, 1922-04-20
Redeeming Pledge to Veterans

TIHE NATIONWIDE cleanup campaign conducted
j. by the Veterans bureau, for the purpose Of locst-
and caring for disabled veterans has been concluded.
This drive was inaugurated Immediately after the
formation of the bureau, and was designed to carly
out the administration pledge that disabled veterans
would be given every assistance.
More than IFS, 900 ex-service men were inter
viewed during this campaign and approximately no.
900 new claims were handled as a result. The num-
Der Of claims fled Indicate that there were thousands
of veterans throughout the United States, particularly
IN the mountainous and rural districts, who were un-
aware of the benefits to which they were entitled and
uniformed as to the procedure of obtaining relief.
1t was largely on the basis of these men for whom
no claims had been filed that the charges of neglect
Of the disabled veterans was based. Thousands of
these cases would never have been brought TO the
attention of the government had it not been for
these cleanup squads.
The squads sent out from the various district
offices visited over 1900 cities and every state in
the union. In the remote districts transportation ia
eihties were Inadequate and it was necessary for
these representatives of the Veterans bureau to travel
by horseback and during the last snowfall it was neces-
sary for the representatives in the northwest territory
to travel on skis.
As a result of the cleanup drive, 47,s45 new
compensation claims were filed and 1904 appeals
from previous compensation awards were made. The
medical officers with these squads made 71,6Si ply
seal examinations. Disabled veterans who were in
such a condition that they required hospital treatment
were Immediately hospitalized. In many cases these
berculosis cases Almost 5000, to be exact, 4,957,
veterans were hospitalized during this campaign.
This number constitutes approximately one-SlXCn OF
the entire ex-service hospital population of the Vet
Grams bureau.
Twenty-seven thousand two hundred and thirty
four training claims were filed by ey-service men dur
ing this drive and 1884 vocational training appeals
we're also filed. Many of these appeals were from
section 8 training which carries with it tuition and
books to section 2 training which allows maintenance
and support pay, as well as tuition and books.
. In addition to the filing of compensation and vo-
~cational training claims, a large number of applica-
tons for reinstatement and conversion Of war risk
insurance were also made. There are over 10000
miscellaneous cases not enumerated above, which in
Guides such requests as application for copy of dis
charge in lieu of the lost discharge, information rela-
tive to pending claims and numerous other requests
for information.
Thousands of veterans now have their disabilities
or record with the Veterans bureau who prior to this
campaign had made no application for government
aid. In the future should their disabilities become
aggravated it viii be less difficult for them to estab-
ish their right to compensation than if they did not
have this record on file.
This is particularly true Of tuberculosis and neu-
rppsychiatric cases. Their condition at present may
rot be serious enough to warrant the granting of a
substantial compensation award, but their condition
may become more serious in the future. Therefore.
this application, although not granted now or granted
merely a small percentage of disability, will protect
the veteran in the future. Then, too, there are thou
sands of cases which if given medical treatment at
this time will terminate their disability, thereby pre-
venting the veteran from becoming incapacitated and
saving the government the cost Of future medical
service. This campaign has, therefore, been of mu-
tual benefit to the veteran and to the government.