New burial regulations effective today will now allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to automatically pay the maximum amount allowable under law to most eligible surviving spouses more quickly and efficiently, without the need for a written application. http://ow.ly/yWnG2
Thomas Tatsuo “Tats” Sonomura, 79, of Hilo, a retired M. Sonomura Contracting Co. heavy equipment mechanic, an Army veteran who served in the Korean War and a Hawai‘i Army National Guard veteran, passed away on June 21, 2014. He was born in Honokaa, Hawai‘i. He is survived by wife Edna, son Ryan, daughter Tracy Ann, brothers Akira and Harold, and sisters Doris Velasco, Ruth Goshi, Kay Hamamoto and Joyce Sonomura.
Hypertension increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease but usually doesn’t cause symptoms. Here’s what you need to know about your risk factors and blood pressure readings.
Learn more about hypertension http://ow.ly/yNLAe
All Air Force security forces training has now been consolidated into one ground combat readiness center with the opening of the Desert Defender Ground Combat Readiness Training Center at Fort Bliss, Texas on July 3. “It’s important to remember that it’s not just efficiency, it’s effectiveness that is improved by this, said Maj. Gen. Kenneth Wisian, deputy adjutant general and commander of the Texas Air National Guard, during the ribbon cutting ceremony. Active Duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve all will train together at the new center, ensuring there is one standard of training across all three components, according to a July 3 Air Force release.
LTC Laura Wheeler is in Washington DC serving as the Chief of Behavioral Health, Army National Guard. In this email to Retiree News, she talks about her work and some social medial connections.
Great hearing from you!! I entered my email on your home page, great job, sure miss Hawaii!! Have you seen our ARNG Surgeon’s GuardYourHealth website and Facebook?
Also, ANG created the Ready 54 App and ARNG now will be part of this Joint App and we have our website on the App as well as psychological health. I believe to reduce redundancies, ANG is going from 4-5 Apps to the Ready 54 Joint App see our website below
www.GuardYourHealth.com www.facebook.com/ARNGHealth Laura A. Wheeler, ACSW, LCSW LTC, MS Chief, Behavioral Health, ARNG ARNG-CSG-C (703)607-9535; BB (571) 296-9995 fax: (703) 607-7187 laura.a.wheeler.mil@mail.mil https://gkoportal.ngb.army.mil/sites/NGB-ARS/BH/default.aspx www.vets4warriors.com (1-855-VET-TALK)Great hearing from Laura! Be sure to link to the websites above.
Stan Osserman is the Director of HCATT – the Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies. He has been with HCATT for a few months and he promotes hydrogen fueled transportation options.
I’m on a campaign this year to promote hydrogen transportation for Hawaii and was interviewed this past Wednesday by our local community access TV folks. The whole interview is about 50 minutes long, but he first 10-12 minutes features an energy conservation technology you can get for free if you live in Hawaii. If you don’t have time to watch the whole video, you can skip through it just to get a feel for the content first. It was my second interview with them and I’ll be doing more. The co-host, Ray Starling, was a member of the Hawai‘i Air National Guard with me for many years and retired as a 2 star general several years ago. I had no idea he would be on the show till we walked on the set. Hope you enjoy it, I did!
Aloha, Stan O.View the interview http://ow.ly/yNFn6
Here’s How the Pentagon Could Save $108 Billion Over the Next Decade
The most significant compensation reduction option, CBO found, would come from cutting retirement pay for veterans already receiving disability payments from the Veterans Affairs Department. Prior to 2004, military retirees – former personnel with 20 years of service – had their retirement pay reduced by the amount of any VA disability compensation they also received. Moving back to that system would save Defense $108 billion over the next decade, according to CBO.
Continue reading http://ow.ly/yShYr
Taken from the weekly NGAUS Washington Report
The commission charged with revamping the military compensation system set the stage to make changes in its final recommendations with an interim report released last week.
Analysis of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission’s initial work indicates that the Commission is focused on creating a more flexible and modern system as opposed to drastically cutting benefits. Their attitude contrasts with that of some Pentagon officials who have suggested slashing spending for military benefit packages would help solve the nation’s budget problems.
To the Commission, the issue is more complicated than that. The report, which catalogs military benefits, clocks in at 358 pages. It notes that benefits have remained “largely unchanged” since 1973, when the modern All-Volunteer force began.
“Consequently, compensation programs may no longer be structured in ways that cost-effectively align with the interests and motivations of today’s current and potential Service members,” the report said.
When making final recommendations to the president and Congress, the Commission said it will keep in mind changes in American society and culture that influence service members today. These can include increased levels of education, exponential growth in technology, an increasingly mobile workforce and more.
Commission Chairman Alphonso Maldon Jr., said in a press release that input from stakeholders, combined with a thorough understanding of the benefits currently available, will help inform the modernization debate moving forward. The Commission’s primary goal, he said, is to “ensure the uniformed services can maintain the most professional All-Volunteer Force, during both peacetime and wartime.”
It’s worth noting that any final recommendations made by the commission are not permitted to negatively impact the retirement eligibility date or the amount of retirement pay for any currently serving members of the military, or anyone who has retired before such recommendations are enacted.
The final report is due to Congress and the president on Feb. 1, 2015. Legislators will be able to take the recommendations into account as they craft defense authorization and spending bills for fiscal 2016.
To see the full interim report or submit a comment to the Commission as they formulate recommendations, visit the Commission’s website at www.mcrmc.gov.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has rejected a request from members of Congress and veterans advocates to make brain cancer, lung cancer and migraines presumptive conditions for Gulf War veterans. Officials said they cannot prove the high rate of these illnesses among Gulf War vets are related to military service.
VA officials said the number of brain cancer deaths for troops exposed to sarin gas was too low to be conclusive, though it was double the rate of troops not exposed.
And the rate of lung cancer deaths, though 15% higher than those who did not serve in the 1991 Gulf War, is “inconclusive” because researchers did not know how many of the servicemembers smoke.
Continue reading http://ow.ly/yVmcq
The July issue of Hawai‘i Veteran, the newsletter of the Office of Veterans Services, is out. http://dod.hawaii.gov/ovs/news/newsletters/
It is imperative that everyone reads this short post.
The word sequestration related to budget cuts to the defense budget seems just a word with little meaning or scope. In the May issue of Air Force Magazine, there is a simple, easy to understand impact of sequestration in the “By the Numbers” sidebar.
2 Years
The length of time the Air Force would need to stop flying to pay one year’s sequestration cuts – $12.5 billion ($12,500,000,000)
Goggle search “sequestration” and read more articles about this topic and it’s impact
Many people new to Medicare are surprised to learn that the ID number on their Medicare card is identical to their Social Security number. Continue reading http://ow.ly/yGr17
Air Force photo by TSgt. Jason Robertson
click on photograph to enlarge
A formation of US Air Force and Royal Malaysian Air Force aircraft, including an F-15 Eagle from the 131st Fighter Squadron at Barnes ANGB, Mass., an RMAF SU-30MKM Flanker, a USAF F-22 Raptor from the 154th Wing at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, an RMAF MIG-29N Fulcrum, a BAE Hawk, and an RMAF F/A-18 Hornet fly over Penang, Malaysia, during Cope Taufan 14 on June 18, 2014. Cope Taufan is a biennial large force employment exercise, which took place June 9-20. It was the Raptor’s first time participating in an South East Asian international exercise.
Taken from Air Force Magazine’s Daily Report
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