch of service. Concurrent Receipt is automatically
applied by DFAS and the VA. However, the CRSC program is administered by each branch of the military.
You will need to complete an application and send in supporting documentation to receive this benefit.
Will Concurrent Receipt Be Extended to Everyone? In a perfect world, all military retirees who have a
VA service-connected disability rating would be eligible to receive the disability pay in addition to their
retirement pay. Unfortunately, the government budget isn’t limitless and the current payment methods are
being used to help control budgets. Concurrent Receipt was phased in over a ten year period, with veterans
receiving incrementally larger amounts of VA compensation added to their retirement pay each year. If the
government were to open Concurrent Receipt to everyone, they would likely do something similar, as it
would otherwise be a massive budget increase.
Will Concurrent Receipt Laws Change? There are many military organizations and lobbying groups that
are working hard to get the Concurrent Receipt laws extended to all retirees, regardless of their disability
rating. But it has yet to be approved by Congress. The Military Officer’s Association of America (MOAA)
has repeatedly attempted to get the law repealed that requires military retirees to forfeit their military
retirement pay in order to receive their VA disability pay. You can read about their most recent efforts at
http://www.moaa.org/Main_Menu/Take_Action/Top_Issues/Enjoying_Retirement/Concurrent_Receipt_of_
Military_Retired_Pay_and_VA_Disability_Compensation.html.
[Source: Military Wallet | Ryan Guina | Sept. 16, 2014 ++]
********************************
Money Flipping Scam
► How It works
Get rich quick schemes promising high returns in minimal time are not a new phenomenon. But clever
scammers are now promoting these "money flipping" scams on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to target a
younger audience.
How the Scam Works:
 You see a photo of a pile of cash on Instagram or another social media site. The caption brags about
an easy money flipping scheme. This person claims to have "flipped" a couple hundred dollars into
thousands, and he or she offers to do the same for you.
 Money's been tight lately, so the post piques your interest. You check out the profile behind the post,
and he or she appears to be a real person with photos and followers. The account may even have
dozens of "thank you" comments from satisfied past "investors." You decide to give it a shot, and
send him or her a message.
76

This "investor" tells you that it's easy to get started. All you need to do is put $100 or more on a
prepaid debit card from your local convenience store. The greater the value, the more money you
can make. Then, share the card number and PIN, and the "investor" will do the rest.
Money flipping on Instagram. Caption reads: "Who trying to make some money? Flip 200 to 2,000
fast and quick money. Only business."
Unfortunately, giving out the card number and PIN allows the "investor" to withdraw money from the
card. Typically, the scammer drains the card and then blocks you from contacting their social media account.
Here are some tips to avoid money flipping scams:
 Do a quick search. Before contacting the potential scammer, do a web search of their username or
phone number. If it's a scam, chances are that other victims have posted complaints and information
online.
 Be wary of prepaid debit cards. Wire transfers used to be a scammer's favorite way to collect
payment, but prepaid debit cards are the new preferred method. Treat prepaid debit cards like cash.
Once you give away the account info, you will not be able to get that money back.
 Don't trust your friends' taste online. It might not actually be them "liking" or sharing these scam
posts. Their account may have been hacked. But it may also be clickjacking, a technique that
scammers use to trick you into "liking" something that you wouldn't otherwise.

If it sounds to good to be true... Well, you know the rest. Use common sense when seeking ways to
supplement your income. Anyone who claims to be able to turn a small investment into piles of cash
in mere minutes is a scam artist.
To find out more about scams or report one, check out BBB Scam Stopper website
http://www.bbb.org/council/bbb-scam-stopper. [Source: BBB Scam alert Aug 22, 2014 ++]
*********************************
Click Bait Scam
► How It works
Nothing inspires scammers like the headlines. Con artists are always finding ways to cash in on breaking
trends. This week, watch out for teasers on social media promoting fake ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos.
How the Scam Works:
 You are on Facebook, and a news item catches your attention. It appears to be a teaser for a shocking
video. "Tragic: Ice Bucket Challenge kills girl," reads the headline.
77

You click the link, thinking it leads to a video site. Instead, a pop up appears prompting you to
"update your video player." But when you click "OK," you aren't getting a new version of some
software. You are really downloading malware.
Like all scams, this has many variations. Not all fake videos lead to viruses. Some link to spammy
websites, which may prompt you to take a survey before viewing the video. In the worst case, sharing your
information can open you up to identity theft. More likely, your information will end up getting sold to
spammers. This scam is also not limited to Facebook. Watch out for similar links posted on Twitter, through
other social media or sent by email.
Take the following steps to protect yourself and others from scam links shared through email and social
media:
 Don't take the bait. Stay away from promotions of "exclusive," "shocking" or "sensational" footage.
If it sounds too outlandish to be true, it is probably a scam.
 Hover over a link to see its true destination. Before you click, mouse over the link to see where it
will take you. Don't click on links leading to unfamiliar websites.
 Don't trust your friends' taste online. It might not actually be them "liking" or sharing scam links to
photos. Their account may have been hacked. But it may also be clickjacking, a technique that
scammers use to trick you into clicking something that you wouldn't otherwise (especially the
Facebook "Like" button).
 On Facebook, report scam posts and other suspicious activity by following their instructions at
https://www.facebook.com/help/205730929485170.
 On Twitter, if another user is sending you links to malware or other spam, report it to Twitter by
following their instructions at https://support.twitter.com/groups/33-report-abuse-or-policyviolations/topics/122-reporting-violations/articles/64986-how-to-report-spam-on-twitter#
For More Information heck out the Detroit Free Press's article on ice bucket challenge scams, featuring
an interview with the Better Business Bureau of Detroit and Eastern Michigan at
http://www.freep.com/article/20140822/BUSINESS07/308220096/ice-bucket-challenge-scam-ALS. To
find out more about scams or report one, check out BBB Scam Stopper at http://www.bbb.org/council/bbbscam-stopper. [Source: BBB Scam Alert Aug 29, 2014 ++]
*********************************
Tax Burden for North Carolina Retirees
► As of Sep 2014
Many people planning to retire use the presence or absence of a state income tax as a litmus test for a
retirement destination. This is a serious miscalculation since higher sales and property taxes can more than
offset the lack of a state income tax. The lack of a state income tax doesn’t necessarily ensure a low total tax
burden. States raise revenue in many ways including sales taxes, excise taxes, license taxes, income taxes,
intangible taxes, property taxes, estate taxes and inheritance taxes. Depending on where you live, you may
end up paying all of them or just a few. Following are the taxes you can expect to pay if you retire in North
Carolina. Note - This state has a statutory provision for automatic adjustment of tax brackets, personal
exemptions or standard deductions to the rate of inflation.
Sales Taxes
State Sales Tax: 4.750% Prescription drugs, medical equipment exempt, food subject to 2% county
tax. Counties may add an additional 2% to 3% tax.
78
Gasoline Tax: 56.2 cents/gallon (Includes all taxes)
Diesel Fuel Tax: 62.2 cents/gallon (Includes all taxes)
Cigarette Tax: 45 cents/pack of 20
Personal Income Taxes
Tax Rate Range: - 1%; High – 6.9%
Income Brackets: Seven. Lowest – $2,600; Tax Rate Range: Low – 6.0%; High – 7.75%
Income Brackets: Lowest – $12,750; Highest – $60,000. The tax brackets reported are for single
individuals. For married taxpayers, the same rates apply to income brackets ranging from $21,250 to
$200,000. An additional middle income tax credit is allowed.
Number of Brackets: Three. The tax brackets reported are for single individuals. For married taxpayers
the same rates apply to income brackets ranging from $21,250 to $100,000. Lower exemption amounts
allowed for high-income taxpayers. For tax year 2012 the starting point for calculating a taxpayer’s taxable
income is the taxpayer’s federal adjusted gross income (AGI). The previous starting point was the
taxpayer’s federal; taxable income.
Personal Exemptions: Single – $1,200; Married – $2,500; Dependents – $0. Refer to
http://www.dornc.com/taxes/individual/exemption.html for more information. Taxpayers who claim
standard deduction or itemize deductions on federal return must make adjustments.
Standard Deduction: Single – $3,000; Married filing jointly – $6,000. If you or your spouse are 65 or
older you may claim an additional deduction (See state tax instruction booklet at
http://www.nd.gov/tax/indincome/forms/2012/taxtables.pdf?20140921234446 ).
Medical/Dental Deduction: Federal amount. Income tax credit for premiums paid on long-term care
insurance that covers the individual, a spouse or dependent. Credit is equal to 15% of premium cost but
may not exceed $350.
Federal Income Tax Deduction: None
Retirement Income Taxes: Social Security is exempt. At least $4,000 in exclusions for federal, state and
local pensions (depending on dates and length of service); up to $2,000 also qualify for the $4,000
exemption. State retirees with at least 5 years of creditable service as of August 12, 1989, will be
permanently exempt from state income tax on their retired exemption for qualified private pensions,
including IRAs. Out-of-state government pensions /retainer pay. Be sure to investigate the Bailey
Decision http://www.dornc.com/taxes/individual/benefits.html. Taxable income also includes income
derived from gaming in North Carolina. For more details on retirement income deductions, refer to
http://www.dornc.com/taxes/individual/retirement.html and on the tax form page 13 at
http://www.dornc.com/downloads/D401.pdf .
Retired Military Pay: If an individual had five years of creditable service as of August 12, 1989, all
military retired pay is exempt from taxes. Otherwise, a deduction of up to $4,000 is allowed for military
pay or survivor’s benefits.
Military Disability Retired Pay: Retirees who entered the military before Sept. 24, 1975, and members
receiving disability retirements based on combat injuries or who could receive disability payments from the
VA are covered by laws giving disability broad exemption from federal income tax. Most military retired
pay based on service-related disabilities also is free from federal income tax, but there is no guarantee of
total protection.
VA Disability Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: VA benefits are not taxable because they
generally are for disabilities and are not subject to federal or state taxes.
Military SBP/SSBP/RCSBP/RSFPP: Generally subject to state taxes for those states with income tax.
Check with state department of revenue office.
also has a circuit breaker property tax deferment program. Under this program, taxes for each year are
limited to a percentage of the qualifying owner’s income. The qualifying owner must either be at least 65
years of age or be totally and permanently disabled. For an owner whose income amount for the previous
79
years does not exceed the income eligibility limit for the current year, which for tax year 2012 is $27,100,
the owner’s taxes will be limited to 4% of the owner’s income. For an owner whose income exceeds the
income eligibility limit, which for tax year 2010 is $40,650, the owner’s taxes will be limited to 5% of the
owner’s income.
Property Taxes
All property, real and personal, is subject to taxation and is assessed based on 100% of appraised
value. Taxes are collected by cities and counties. For tax rates refer to
http://www.dornc.com/publications/effective_rates.html.
All property (real or personal) is subject to state and local taxes. The assessed valuation of real property is
based on 100% of its fair market value, then reduced by a phase-in factor and taxed as a percentage
thereof. The state established the tax rate to determine the assessed valuation while local taxing units
establish the mill levies to determine the property tax. Personal property is also taxed, the most common
being motor vehicles. All residential properties receive a 34% exemption but residents must file for the
exemption. Residential property of certain disabled veterans, and the spouses of deceased veterans, is exempt
from property taxation. Montana property owners can have their property taxes reduced if they meet
certain qualifications. Any homeowner or renter age 62 or over can apply for a credit if they have lived in
Montana for 9 months, occupied a residence for 6 months, and had a gross household income of less than
$45,000. For a better understanding of property taxes, refer to http://ravalli.us/196/Property-Tax. Refer
to.http://revenue.mt.gov/home/property/propertytax-relief.aspx more information on property tax relief
programs,
Inheritance and Estate Taxes
On June 27, 2011, a bill was signed into law by North Carolina governor Beverly Perdue. This law clarifies
that the North Carolina estate tax does not apply to the estates of decedents who died in 2010 but will apply
to the estates of decedents dying on or after January 1, 2011 with a $5,000,000 exemption, which is indexed
for inflation in 2012 so that the 2012 exemption is $5,120,000.
For further information, visit the North Carolina Department of Revenue site www.dor.state.nc.us. [Source:
http://www.retirementliving.com/taxes-new-york-wyoming#NORTHCAROLINA Sep 2014 ++]
*********************************
Tax Fraud
► IRS Still Struggles With Identify Theft
Tax fraud committed by identity thieves cost the government $5.2 billion in 2013, according to a Government
Accountability Office report released on the heels of a hard-hitting “60 Minutes” segment on the problem.
The 60 minute segment is available for viewing at http://www.cbsnews.com/news/irs-scam-identity-taxrefund-fraud-60-minutes. Though the CBS feature was harsher in tone, the auditors’ report—the first in a
coming series—gave the Internal Revenue Service credit for preventing $24 billion in unmerited tax refunds.
But GAO said the tax agency’s estimate of $5.2 billion in tax fraud by identity thieves is incomplete because
it is “based on duplicate returns, information return mismatches, and criminal investigations identified after
the refunds are paid. However, for cases where there are no duplicate returns, information returns, or criminal
investigations associated with a tax return, IRS has been unable to estimate the amount of [identity theft]
refund fraud.”
80
Criminals, as dramatized on “60 Minutes” by U.S. attorneys, buy or steal hundreds of Social Security
numbers and then file for multiple tax refunds on electronic devices in the name of another individual—
before the actual taxpayer has filed. As many as 40 percent of the refund applications are approved by the
IRS, one reformed perpetrator said. If one of those fraudulent applications happens to contain your social
security number and you file for your refund after the fraudulent return is processed you will not get your
refund on time. You will eventually get it after an extensive delay during which an IRS investigation is
conducted involving massive paperwork from you. The problem, GAO explained, stems from procedures
under which the IRS conducts only selected reviews of refund applications, issuing many refunds quickly
rather than waiting for all compliance checks. “While there are no simple solutions, one option is earlier
matching of employer-reported wage information to taxpayers' returns before issuing refunds," GAO wrote.
“IRS currently cannot do such matching because employers' wage data (from Form W-2s) are not available
until months after IRS issues most refunds.”
Possible solutions involve accelerating employers’ deadlines for submitting W-2 wage summaries to the
IRS, moving tax filing season up and allowing more employers to file W-2 forms electronically to better
allow cross-checking of income claims with third parties. The tax agency, however, has “not fully assessed
the impacts” of accelerating deadlines, auditors said. “Without this assessment, Congress does not have the
information needed to deliberate the merits of such a significant change to W-2 deadlines or the use of prerefund W-2 matching,” GAO wrote. “Such an assessment is consistent with IRS' strategic plan that calls for
analytics-based decisions, and would help IRS ensure effective use of resources.” Allowing ever-smaller
employers (those filing as few as five to 10 W-2 forms, as opposed to the current threshold of 250 and up) to
file W-2’s electronically would save money, according to the Social Security Administration. GAO
recommended that Congress consider providing Treasury with authority to lower the annual threshold for
electronic filing of W-2s, and that IRS provide a cost estimate on shifting W-2 deadlines. IRS neither agreed
nor disagreed with GAO's recommendations.
Internal Revenue Commissioner John Koskinen told Steve Kroft on “60 Minutes” that he hadn’t heard of
the identity theft problem before signing on to lead the agency. “What happened was a lot of people
discovered that Social Security numbers are either easy to steal or find or buy and then you can file a false
return,” he said. The reason few anticipated the problem, he said, “goes back to the fact that people didn't
anticipate Social Security numbers were going be so readily available. The assumption, until fairly recently,
was [that Social Security numbers were] a part of your identity that you protected and took great care of so
that no one actually expected they would be this easy to get ahold of.” [Source: GovExec.com | Charles S.
Clark | Sept. 22, 2014 ++]
******************************
81
Thrift Savings Plan 2014
► Share Prices + YTD Gain or Loss
TSP Share Prices for Sept. 26, 2014
Close
G Fund
F Fund
C Fund
S Fund
I Fund
L 2050
L 2040
L 2030
L 2020
L Income
$14.5331
$16.4680
$26.0177
$34.4888
$25.4289
$14.7056
$25.9285
$24.4307
$22.6040
$17.2733
YTD
+1.72%
+4.61%
+8.97%
+2.43%
-0.53%
+4.57%
+4.41%
+4.14%
+3.71%
+2.72%
[Source: www.myfederalretirement.com/public/237.cfm & http://tspcenter.com/tspReturns.php?view=year
82
* General Interest *
Notes of Interest













► 16 thru 30 Sep 2014
COLA. The Consumer Price Index dipped 0.2 percent in August, falling to 234.030. It now
stands 1.6 percent above the FY2014 COLA baseline of 230.327. The July, August, and
September CPIs will be used to calculate the 2015 COLA. Predictions on the 2015 COLA are it
will fall somewhere between 1.6 and 1.8 percent. The new COLA will be announced 22 OCT.
USS Saratoga. The decommissioned aircraft carrier arrived 12 SEP at its final destination in South
Texas, where it will be scrapped at a cost of one penny to the U.S. Navy.
Garnishment. According to a new ADP report, 7.2 percent of U.S. workers had wages garnished
in 2013 to pay off child support and other debt, including credit cards, medical bills and student
loans.
Toothpaste. Dental hygienists say that all you really need is a pea-sized dab. So why do
commercials show a toothbrush completely covered with dentifrice? Because the faster you use it
up, the quicker you have to buy more.
USAF Enlistment Oath. The Air Force has withdrawn a requirement that all airmen who take the
oath of enlistment and officer appointment conclude with “so help me God,” the service announced
17 SEP 2014.
Vets Jobs. The U.S. will train at least 50,000 veterans to become solar panel installers in the next
six years, the White House said 18 JAN.
WWII Japan. Check out the 94 min “Japan's War in Colour”, a 2004 documentary on Japan’s
eight year holy war, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJLE2pnN9WY.
US-RP Defense Pact. A new defense pact between the U.S. and the Philippines faces years in
limbo due to legal challenges, frustrating plans to strengthen bilateral ties by dispatching American
troops to the Southeast Asian country.
VA. Rebecca Wiley, the former director of the Charlie Norwood VAMC, was paid more than
$75,000 when she retired last October, one week after Congress began investigating her
administration for its role in nine preventable patient deaths in Augusta and Columbia.
Golf. Check out https://www.youtube.com/embed/QFEYC4Z44v0?feature=player_detailpage to
see what's happening to golf in today’s world.
State Tax. To see where your state ranks in the in Wallet Hub’s 2014′s Most & Least Fair State
Tax Systems go to http://wallethub.com/edu/most-least-fair-tax-systems/6598.
ISIS. The United States is spending between $7 million and $10 million each day in the battle
against ISIS, and the Pentagon said 26 SEP it needs more money from Congress.
VA Firing. The DVA proposed firing the director of its medical center in Dublin, Georgia, on 25
SEP, the same day the official began his retirement. In August that Goldman approved the "batch"
83
closing more than 1,500 veteran appointments with non-VA healthcare providers in order to meet
organizational goals.
********************************
Vet Toxic Exposure~Lejeune Update 47
► Financial Relief Coming
The Department of Veterans Affairs on 23 SEP announced it will soon start to cover out-of-pocket health
care costs for Marine dependents who contracted cancer and other illnesses from toxic water at Camp
Lejeune, as promised two years ago by law. In 2012, Congress passed the landmark Honoring America’s
Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act. It provided health care for Marines and family members
who had lived on the base near Jacksonville, N.C., from 1957-1987 and who suffered from any of 15 illnesses
named in the law. These included cancer related to the lungs, bladder, breasts, kidneys and esophagus, as
well leukemia and problems involving female infertility. An estimated 750,000 people were exposed to
drinking water at the base that was polluted with chemicals that included industrial solvents and benzene
from fuels. The chemicals resulted from spills, a dump site on base, leaking underground storage tanks on
base and an off-base dry cleaner.
Under the 2012 law, the VA immediately offered full care for veterans who had been stationed at Camp
Lejeune, but it told their dependents who suffered from covered illnesses that they would have to wait to be
reimbursed. The announcement of final rules on Tuesday meant that the VA later this year will start to
reimburse family members under the 2012 law for costs since March 26, 2013, that were not covered by
insurance. The date is when Congress appropriated funding. The rules first must be published in the Federal
Register, to be followed by a 30-day waiting period before people can file claims. The VA also planned to
release a document about health care services to veterans who were on active duty at the base for at least 30
days in the three-decade period.
Retired Marine Jerry Ensminger, whose 9-year-old daughter, Janey, died of leukemia in 1985, and Mike
Partain, who was born at the base and suffered from male breast cancer, led a long fight to get the law passed.
Both said Tuesday that they were dismayed it took two years to put it into effect. “As far as I’m concerned,
so many people have already died. They just keep dragging this thing out,” Ensminger said. Partain said
“institutional apathy and incompetence” were the reasons it took two years to write and approve the
regulations for how the law would be administered. The VA wrote the regulations, and then the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, part of the White House Office of Management and Budget, had to
approve them. The office’s website said approval was made on 9 SEP. The White House referred questions
to the VA, and the VA didn’t respond to a question about the length of time required for the implementation
of the law.
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), who proposed the legislation and fought for it to become law and for its
promises to be fulfilled, said in a statement that the final regulation “has been a long time coming.”
“Unfortunately, many who were exposed to the contaminated water have already died as a result of their
exposures and will not be able to receive the help this law provides,” Burr said. “I fully expect VA will now
move swiftly to implement all the regulations and extend a helping hand to the victims of this tragic episode
in our nation’s history.” Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., who joined Burr in pushing for the legislation when she
became a senator in 2009, said her office had been urging the VA to finalize the regulations since Congress
passed the bill. “I am relieved that action has finally occurred today,” Hagan said. “Our veterans and their
families exposed to toxic water contamination have waited too long for answers, and I am pleased they will
now begin to receive the critical health care benefits they deserve.”
84
For veterans, any reimbursement of co-payments would go back to Aug. 6, 2012, when the law was signed.
The law does not provide veterans with disability compensation. Veterans and family members can apply for
the Camp Lejeune benefits by enrolling with the VA online or at a local VA health facility. The VA said they
would have to prove they lived or worked at the base during the prescribed period. Burr and Hagan have
proposed legislation that would expand the eligibility dates for veterans and families to 1953. A study by the
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in 2013 estimated that the water was contaminated with
carcinogens as early as that date, four years earlier than previously thought. [Source: McClatchy Washington
Bureau | Renee Schoof | Sept. 23, 2014 ++]
********************************
Presidential Salute
► Obama’s Latte Salute | Cut Some Slack
On his way to participate in a United Nations talk on Climate Change, and coming from his national address
on airstrikes in Syria, President Barack Obama stepped off Marine One and proceeded to salute Marines with
a coffee cup in his hand. White House aides later posted that video to Instagram, and that’s when things went
downhill. The White House press department didn’t immediately respond to queries about the salute. ABC
published a story dubbing it the “Latte Salute.” Washington Times ran a headline that incorporated the words
“Semper Latte.” Finally, a Daily Caller story cited the manual for Marine officer candidates stating the salute
is “the most important of all military courtesies.” Of course the comment sections in each of these posts
featured more than a few disgruntled folks. Twitter also hosted a horde of trolls.
President Obama on his recent trip to the United Nations for a climate control meeting and at the
Dover Air Force Base transfer of Afghanistan KIA’s in Delaware, Oct. 29, 2009.
Obama isn’t the only president who’s had a salute snafu (or two). Then-President George W. Bush was
somewhat infamously captured awkwardly saluting while holding his dog. The presidential salute, while not
required, has become somewhat of a protocol since the Reagan years. Carey Winfrey, the retired editor of
Smithsonian Magazine and a former Marine, wrote an outstanding article for the New York Times about the
presidential salute (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/opinion/01winfrey.html?_r=1&) . In it, he asserts,
“when it comes to salutes (and one or two other matters), presidents deserved to be cut some slack.” [Source:
MarineCorpsTimes | Battle Rattle | Sept. 23, 2014 ++]
85
Bush Scottish terrier Salute
Obama Cellphone Salute
********************************
Unconditional Surrender Statue Update 01:
On 1-Year Loan to France
A sculpture honoring a photograph of a kiss in Times Square that captured New York’s celebration as World
War II ended has gone up in Normandy for a one-year visit. Cranes and construction crews in the French city
of Caen on Tuesday hoisted and locked together pieces of “Unconditional Surrender,” an 8-meter (25-foot)
cast-bronze sculpture in color of a sailor and a nurse in a lip-locked embrace. The sculpture by Seward
Johnson is based on a Navy photographer’s black-and-white snapshot taken Aug. 15, 1945, according to the
Sculpture Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit that owns the work. It also resembles a famous photo taken by
Life magazine’s Alfred Eisenstaedt on that day. The sculpture is to spend a year outside the Caen Memorial,
a museum focusing on World War II.
Workers hoist and lock together pieces of 'Unconditional Surrender,' an 8-meter (25-foot) castbronze sculpture in color of a sailor and a nurse in lip-locked embrace, outside the Caen Memorial
[Source: Associated Press article Sept. 23, 2014 ++]
********************************
86
Lighthouses
► Coast Guard Selling Them Off
The Coast Guard has lots of lighthouses it is looking to unload. Technological advances and a desire to purge
unneeded properties have paved the way for the federal government to get rid of more than 100 lighthouses
over the past 14 years, and it intends to keep selling and giving them away. The sold lighthouses, located on
both coasts and in the Great Lakes states, have become everything from museums to bed-and-breakfasts.
Sixty-eight of the lighthouses have gone for free to preservationists, while 36 others sold at public auction,
thanks to the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, which allows the government to dispose
of federally owned lighthouses. The Coast Guard, which maintains lighthouses, has 71 other lighthouses
queued up to go through the transfer process. All told, the Coast Guard owns 254 lighthouses, officials said.
The question is more about which ones it will keep than which ones it will eventually sell, said Jeff Gales,
executive director of the non-profit U.S. Lighthouse Society.
(1)
(2)
(3)
Boon Island Light Station (1), New England’s tallest lighthouse at 133 feet, is about six miles off the
coast of York, Maine. It was auctioned off in August for $78,000. As of 5 SEP, Round Island Passage
Lighthouse (2) had garnered a top bid of $21,500 on the GSA website. Peck Ledge Light (3) has no
bidders.
“There is an end in sight,” Gales said. “There’s a limited number of lighthouses.” The federal General
Services Administration, which actually sells the lighthouses, does not have a target number of how many
lighthouses it would like to sell and give away, but the Coast Guard is always looking to shed excess
lighthouses that “are often no longer critical” to the guard’s work, said Patrick Sclafani, a spokesman for the
agency. Buyers and preservationists typically allow the Coast Guard access to the lighthouses so it can
maintain the lights, all of which are automated. Some of the lighthouses — typically those that are easily
accessed on land — are transferred swiftly to historic preservation groups, while others that are off-shore or
in need of heavy maintenance languish on the auction block with no interested bidders. Still others attract the
eye of private investors, such as Boston’s Waller. Officials say the GSA’s Boston office is responsible for
about 80 percent of lighthouse conveyances and those transfers have netted $3.35 million for the Coast Guard.
The government also is auctioning lighthouses in Massachusetts, Michigan and Wisconsin. [Source: The
Associated Press Sept. 4, 2014 ++]
********************************
Obesity
► Mission Readiness Retreat Is Not an Option Report
Obesity among active duty forces up 61 percent in less than 10 years. Armed with a new report documenting
the staggering impact of obesity on America’s military, more than 450 retired admirals and generals urged
87
Congress last week to not backtrack on or delay updated nutrition standards for foods and beverages served
and sold in schools. The healthier meals standards—put in place following the enactment of the bipartisan
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010—have been implemented successfully by more than 90 percent of
school districts nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The report, “RETREAT IS
NOT AN OPTION,” was released by Mission: Readiness, a nonpartisan national security organization
calling for smart investments in America’s children. It includes new and previously unreported state-by-state
data from the Department of Defense showing the number of young adults who are likely to be ineligible to
join the military. More than 70 percent are ineligible in many states.
The report also notes obesity has become the leading medical reason why more than 70 percent of young
adults nationwide cannot qualify for military service, and spotlights its negative impact on active duty
personnel as well. Key statistics include:
 Obesity rates among active duty personnel rose 61 percent between 2002 and 2011.
 Twelve percent of active duty service members are obese.
 The military spends more than $1.5 billion annually treating obesity-related health conditions and
replacing those discharged because they are unfit.
 More than 1 in 4 young adults ages 17 to 24 are too heavy to serve in the military.
 One study of more than 2,000 men in a U.S. Army light-infantry brigade in Afghanistan found 14
percent were obese. The overweight and slower runners in the brigade were 1.5 times more likely
to be injured than their healthier and fitter counterparts.
Mission Readiness has been a leading voice in the effort to improve school nutrition. In 2010, its members
released “Too Fat to Fight,” the landmark report that revealed the number of young Americans too heavy to
join the military and called for passage of what became the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. A 2010 followup report, “Still Too Fat to Fight,” was released with General Richard Myers, United States Air Force (Ret.),
a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In June 2014, General Richard Hawley, United States Air
Force (Ret.) testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee on the connection between child nutrition
programs and our national security.
With “RETREAT IS NOT AN OPTION,” the organization continues its fight to protect the updated school
nutrition standards for students, many of whom consume as much as 50 percent of their daily calories at
school. The report also describes significant measures the military is taking to address the rising rates of
obesity within its own ranks. “We need to protect kids’ health from day one, and we have to do this now!”
said Rear Admiral Casey W. Coane, U.S. Navy (Retired). “The military is doing everything in our power to
address obesity among our service members—from nutrition programs that go back to square one to teach
people how to eat healthily, to specially-fitted shoes for every Navy recruit in basic training and specially
built running tracks to reduce injuries.” “Taxpayers foot the bill for both school nutrition and the military, so
it makes no sense to subsidize meals filled with salt, sugar and fat while children are growing up and then
pay so much more to treat the resulting health problems for those who serve our nation,” Admiral Coane
added. “How can we expect young people to serve and protect their country—in whatever profession they
choose—if we don’t first serve and protect them at school?”
The “RETREAT IS NOT AN OPTION” report comes on the heels of recent polling and research showing
significant national support for healthier meals:
 A poll released last week by the Pew Charitable Trusts, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and
American Heart Association found that 72 percent of parents nationwide favor updated nutrition
standards for school meals and school snacks, while 91 percent favor requiring schools to serve
fruits or vegetables with every meal.
88


The first national studies examining students’ reactions to the healthier meals, released in July by
Bridging the Gap, found widespread student acceptance across all grade levels, according to school
administrators.
A Harvard University study found that plate waste (food thrown away) decreased when the updated
nutrition standards were implemented in a large school district. The study also found that, postimplementation, children’s fruit selection increased by 23 percent and vegetable consumption rose
by 16 percent.
Recent efforts to weaken or delay implementation of the standards fostered a blunt response from the
retired military leaders. “Look, plenty of students don’t like algebra. Does that mean we stop teaching math?
Of course not,” said Major General D. Allen Youngman, U.S. Army (Retired). “Change can be hard, but if
we want kids to grow up fit and healthy, it’s just plain common sense to serve nutritious meals in schools.”
“Congress showed bipartisan leadership when it voted overwhelmingly to improve school nutrition in 2010,”
said Major General Don C. Morrow, U.S. Army (Retired). “Nearly four years later, we know that this great
success story is transforming our nation’s schools. That’s why we have a simple message for Congress: when
we are this close to victory, retreat is not an option.” [Source: From Washington: News for the Enlisted Sept.
22, 2014 ++]
********************************
Guantanamo Bay Navy Base ►
Extension of the U.S.? | Yes & No
U.S. troops blare The Star Spangled Banner across this 45-square-mile base each morning at 8 o’clock sharp.
Fireworks crackle overhead on the Fourth of July. Marines control the fence line opposite Cuba’s minefield
and American sailors check visitors’ passports or Pentagon ID cards as they arrive by plane. So why then
did U.S. officials recently advise some Chinese journalists who report from Washington that, by traveling to
Guantánamo as guests of the Pentagon, they would see their visas to visit and work in the United States
expire? The answer is that, while the U.S. Navy base functions like an extension of the United States,
sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t — mostly to the benefit of those in government. Consider this: Defense
Department contractors who work and live here and don’t set foot onto U.S. soil for more than 30 days a year
get a tax break, like any American living and working abroad. Army guards at the prison don’t get the tax
exclusion, but they do get bonuses of $425 a month in allowances, imminent danger and hardship duty pay
— plus $250 a month if they leave family behind.
A U.S. Marines Humvee patrols the fence line that divides the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay,
Cuba
89
Those dollars buy time scuba diving, Pizza Hut delivery and drinks in the base bars, all Navy-run
enterprises, as are the free rides home to avoid the base’s drunk-driving checkpoints. Navy base and prison
guests are put up in two-story townhouses that ooze American — patios for barbecues, a downstairs powder
room for guests, private laundry rooms. But over at “Camp Justice” — the place where the Pentagon is putting
on the death-penalty trials — visitors are put up in a crude tent city evocative of Bagram airbase in
Afghanistan circa 2001. It all creates a certain dissonance, says retired Army Lt. Col. Chris Jenks, who
observed some Sept. 11 pretrial hearings recently, his first foray back to “the battlefield” since leaving service
and becoming a law professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. At one moment, the West Point
grad said, you can see families at McDonald’s or the bowling alley or take a sunset sail on the bay. But the
war court compound where he was put up was so reminiscent of his last forward operating base in Iraq that
one morning he groggily reached for his M16 in the latrine tent, and briefly panicked because it wasn’t there.
Guantánamo, he says, is made up of “puzzle pieces from three or four sets” that don’t fit together.
Jenks is a former infantryman turned lawyer in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) corps who handled
detainee abuse and friendly fire cases — and looks to precedent and the law to try to parse the question. “If
you look at the lease, it’s America as long as we want it to be America,” he says. “I’m not sure how that
functionally is any different than Puerto Rico.” In 1965, he said, the U.S. declared the base a special maritime
jurisdiction and brought a Cuban to federal court in Miami for the machete killing of another non-U.S. citizen
on base. For that crime, Guantánamo was subject to the prosecutorial jurisdiction of the United States. Since
the Bush administration chose to imprison war-on-terror captives seized across the globe, it has sought to
make sure the opposite applies. That’s why moments before boarding a U.S. military charter to Guantánamo
at Andrews Air Force Base — the place where the Pentagon parks the president’s plane, Air Force One —
an airman warned two Chinese journalists that going to Guantánamo would amount to entering a foreign
country, and their single-entry work visas would be invalid on their return. They were invited by the Office
of the U.S. Secretary of Defense to report on some war crimes hearings and were scheduled back a week
later, on a nonstop flight. They didn’t go.
Had they gone, they could’ve purchased a souvenir plastic cup at the base commissary for $6.99 — duty
free by federal code covering “articles of foreign origin” at GTMO, the military’s shorthand for the base. A
study in schizophrenia, the souvenir is stamped GTMO, USA, Cuba. It is for this base of about 6,000 residents
that the U.S. military is building a $40 million undersea fiberoptic link to Florida so data can reach the
Pentagon as swiftly as any office on U.S. soil. And while there has been a continuous American presence at
Guantánamo Bay since U.S. forces took it in a Spanish-American war battle in 1898, it’s technically leased
territory. From Cuba, whose landlord, Fidel Castro, told the tenants to go home long ago. The U.S.
government says it’s a tenant barricaded behind a Cuban minefield and, as though to prove it, cuts a check
each year for $4,085 — rent, based on a 1934 treaty made public by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It’s a
one-way transaction. The Cuban government does not cash the checks.
90
Babies born to Americans at the base hospital are automatically citizens. A diplomat from the U.S.
Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica, the closest to the base, periodically visits to process paperwork for
Guantánamo’s American babies, says Kelly Wirfel, the Navy base public affairs officer. But that’s not a
privilege passed along to Filipino or Jamaican guest laborers who work as waitresses at the Irish Pub or clean
the officers’ guest quarters. Were one to get pregnant at Guantánamo, she’d probably get a ticket home to
avoid the issue of her baby’s citizenship. Which is why nobody was willing to speculate on that baby’s
theoretical nationality. Would that baby be Cuban? Guantánamite? Stateless? Guantánamo is not like Puerto
Rico, says the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs. It’s more like a U.S. embassy (with school,
golf course, church and prison), and babies born to non-citizens at embassies aren’t entitled to citizenship,
either. And that pretty much reflects the pick-and-choose approach that’s become all the more pronounced
as the war court hears pretrial motions in six death-penalty cases.
Defense attorneys are asking the military judges to decide which portions of the U.S. Constitution apply
at the court that George Bush built and Barack Obama froze, then reformed to exclude some, but not all, selfincriminating statements made in the years before the men got lawyers.



Habeas corpus? Yes, because the U.S. Supreme Court said so in the landmark 2008 Boumediene
v. Bush decision. “In every practical sense Guantánamo is not abroad,” Justice Anthony Kennedy
wrote for the majority. “It is within the constant jurisdiction of the United States.”
Ex post facto? At least sometimes because a federal appeals court decided recently that Osama bin
Laden’s 9/11-era “media secretary” couldn’t be convicted in 2008 of providing material support for
terror in 2001 because Congress created it as a war crime in 2006. Separately, a military court of
appeals panel in the same case has ruled out his First Amendment free speech right to produce an
al-Qaida recruiting video — one of his crimes.
Confrontation? That’s still playing out at the war court, where defense lawyers are arguing to
exclude the hearsay evidence of a man who was interrogated by the FBI in Yemeni custody in 2001,
then killed by a missile launched from a U.S. drone 11 years later.
“I always feel silly doing this,” said Cheryl Bormann, defense attorney for a Yemeni man accused in the
9/11 plot, as she filled out a U.S. Customs form aboard a Miami Air charter hired by the Pentagon to shuttle
lawyers from a war court hearing. She had left Andrews Air Force Base two weeks earlier on a nonstop
Pentagon flight to the U.S. Navy base, never left U.S.-controlled territory, and was now returning to
Andrews. “The reason that we’re filling out those stupid forms is they want to pretend this isn’t the United
States,” she said later. “As though those forms are going to help an argument down the line that
Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, is a foreign country; and somehow their establishment of this commission in a
foreign country can avoid U.S. law. And I think they’re wrong on all counts.”
She calls it pick-and-choose patriotism. “It’s America when the environmental protection laws prohibit
us from killing an iguana or committing drunken driving,” she said. “But it’s not America when they can
get away with paying less than minimum wage” to the Jamaicans or Filipinos who clean the officers’ Guest
Quarters. “It’s not America when they want to violate American law regarding torture. And it’s not
America when they avoid applying the Geneva Conventions.” So what did she write as the country she
visited prior to her return to Andrews Air Force Base? Guantánamo Bay Naval Air Station. Bormann wrote
not the name of the entire base, where a secret prison has jailed her client since 2006. She wrote in the
airport — a single airstrip on the edge of the sea a ferry ride away from the main portion of the base.
[Source: Miami Herald | Carol Rosenberg | Sept. 13, 2014 ++]
********************************
91
Photos That Say it All
► No Swimming
*******************************
Normandy Then & Now
► Utah Beach at Les Dunes de Varreville
June 6, 1944: US Army troops make a battle plan in a farmyard amid cattle, killed by artillery
bursts, near the D-Day landing zone of Utah Beach in Les Dunes de Varreville, France. Here farmer
Raymond Bertot, who was 19 when allied troops came ashore in 1944, poses on the property which
he owned
*********************************
92
WWII Ads ►
Buick
*******************************
Baby Powder
► Ways You Can Use
A bottle of baby powder only costs a buck at the dollar store, which makes it a great budget-friendly
investment for tucking under your sink. You’ll be amazed with all the helpful ways you can use this freshsmelling powder around your home.


Pet cleaner. Get your pet clean using baby powder as a dry shampoo, which will leave him smelling
nice and fresh without having to toss him in the tub.
Cool sheets. On hot summer nights, sprinkle baby powder over the sheets to keep them nice and
cool. And the powder will absorb any sweat, making for a refreshing night’s sleep.
93

Absorb grease. The next time you dribble some grease on your favorite shirt or edge of the carpet,
sprinkle with baby powder. It absorbs the oil and refreshes the fabric.
 Refresh books. Give old books new life by sprinkling them with baby powder. It absorbs the
moisture, getting rid of any mold, and leaves books fresh.
 Plump lashes. Dust baby powder over eyelashes before applying mascara for a fuller look.
 Chafe-free. Give your inner thighs a dusting of baby powder before your next big run to prevent
chafing.
 Smell-buster. When your shoes aren’t smelling their best, fill with baby powder and let set
overnight. Dump out and enjoy like-new shoes.
 No more squeaks. If you’ve got a wood floor that squeaks, sprinkle with baby powder, and then
sweep into gaps. No more squeaks!
 Repel ants. Ants don’t care for the scent of baby powder, so sprinkling a line around doors or
windows will keep them from busting into your home. It works the same when having a picnic.
 Reduce waxing pain. Dust legs with baby powder before waxing. It creates a layer that helps protect
against the burn.
 Face fix. Instead of paying for expensive finishing powder, dust a touch of baby powder over your
face to set makeup.
 Stay fresh. Use baby powder instead of deodorant. It absorbs sweat while whisking away any
lingering scent.
 Kitty litter help. Sprinkle baby powder over your kitty’s litter for a quick refresh.
 Hair help. When in a bind, use equal parts baby powder and baking powder as a DIY dry shampoo.
Your hair will thank you!
 Smell good. If you’re not a fan of how baby powder smells, mix it with a few drops of your favorite
essential oil, and leave out in small containers to give a lovely scent.
[Source: MoneyTalksNews | Sarah Lipoff | Sept. 16, 2014 ++]
********************************
Have You Heard?
► Grandpa’s IRS Audit
The IRS decides to audit Grandpa, and summons him to the IRS office. The IRS auditor was not surprised
when Grandpa showed up with his attorney.
The auditor said, 'Well, sir, you have an extravagant lifestyle and no full-time employment, Which you
explain by saying that you win money gambling. I'm not sure the IRS finds that believable.'
I'm a great gambler, and I can prove it,' says Grandpa. 'How about a demonstration?'
The auditor thinks for a moment and said, 'Okay. Go ahead.'
Grandpa says, 'I'll bet you a thousand dollars that I can bite my own eye.'
The auditor thinks a moment and says, 'It's a bet.'
Grandpa removes his glass eye and bites it. The auditor's jaw drops. Grandpa says, 'Now, I'll bet you two
thousand dollars that I can bite my other eye.'
Now the auditor can tell Grandpa isn't blind, so he takes the bet.
94
Grandpa removes his dentures and bites his good eye.
The stunned auditor now realizes he has wagered and lost three grand with Grandpa's attorney as a witness.
He starts to get nervous.
'Want to go double or nothing?' Grandpa asks 'I'll bet you six thousand dollars that I can stand on one side
of your desk, and pee into that wastebasket on the other side, and never get a drop anywhere in between.'
The auditor, twice burned, is cautious now, but he looks carefully and decides there's no way this old guy
could possibly manage that stunt, so he agrees again.
Grandpa stands beside the desk and unzips his pants, but although he strains mightily, he can't make the
stream reach the wastebasket on the other side, so he pretty much urinates all over the auditor's desk.
The auditor leaps with joy, realizing that he has just turned a major loss into a huge win.
But Grandpa's own attorney moans and puts his head in his hands.
'Are you okay?' the auditor asks.
'Not really,' says the attorney. 'This morning, when Grandpa told me he'd been summoned for an audit, he
bet me twenty-five thousand dollars that he could come in here and piss all over your desk and that you'd
be happy about it!'
I keep telling you! Don't Mess with Old People!
*********************************
They Grew Up to Be?
► Christina Ricci (Addams Family)
95
*********************************
Words You Don't Hear anymore:
Be sure to refill the ice trays, we're going to have company.
********************************
Interesting Ideas ►
Cellphone/Computer Alternate Charger
If you’re at a hotel and run out of chargers, the TV usually has a USB plugin
********************************
96
FAIR USE NOTICE: This newsletter may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always
been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The Editor/Publisher of the Bulletin at times includes
such material in an effort to advance reader’s understanding of veterans' issues. We believe this constitutes a
'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In
accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this newsletter is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information for educating themselves on
veteran issues so they can better communicate with their legislators on issues affecting them. For more
information go to: http: //www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material
from this newsletter for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the
copyright owner.
Notes:
1. The Bulletin will be provided as a website accessed document until further notice. This was necessitated
by SPAMHAUS who alleged the Bulletin’s former size and large subscriber base (94,000+) were choking
the airways interfering with other internet user’s capability to send email. SPAMHAUS told us to stop
sending the Bulletin in its entirety to individual subscribers and to validate the subscriber base with the threat
of removing all our outgoing email capability if we did not. To avoid this we have notified all subscribers of
the action required to continue their subscription. This Bulletin notice was sent to the 18,341 subscribers
who responded to that notice. All others are in the process of being deleted from the active mailing list.
2. Anyone who no longer wants to receive the Bulletin can use the automatic “UNSUBSCRIBE” tab at the
bottom of this message or send a message to raoemo@sbcglobal.net with the word “DELETE” in the subject
line.
3. Bulletin recipients with interest in the Philippines, whether or not they live there, can request to be added
to the RAO's Philippine directory for receipt of notices on Clark Field Space 'A', U.S. Embassy Manila, and
TRICARE in the RP.
97
4. New subscribers and those who submit a change of address should receive a message that verifies their
addition or address change being entered in the mailing list. If you do not receive a message within 7 days
it indicates that either I never received you request, I made an error in processing your request, or your
server will not allow me to send to the email addee you provided. Anyone who cannot reach me by email
can call (951) 238-1246 to ask questions or confirm info needed to add them to the directory.
5. If you have another email addee at work or home and would like to also receive Bulletin notices there
also, just provide the appropriate email addee to raoemo@sbcglobal.net.
6. Past Bulletin articles are available by title on request to raoemo@sbcglobal.net. Refer to the RAO Bulletin
Index alphabetically listing of article and attachment titles previously published in the Bulletin. The Index
is available under pinned topics at http: //s11.zetaboards.com/CFLNewsChat/forum/27519/ or
http://w11.zetaboards.com/CFLNewsChat/topic/10387883/1. Bear in mind that the articles listed on this
index were valid at the time they were written and may have since been updated or become outdated.
7. The Bulletin is normally published on the 1st and 15th of each month. To aid in continued receipt of
Bulletin availability notices, recommend enter the email addee raoemo@sbcglobal.net into your address
book. If you do not receive a Bulletin check either http://www.nhc-ul.com/rao.html (PDF Edition),
http://www.veteransresources.org (PDF & HTML Editions), or http://frabr245.org (PDF & HTML Editions),
or before sending me an email asking if one was published. If you can access the Bulletin at any of the
aforementioned sites it indicates that something is preventing you from receiving my email. Either your
server considers it to be spam or I have somehow incorrectly entered or removed your addee from the mailing
list. Send me an email so I can verify your entry on the validated mailing list. If you are unable to access the
Bulletin at any of these sites let me know.
== To subscribe first add the RAO email addee raoemo@sbcglobal.net to your address book and/or white
list. Then send to this addee your full name plus either the post/branch/chapter number of the fraternal
military/government organization you are currently affiliated with (if any) “AND/OR” the city and
state/country you reside in so your addee can be properly positioned in the directory for future recovery.
Subscription is open to all veterans, dependents, military/veteran support organizations, and media.
== To change your email addee or Unsubscribe from Bulletin distribution click the “Change address / Leave
mailing list” tab at the bottom of the Bulletin availability notice that advised you when the current Bulletin
was available.
== To manually submit a change of email addee provide your old and new email addee plus full name.
*********************************
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.
Email: raoemo@sbcglobal.net
Bulletin Web Access: http://www.nhc-ul.com/rao.html, http://www.veteransresources.org, or
http://frabr245.org
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
98