Weekly journal-miner., 1919-11-12
lspeciaI to the Iournal.Miner)

\ EN ONh. NOV. O.--ll the SCC- ond installment of its investigation of the Bureau of War Risk Insurance, made public today, the American Le- zion states that the Sweet Bill, all ready passed by the house of repre- sentatives and now in the senate com mittee, will do much to restore the ex-service mans faith in War RisT Insurance.
 When four million men lose faith in a man or an institution says the legion, it may be accepted as fact that something is worng. That is the situation as regards War Risk Insur- ance in which, ineficiency, red tape, mushroom growth and laggard and niggardly benefits for disabled men have operated to cause that wide spread loss of faith. At the same time government insurance basically is as good as a government bond and the Sweet Bill which is approved by the legion and is practically sure to become a law will operate 70 make War Risk Insurance more desirable than heretofore"
 The legion continues:
 The strongest indictment against the War Risk Insurance Bureau lies in the distress it's delinquency has brought upon crippled veterans through sluggish action on disability claims. The situation dates back to the period of the partnership, dictated by ridiculous law, between the bu- reau and the Federal Board for Foca- tional Education, by which two mu- tually inefficient rgllizations shared the responsibility for the disabled mans welfare As usually is the case where responsibility Is divided, re- suits were negligible, and the crippled man was the victim. Congress reme- died that situation last July.
 The bureau now is making prog ress in clearing up pending claims. The extent of this progress cannot the present director of War Risk, will not disclose past figures which will enable the reader to draw com parisons. The figures for October lst reveal disgraceful condition. How ever. Mir. Cholmeley-Jone says that notwithstanding the daily receipt ot 900 new claims the net total oi claims l pending Is being diminished by 100 | cases a day. This is good showing | and must far exceed anything the bu- reau has accomplished in the past II that rate can be maintained, whic-, ! will be difficult because Of the insutti- cicncy of some of the claims records, the situation should be cleared up III | reasonable time. The total number Of claims receiv- ed up to October lst was 3O5,00G | Here is the situation at q glance:
 Settled Pending i Death Claims ---..ll5.5 .551 S,S26 Disability Claims - 66988 ll+,57O Totals ----. .-..-.--.-...--.-I -I82.3IS l23I96
 How dire is the need for rapid ad 1 judication of these claims, and hOl deep the disfavor into which the bu | reau has fallen, may be reCkOned b. 1 the disclosure that of the H4,679 me now awaiting compensation for thei injuries more than l0,300 of ther l have been waiting more than si> | months: 28,600 have been waiting from three months to siN months and 43,500 from one 10 three month. Only 32,000, or about 28 per cen: l filed their applications within the pro vious thirty days.
 An analysis of the pending case reveals that some 5000 are held Il, through difficulty in obtaining medi cal data upon which to establish rating; that there. are 23,OOO in whic, the bureau has been unable to obtai! proof necessary under the law befor, | compensation may be awarded; 20 l 500 delayed because of inability [. obtain information from the claimant either because of wrong address changed address, or failure Of the | claimant to answer communications The remaining 29,000 have been pend ing either so short a time that nc | record could be had of the reaso therefore. or for technical reasons such as questions of whether disability was incurred in line of duty.
 With the passage of the Swee5 1 Bill. now in committee in the senate | the compensation of war cripples will be increased nearly two-fold. This measure represents non-partisan, dis interested and unselish consideration of the needs of the nations wounde,- and disabled. The measure was draft ed by Congressman Burton E. Swee, of Iowa and passed the house withou; d dissenting vote. It has been en- dorsed by the American Legion anc by the National Administration. Its enactment appears certain. It will be taken up on the floor of the senate as soon as the league of nations issue is disposed of.
 The following table shows the amount of awards under the present law and those proposed under the Sweet Bill for total temporary disa bility:
 Present Swee.
 Family status: Law Bill Bachelor ---.------.------..---.---.-S3O $50 | With wife ---,-....---..---.~--.- 45 90 With wife and one child $ 95 With wife and two or
 more children --.----.---- 65 100 | No wife, one child -----~. 10 90 No wife, two or more