Evening star., 1921-07-24
PASSING THE BUCK"
TO VETERANS STOPS
Congressional Legislation Consolidating
Agencies for Soldier Relief Will Elimi-
nate Duplication and Quicken Results.
BY 6. GOULD, LINCOLN.

| nH 1s 1Ol LID L1NSObN.
iHH ASSING the buck" a favorite
| exercise among officials of
the government, who haze
! had TO do with soldier re-
iief-at least. according to many Of
! the veterans and, also to members
OF Con gress who have Investigated
| the administration of soldier relief
is to become back number.
The Senate and House have both
passed the so-called Sweet BILL to CO.
ordinate the various governme Mt
| agencies dealing with the veterans Of
the world war and consolidate them
| In veterans bureau" And as soon
/ as differences in the Senate and
/ House bills have been ironed out in
conference, the measure will be sent
T. the President for his approval
The measure is long step in tn.
| right direction. 1t has been actively
! urged for passage by the American
| Legion and other veteran~organiza- :
| uons. 1t was approved by the spe-
! cial Senate committee. which has
been delving into administration of
/ government relief. for the former
| service men.
This committee found that. in its
opinion. a further continuation of
the present system of separate bu-
reaus handling problems of the vet
! Grams that are so closely related
would be unfavorable from the point
| of ,,ia ,f
Grams. The present system has been
| responsible for unexplainable delays.
! confusion, red tape, with its in
tricate and slow-moving machinery
1t has contributed to the difficulties
| of the incapacitated former service
men when they have sought to OBJ
! tain the aid authorized by Con-
| gress
Men have testified before the COM
mittee to waiting months and
months without settlement. or
even a decision in their cases.
! though some of these men have been
MANNED beyond hope of supporting
themselves or their families.
! Lack OF Coordination.
| 4 great difficulty has been that
the bureaus examining. rating and
hospializing the men have not been
| working in conjunction. as they
should. with the bureaus compen-
sating and training the men This
is the assertion of the Senate com
mittee, which gives the following
! example: ---s-g-
The bureau of war risk insuranc.
and the Federal Board for Vocationa
Education are both calling upon the
adjutant general for the miIitar!
history of the same man and art
conducting separate physical exam
nations in each case. Neither OF
them accepts the findings of tbs
other The vocational board has
ruled in many cases former service
mans disease was connected with
the service, while the war risk in.
surance bureau. on the other hand
has contradicted this and denied
compensation. and vice versa. Some.
times a man has been granted vo'
1cational training. which implies al
least 10 per cent disability, by the
Federal Board for Vocational Edu'
cation and has been denied a simila,
rating by the war risk insurance
bureau. Neither of these bureaus
has had adequate control over the
details of the disqualification pro-
gram.
Typical Example mt Cincinnati.
This same duplication of authorit!
and conflict of decision has beer
lfound to exist in the field-that is
outside of the headquarters in Wash
1:ngton The committee has given al
an Illustration of this condition thu
situation in Cincinnati. The dis
Nict offices of the federal board fol
vocational training in that city arr
In the Dayton building; the distric
Office of the war risk insurance bu
reau is in another building some 81,
OF seven blocks away The loca
ONCE of the federal board is in th'
Lyric building. three blocks ava!
from the district Office, and the treat
ment of the public health service ii
FIVE blocks away. and the local. offic'
Of the war risk insurance is in th'
post office building. away from th'
other offices. This condition is typi
cal of the administration Of thes'
bureaus throughout the country. Th'