The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-12-18
RELIEF FOR VETERANS
IMPORTANT QUESTION
PUT BEFORE CONGRESS
PALLADIUM NEWS BUREAU

WASHINGTON, d c., Dec. 18.-The
Palladiums Washington Bureau in a
recent dispatch reported the numerous
complaints which Indiana senators and
congressman have received from for
mer service men reflecting a nation
wide discomfort with the delays ex-
perienced by disabled veterans of the
World War in having their compensa-
tion claims considered by the Bureau
of War Risk Insurance.
Congress is willing and anxious to
provide adequate relief for disabled
veterans and it is expected to give
earnest consideration to the conStruc-
tive program for the reorganization of
the Bureau which has just been sub
mitted by the Joint Committee for Aid
to Disabled Veterans. an organization
composed OF prominent men and wo-
men. many of the men being veterans
of the late war, headed by Henry L
Stimson, former secretary of war, as
chairman.
The program proposed by this COM
mittee will be of interest to the scores
of disabled veterans of Wayne county
Indiana, and all other former service
men.
Little Cooperation.
To begin with, Mr.. Stimsons COM
1nittee places its finger upon what has
been generally recognized as the par
ticular weakness of the present syst EN-
of administering federal relief to dis
abled veterans, the lack of coordina-
tion between the Bureau of War Risk
Insurance, the Rehabilitation Division
of the Federal Board for Vocational
Education, and the Public Health Ser
vice. The report points out that the
country cannot property discharge
its debt to the disabled' while the
three organizations referred to con-
tinue to function practically as indie
pendent units
AS the report states, many cases of
neglect can be traced to this lack of
coordination. There is a duplication
of effort and superfluous medical ex.
aminations, it is stated; also confusion
and delay in determining the RESPONSE
bility for the care of the disabled,
loss of time, money and effort. The
committee recommends, as an immedi.
ate measure, the bringing together of
the three bureaus and placing them
under one department of the govern
ment and that they be made respon-
sible to one assistant secretary "se-
lected for his particular interest in the
welfare of the disabled veteran"
Another important recommendation
made by the committee is provision
1or adequate hospital facilities under
COVE rnment control. To this end the
committee suggests full utility of the
now available national homes for sol
diers, the use of all surplus beds in
army and navy hospitals and that the
federal government invite the states
to build hospitals, TO be leased by the
government for the care OF disabled
veterans. Also the committee urges
the establishment of hospitals for the
exclusive treatment of tubercular and
neurop psychiatric patients.
Hospitals Not Satisfactory.
More than 10000 veterans of the
late war are now in hospitals These
r a e n S have been distributed
throughout the country. Many of them
have been placed in temporary struc-
lures or in poorly equipped private
charitable institutions. The result of
this is that a condition now exists
which is satisfactory neither to the
patients nor to the officials RESPONSE
hle for their proper care and treat
ment
1t is recalled that only few months
ago a Wayne county man who had
contracted tuberculosis while in the
service was sent by the federal au-
thorities to a county institution in the
southern part of Indiana. This man
found conditions at the institution so
revolving that he refused to remain
there and eventually went west at his
own expense. His case is not an
exceptional one, apparently, for the
Stimson committee reports that some
of the men receiving hospital treat
ment from the government have
been found in ali environment that
has actually aggravated their disease"
Many Require Treatment.
The number of veterans requiring
hospital treatment has been increas-
ing at the rate of 1000 a month and
it has been estimated that 10000 will
require treatment next year. One
fact not to be overlooked is that there
were over 100000 discharged from
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