Arizona republican., 1919-12-07


who suffered injuries small or import
ant, in army service have no applied TO
the government for the benefits pro-
vided.
Men who suffered a slight injury to
the eye, for instance, do not seem TO
understand that the government will
have their eyes examined by a com
petent occuljst, a specialist if neces-
sary, and that glasses will be fur
nished, kept in repair, and replaced, as
long as needed, all at government eX
pense. That is, of course, If the injury |
is due to military service. In most |
cases this is easily proved, but occa
sionaly the injury did not become no.
iiceable until after the man received |
his discharge. Then the cause must |
he traced and the origin of the trouble |
proved to be connected to service in |
the armed forces in order for the man
to obtain compensation.
The term man as used here must he
taken to mean any person who serv I'd |
with United States forces. The gov
crnment docs not limit these benefits
TO the fighting man: the army or navy
nurse, the marinette, the yoeman ca
or the telephone girl of the signal
corps are placed on exactly the same
footing as the doughboy who stopped
a machine gun bullet in the Argonne,
or the COB who broke his leg on a slip
Iery deck.
The medical division of the bureau
Of war risk insurance, which is in
charge of these matters, is now follow
ing up injured and diseased men still
. in service to inform them OF their COM
pensation and insurance rights. The
need for this Informative service was
tested at Walter Reed hospital in
Washington. A board of medical Of
ticers of the United States public
. health service went TO the hospital
with the permission of the hospital
authorities and explained to the pa
tents that those totally disabled are
entitled to insurance from date of in
jury. Men partially disabled get no
Insurance, but after discharge from
service receive compensation in pro-
portion to injury. This it seems is the
most misunderstood fact about the
government insurance. Only a man
totally disabled. or the beneficiary of
"a deceased soldier, can obtain the in
surance, while any man who sustained
ten per cent or more OF injury is eli
sibe for monetary compensation and
medical care. A number of men who
had not known about benefits due them
were found. The board is now operat-
Ing in New York where it located
twenty-five such men in one hospital
sslone.
So long as a man is in the service
i've is cared for by military doctors in
military hospitals. When he leaves the
sarmy, If he still needs attention. he
becomes patient of the medical divi-
sion of the bureau of war risk insur-
~ance.
Compensation as awarded by the
compensation and insurance claims
division of the bureau means a sum
OF money paid monthly to the disabled
man. In addition to this the medical
division furnishes an artificial eye,
.stooth, or arm; a course of treatment in
a sanatorium or hospital; examination
by a specialist. or whatever other
.streatm seems likely to restore the
Nman to as near normal as possible.
The medical division has divided the
United States into fourteen districts
each under care of a supervisor The
eX-service man in need of medical at
tention applies to this supervisor or to
the chief medical advisor of the bureau
OF war risk insurance. He Is then re-
ferred TO his nearest examiner, who
decides that he should have further
hospital care, or an artificial limb, as
he case may be, and sees to the mat
ter, or else the examiner sends him
at once to q specialist for more expert
examination. A corps of specialists,
located in all large cities of the United
States. handles the government cases.
They are not entirely in government
employ. but are paid by the govern
ment for the individual cases it sends
hem. Many of these specialists, such
as the neuro surgeons, and maxillo-
facial surgeons, have taken up their
present work since the war began.
Then there are orthopedis. X-ray and
laboratory specialists, and experts in
various forms of surgery and on diff
ferent parts Of the body.
The system by which the govern
ment rates disability was worked out
in this country without reference to
systems used by other governments
Injuries are rated by percentages, ten
per cent, as before stated, being the
least compensate injury. Some of the
other countries give no monetary com
pensation for disability less than sc
per cent.
As our rating table was made I'D in
dependently of any other in use, the
medical division found it interesting to
when some Canadian officers came
here not long ago. The Canadian rat
ing table had been made out after
study Of French English, and Italian
tables. Comparison showed that the
Canadian and United States ratings
differed not more than three or -four
per cent in any case. A slight varia-
lion was noted in respect to loss OF
hands Canada gives the same com
pensation for loss of right or left hand
while the United States provides more
Tor the hand most used
Strange difficulties arise in rating a
mans disability. For example, it is
sometimes no easy matter to decide
whether or not man is totally blind
As ar instance of this. man may be
able TO see only when his head is tilted
far back or placed in some other pecu.
liar position. Such man is rated
totally blind by the government. Any
man whose corrected vision chat i:
with elasses) is less than 5000 is ad.
judged totally blind. while a mar
whose corrected vision Is 20-40 has
normal sight by the government
standard.
Another problem Is to Judge deaf.
ness. Total deafness is inability to hear
even by bony conduction. To test thl.
a tuning fork is started vibrating ant
is first placed close to the ear. II thu
man cannot hear the singing. the forl
rs placed back of the ear against tho
bone. If the sound carries there hi
can hear by bony conduction and i:
not totally deaf. He can be fixed ur
by an electric hearing device PLACED
against the bone.
The war has revived the interest o.
inventors along the lines OF artificial