Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-04-25
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AMERICAN
OL.I:.G|O|vO
Copy for This Department Supplied by
the American Legion News Service)
SWEET BILL AIDS THOUSANDS
Measure Passed at Close of Sixty
Seventh Congress Benefits Many
Afflicted Soldiers.

The lives of nearly ten thousand
World war veterans will be saved. or
at least prolonged, by the passage of
the Sweet bill just at the close of the
Sixty-seventh congress, according to
American Legion officials. The United
States veterans bureau has highly
commended the activity of the Ameri-
can Legion in bringing this bill to
vote at the eleventh hour, though Ma
tional Commander Alvin Owsley was
forced to get into the fight himself and,
through his organization, insist on the
passage of the act
Countless veterans afflicted with
some form of tuberculosis have left
their homes and are now wanderers in
Western states in hope of seeking out
cure for the disease. Many of these
are destitute and the passage of the
bill, which permits greater leniency
by the extension of the time in which
disability resulting from service origin
may be termed as emitting the veteran
to compensation, is one of the benefi-
cial results.
The provisions Of the bill, affording
more practical, beneficial protection
for the veterans, are sweeping. Per-
haps chat feature which struck out of
the former law the word pulmonary"
so that every veteran may come under
the extent of the act, is the most far
reaching. The previous law limited
the veterans bureau to a consideration
OF pulmonary cases alone, and no ex-
animation was'required, but officers Of
the bureau were permitted to use their
medical knowledge in determining the
approximate date when the affliction
became active.
In another section of the law the
time for securing a certificate Of disa-
bility has been extended to March L,
1924. The former ruling terminated
this period on August 8, 1922. These
certificates are incontestable evidence
of the service origin of the injury, eX-
cept in cases of fraud, and holders may
receive compensation and hospital
care; or, If the veteran dies, death
compensation.
More elastic rulings affecting dis
barred veterans were included in the
act. These provide that discharge on
the grounds of moral turpitude" and
persistent misconduct" would not dis
bar the soldier from receiving compen-
sation unless he was found guilty by
court-martial. A further provision of
this section is that if an injury was in
Cured in an enlistment previous to the
one during which the veteran was dis
charged, that this would not diSbar
him from compensation.
The Sweet act also provides that, in
cases where a deceased vetern leaves
insufficient funds to pay funeral ex-
penses. the government will pay 500,
and an additional So for the cost of a
flag with which to drape the casket.
A further provision will keep the bod
les of many veterans from potters'
fields, for the government will prepare
and transport home or to national
cemeteries the bodies Of ex-service
men who were receiving government
medical, surgical or hospital treat
ment.
The previous method of payment of
insurance for disability and death only
on death of the veteran has been so
amended that, instead of the benef-
Charles being the only ones to receive
the benefits, the veteran will be enti-
tied to the payments, on total or per-
manent disability, if his uncollected
compensation at the time of the disa-
bility was sufficient to meet past due
insurance premiums at the time the
policy elapsed.
Rejection for reinstatement Of In
surance because of a service disability
at the time Of application for rein
statement was also so amended as to
permit reconsideration of the policy.
Eight thousand veterans are believed
to be affected by this provision. Fur
Their protection is offered those vet
Grams who were mentally incompetent
and whose guardians permitted their
insurance to lapse while the patient
was rated mentally incompetent. Poll
cies of this nature are considered I'M
expired under the new law.