The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1921-02-18

New hospital cases are developing az
the rate Of 1900 a month in excess
OF the number discharged. Sixteen
thousand beds are needed now. Hun
dreds of veterans are the object OF
public and private charity. Afflicted
and penniless veterans have been driv'
en- to refuge In a,mshouses and jails
Many have died. and If immediate re-
lief is not forthcoming. more VIII
die destitute, without proper medi
cal care, without compensation with
which to obtain 1t, abandoned by the
country they served. All this is at
tributable directly to the manner in
which the government has admins
tered the affairs of the disabled.
"The bureau of war risk Insurance
is responsible for the payment of COM
pensation and for medical and hos
pital care Of the man. Logically. this
would involve establishing contact
with the men al the time of their
discharge from the military or naval
service. 1t should then determine the
existence and degree of disability and
on lnlS OASIS
Due to the Capitalization of ne
bureaus forces in Washington, II is
practically impossible under the pres
EFT law to establish contact with thu
man entitled TO these benefits. The
disabled mar is placed in the position
Of a mar injured In industry who
must sue the company. He must car
~ on an involved and technical cVrre-
~spondence. 1t is usually months af.
ter he is dropped from the pay rolls
Of tho army or navy before he is TAX
en- upon the pay roll Of the bureau.
eve though his service discharge
shows a definite degree Of disability.
On November 20, 1920, $1,000 cases
were pending In the bureau awaiting
definite adjustment of compensation.
Thousands are suffering and many
have died as a result of this neglect
"The federal board for vocational
training will accept the evidence OF
the bureaus medical files granting
compensation as proof that a man Is
to vocational training. The
ONCNCl III NV aNNCPi AN
evidence that the board has awarded
training as proof that a man is en-
titled TO compensation.
If the veteran is receiving COM
and wants training. usually
he must take another physical exam
nation, administered by the board to
determine whether the claimant has o
vocational handicap emitting him to
training pay, or merely a compens-
able disability granting him training
only. IL the veteran is not receiving
compensation, due to delay by the
board, TO determine his eligibility for
training, as well.
when a man enters training with
training pay, his compensation stops
and he is shifted from the pay roll Of
the bureau to the pay roll of the
BOARD. The board. which was created
a training agency only, has be-
,ome a compensating agency as well.
Many men have been kept IN the pay
oil Of the board, not as q training
Measure solely, but as a measure of
financial relief which they were en-
tiled to, but unable to obtain from
bureau.
when a man is dropped from train
ng he is supposed to be dropped from
pay roll of the board and taken
ID by the bureau. On both shifts
here is delay. The average length
f time for a man to be dropped from
he bureau pay roll and taken up Old
he board pay roll is about three
Ieeks. The average time required
Or the second shift back to the bu-
eau pay roll is W. months. No pro-
ision Is made for the mans main
enance during these interims. In the
of cases a man must under
0 a new physical examination before
ne bureau will again pay him COM
In other words, he must
gain prove his claim.
1.-The position of the Jhited States
ublic health service is peculiar. II
,ok Its place in the rehabilitation
,heme poorly equipped for the work
was to perform, but was apparent
the best medical governmental
yency then available. 1t acts as an
gent both of the bureau and the
,ard, but is responsible to no au-
Iority common to both board and I
lreau, because there is no such au-
ority.
''In view of this condition the re-
.rkable thing about the present re- .
program Is that 1t has !
.complished what little 1t has. Such q,
'ogress as has been made is a tribute :
the sincerity of the men in the Blu. ,
au, the board ant the public health :
rvice who generally have made the :
st of an impossible situation. :
1.-The pest of This impossible situa- !
however, has been insufficient '
This is particularly true re- :
riding disqualification.
"Of the 10000 men % in hospitals,
100 are In institutions which are un- K
because suitable hospital facilities a
e not available" h
The Legion AYERS that 10000 beds Il
e needed at once o this number. e
100 are necessary for transfer Of tu- )
patients from present unsat- o