VA Disability Compensation Update 10

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  Concurrent Retirement Disability Pay (CRDP) (2004), which applies to military retirees who have a combined VA disability rating of 50% or greater, and
  
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  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.
  

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  If you have a combined disability rating of 50% or greater, you should be eligible to receive Concurrent Retirement Disability Pay (CRDP).
  
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  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.
  
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  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 combat-related 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%.
  
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  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.
  

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  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.
  
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  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.
  

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  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)).
  
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  You must have a VA service-connected disability rating of at least 10% that is considered to be combat-related.
  
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  Your military retirement pay must currently be reduced by the VA disability offset.
  

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  Armed Conflict / Combat: direct or indirect wounds that happened during armed conflict.
  
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  Hazardous Duty: demolition duty, diving, parachuting, aerial flight, and more.
  
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  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.
  
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  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.
  

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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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.
  

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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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.
  

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  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. 
  
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  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.  

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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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).
  
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  On Facebook, report scam posts and other suspicious activity by following their instructions at https://www.facebook.com/help/205730929485170.
  
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  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-policy-violations/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/bbb-scam-stopper. [Source: BBB Scam Alert Aug 29, 2014 ++]

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

G Fund	$14.5331	+1.72%
F Fund	$16.4680	+4.61%
C Fund	$26.0177	+8.97%
S Fund	$34.4888	+2.43%
I Fund	$25.4289	-0.53%
L 2050	$14.7056	+4.57%
L 2040	$25.9285	+4.41%
L 2030	$24.4307	+4.14%
L 2020	$22.6040	+3.71%
L Income	$17.2733	+2.72%

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  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.
  

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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  Golf. Check out https://www.youtube.com/embed/QFEYC4Z44v0?feature=player_detailpage to see what's happening to golf in today’s world.
  
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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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" closing more than 1,500 veteran appointments with non-VA healthcare providers in order to meet organizational goals.
  

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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 ++]

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.

“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 ++]

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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 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:

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  Obesity rates among active duty personnel rose 61 percent between 2002 and 2011.
  
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  Twelve percent of active duty service members are obese.
  
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  The military spends more than $1.5 billion annually treating obesity-related health conditions and replacing those discharged because they are unfit.
  
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  More than 1 in 4 young adults ages 17 to 24 are too heavy to serve in the military.
  
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  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.
  

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:

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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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, post-implementation, children’s fruit selection increased by 23 percent and vegetable consumption rose by 16 percent.
  

“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 ++]

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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

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.

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  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.”
  
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  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.
  
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  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.”

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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  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.
  
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  Plump lashes. Dust baby powder over eyelashes before applying mascara for a fuller look.
  
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  Chafe-free. Give your inner thighs a dusting of baby powder before your next big run to prevent chafing.
  
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  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.
  
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  No more squeaks. If you’ve got a wood floor that squeaks, sprinkle with baby powder, and then sweep into gaps. No more squeaks!
  
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  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.
  
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  Reduce waxing pain. Dust legs with baby powder before waxing. It creates a layer that helps protect against the burn.
  
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  Face fix. Instead of paying for expensive finishing powder, dust a touch of baby powder over your face to set makeup.
  
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  Stay fresh. Use baby powder instead of deodorant. It absorbs sweat while whisking away any lingering scent.
  
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  Kitty litter help. Sprinkle baby powder over your kitty’s litter for a quick refresh.
  
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  Hair help. When in a bind, use equal parts baby powder and baking powder as a DIY dry shampoo. Your hair will thank you!
  
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  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.
  

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.

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!

 

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