The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1922-10-05

be ready at all times.
Veterans Bureau Needs More Money.
The veterans bureau II convinced
that the peak Of disqualification Of the
war wounded has not been reached.
and may not be- reached for probably
two years. In the meantime the work
Of constructing government hospitals
In which the unfortunate viii be- treat
ed will go on. The bureau Is asking
for S5l3.893,O0 for 1923. ~ compared
with approximately s4sl,OU.Wo for
the fiscal year 1922
Increase also was noted for the last
year Of the bureau in medical effi-
cheney, vocational training. compensa-
ton and claims and Insurance.
The number of men estimated as ~
hGbilltated during the fiscal year was
placed at i60ij, wiki a total expense
for vocational training for the fiscal
year Of SI60,j0i .936.33. Considered
by months, the outlay Of finance for
training steadily increased from 3D.
s24. 4s64 In July, 1921, to S15,77O.-
57S93 In June, 1922 The bureau has
trainers In more than 5000 educa-
tional institutions.
The total number If compensation
and death and disability claims filed
during the year reached 9l,O1S. OF
which 77.195 were allowed, involving
n yearly compensation disbursement
Of s123, 49,, POL Monthly disbursements
reached u high point with S1l,3O4.112
In October, 1921.
Forbes Advocates New Policies.
Reviewing the hospital situation, q
statement from the bureau says the
number of men placed in government
and contract hospitals during the year
totaled l13.02l. of which 62,3l5 cases
were general medical and surgical
cases: 1896 were tu,ercular cases.
ana l5.2l3 were cases of nervous and
mental disorders.
Director Forbes. who returned re-
Gently from an Inspection of hospitals
IN the northern part of the country,
announced In this connection that
new policies for disqualification of dis
abled veterans would be taken up
soon with President Harding
Colonel Forbes declared he would
suggest To the President the advisable
ity of turning some of the present hos
pitfalls into training centers for quies-
cent tubercuar patients and service
men suffering from mental ailments.
Sites for all new hospitals under the
second Langley bill, he said. were be
ing selected and work was planned to
begin within ~ days on the ten new
institutions in various parts of the
country He estimated the program
would cost approximately S14OOOOOO.
During the first year of the bureau,
the birthday statement pointed out.
control Of 30 hospitals had been trans
ferred from the public health serv-
ice to the bureau, and with this
change, patients in these hospitals
will be subject to the operation Of
only one organization. which will mean
closer supervision and improved medi-
cal service"
Increase in the treatment Of vet
Grams by government doctors. instead
OF outside agencies. for the year was
| I''litt w uN TtNuitinE
factory care and greater economy. Up
to the beginning of the last fiscal
year II was explained. only 8 per
| cent Of the medical services in the
| field were provided by government
agencies and % per cent were pro-
vided by physicians and hospitals on a
| fee or contract basis. whereas today
20 per cent of these medical services
are provided by the veterans bureau.
Work on Insurance Claims.
Insurance claims filed during the
last fiscal year mounted to 1882, the
computed value Of which reached $780,
| 13662232. Disbursements covering
both life and term insurance aggre-
gated 500, 1O2. 800.
During the year the bureau con-
Quoted cleanup campaign" through
out the fourteen districts, during
| which 1868 contracts with bene-
| ficiaries and claimants were made, re-
sulting In the filing of 4S,462 claims,
as well as the re0penlng of 5000 old
claims. More than 5000 physical ex-
aminations were made. which resulted
In the sending Of thousands of dis
abled veterans To hospitals for medical
care and treatment to which they were
entitled. This campaign was conducted
at a total cost of S335.OOO
One OF the big accomplishments Of
the year. says the statement, was the
decentralization" of the bureau into
fourteen districts. This first phase
OF decentralization" consisted Of dele
eating authority to administrative
representatives in the regional offices
so as To acquaint them with questions
OF policy and equip them to net indie
pendent Of the central office at Wash
ington The second phase of the de-
Capitalization was concerned with the
delegation Of similar authority to
representatives located in the sub
district offices for like reasons"