New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-02-11

4toOO u AhOAhth III C4SCSb
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 ~almshouses and jai;s.
Many have died. and If immediate re-
lief Is o Forthcoming. more will
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 wal risk insurance
Is responsible for the payment of CON-
pensatiOn and for medical and hos
pital care of the man. Logically. this
would involve establishing contact
with the men at the time Of their
discharge from the military or naval
service. 1t should then determine the
existence and degree Of disability and
compensation on this basis.
Due to the Capitalization Of the
bureaus forces In Washington, it is
practically impossible under the pres
ent law to establish contact with the
man entitled to these benefits. The
disabled man is placed In the position
or a mar injured In industry who
must sue the company. He must car
ry on an involved and technical CORE
s~pondence. 1t Is usually months az
ter he is dropped from the pay rolls
OF the army or navy before he is tax
en- upon the pay roll Of the bureau,
even 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
entitled to vocational training. The
bureau, however. will not accept the
evidence that the board has awarded
training as proof that a man Is en-
titled to compensation.
IF the veteran is receiving com
pensatiOn and wants training. usually
he must take another physical exam
ination, administered by the board to
determine whether the claimant has a
vocational handicap emitting him to
training pay, or merely a compens-
Bile disability granting him training
only. IL the veteran Is not receiving
compensation. due to delay by the
bureau, he must be examined 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
as u training agency only. has be-
come a compromising agency as well.
Many men have been kept on the pay
roll Of the board, not as n training
solely. but as a measure OF
financial relief which they were en-
to, but unable to obtain from
the bureau.
when a man is dropped from train
ing he Is supposed to be dropped from
the pay roll of the board and taken
up by the bureau. On both shifts
Is delay. The average length
time for a man TO be dropped from
he bureau pay roll and taken up on
board pay roll Is about three
The average time required
or the second shift back to the bu-
eau pay roll is two months. No pro-
Tision Is made for the mans main
enance during these interims. In the !
majority OF cases a man must under |
% u new physical examination before Z
he bureau will again pay him COM
'ensaton. In other words, he must !
gain prove his claim. ]
THE position Of the United States
health service Is peculiar. Ii ]
ook Its place In the rehabilitation Z
cheme poorly equipped for the work I
was to perform, but was apparent :
the best medical governmental u
gency then available. Ii acts as an q
gent both Of the bureau and the $
GARD. but is responsible to no au. a
hority common to both board and c
ureau, because there Is no such au- =
In view of this condition the re-
larkable thing about the present re-
abllitation program is that 1t has =
ccomplished what little 1t has. Such
rogress as has been made il n tribute
the sincerity Of the men In the bu- r
,au. the board and the public health
who generally have made the
pst Of an impossible situation.
THE best of this impossible situa-
on. however, has been insufficient =
ways. This is particularly true re-
lrding disqualification. 4
'rOf the 20.Oco men now in hospitals, :
800 are in institutions which are I'M
because suitable hospital facilities
not available
The Legion AYERS that 1890 beds
y needed at once. OF this number.
500 are necessary for transfer Of tu-
patients from present unsat-
hospitals, and 5000 for
Of neuro-psychiatric patients
ON the inadequate lodgings which
ey occupy now. The number Of tu-
cases in need of immediate
specialization il estimated to be 6,J0O h.
ii the neuro-psychiatric cases at
80. BEDS are also required for
900 general. medical and sur
raj cases
The statistics above are based on
Elements from the following
Public health service. Dr.
lomas W. Salmon Of New York. med