The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1923-02-24
Decentralization of Authority
in the u. S. Veterans 4.
Bureau

Recently considerable publicity has
been given to the statement that final
decisions on the claims of disabled
ex-service men were not made in the
Districe Office of the U. S. Veterans
Bureau but had to be sent to the
Central Office at Washington and
that this procedure involved a good
deal of anxiety and delay. This
statement is misleading and is the
cause of some misunderstanding.
One of the outstanding policies of
the U. S. Veterans Bureau, under the
dictatorship of Col. c. r. Forbes, is
the decentralization of it's work and
authority. This results in a closer
personal contact with each benefci-
airy of the Beureau in it's dealings
with them, and in reducing to a
minimum the time necessary to settle
their claims.
The U. S. Veterans Bureau, which
was created less than a year and a
half ago to take over the duties of
three separate Government Bureaus,
by eliminating duplication of work
and division of authority has been
able to render more prompt and eff
ficient service to the disabled soldiers
than was formerly the case The
Bureaus which were consolidated to
form the u. S. Veterans Bureau
were the Bureau of War Risk Insur-
nee, the Rehabilitation Division of the
Federal Board for Vocational Educa-
ton, and the Republication Section
of the u. S. Public Health Service.
Fourteen District Offices and
about 40 Sub District Offices were
located throughout the United States
with numerous travelling agents
and Field workers so that no ex-
service man would have far to go to
get in contact with an official of the
Bureau. The States of Minnesota,
North and South Dakota and Mon
tana constitute District Ten. c. D.
Hibbard, District Manager, has Of
fees in the Keith-Plaza Bldg, Min
neapolis. There are Sub District
Offices at Fargo, st. Paul, Sioux
Falls. and Helena. Claims may be
filed with any of these Offices
There is attached to the District
Office staff of Medical Officers and
Claims Examiners, an Auditor and q
Discussing Officer. Through these,
a mans claim, if supported by suf-
ficient evidence, can be rated, exam
ined, allowed, and his initial COM
pensation check issued to him with
the minimum of delay. Cases have
been adjusted in a single day, though
this is exceptional. 1t is difficult to
see how more prompt and localized
service can be rendered than under
the present procedure.
There are only four relatively
small classes Of cases that must be
sent to the Washington Office for adj
justication: (1) All claims of ex-
service men who are employees of
the Veterans Bureau; (2) the cases
of men who are rated as total per-
manent disability; (3) death claims;
"a cases that have been disallowed
in the District Office which may go to
the Central Office Board Of Appeals
for further consideration, upon the
soldiers own request.
We hope to make it plain to our
readers that the Districe Office in
Minneapolis is authorized to make
any award tothe soldier that the case
may justify up to and including tenn
porary disability and its decision is
final unless appealed to the Central
Office. In the case of an award OF
temporary total disability by the Dis
trict Office, that decision will con-
tinue until final action is taken by
the Central Office Board Of Appeals
on the question of making the rat
ing permanent and total.