Evening star., 1924-03-14
CHAPTER XIX.
The Cost Of the Veterans Bureau.

The Veterans Bureau is to the SOL
diens of the last war what the pension
bureau has been to the soldiers of all
the previous wars Only more so It's
activities are confined strictly to the vet
, Grams Of the last war
III was organized in 1917 as the bu-
reau of war-risk insurance and placed
IN the Treasury Department. Then by
the act of August 6. 1921, the Veterans
Bureau took over from the federal
board of vocational education the work
of providing for the vocational rehabi j.
tatlon OF disab ed persons discharged
from the military or naval forces and
a'so for their hospital care. At the
same time the bureau took over the
work Tor veterans carried on by the
United States Pubic Health Service.
Then the Veterans Bureau was taken
out OF the Treasury Department and
made one of the independent bureaus of
the government, under the direct su-
pervision of the President of the
United States
Today the U. S. Veterans Bureau is
the greatest relief organization in the
word. | will go further. No organi-
Zation ever created for such a purpose
has ever approached this bureau in the
scope of the work attempted and in the
financial outlays inyo'ved
The work seems complicated Many
peop'e cannot grasp its extent, because
II appears to be engaged in such va
riety of activities. We can understand
its work much better if we classify its
duties
TIE Veterans Bureau has now four
major functions este b'ished by the or
ganIc act organizing veteran relief ac-
tiviticS.
/. The consideration of claims for
compensation, insurance and vocational
training
=. The providing of medical care and
hospitals for disabled veterans
>. The providing of vocational train
ing Tor disabled veterans having voca-
tional handicaps.
4. The maintenance of insurance rec
ords for veterans who have applied for
insurance and are maintaining current
payments of premiums
Claims Come First.
order given. In this way We can see
just what the United States is doing now
fort the veterans of the last war Few
Americans appreciate the enormous
work going on under these four great
functions of the bureau-all for the
benefit of the veterans of the European
war.
Let us take up the functions in the
Ihe nrst major activity of the bu-
reau-that OF consideration of claims
for compensation, insurance and voca-
tionai traninE-iS the first line of de-
fenSe, so to speak. 1t inves tigates all
claims. This is tho favt-finding division
Of the bureau. There is enormous re-
sponsibiity. And the bureau must have
done excellent work, too.
1t may surprise US to know that up to
June so. 1928, a total of 930.2S6 COM
pensation Gains had been filed by the
veterans of the last war with the Vet
Grams Bureau. In plain words, that is
the number who asked for hep from
the United States Treasury since the
ha .tn;,
We're Fl ed with this division at the rate
OF $3.50 month or more than $50
day Now listen OF this huge num-
Der of Gains asked for, 446.4l6 were
Allowed. and less than 10000 were un-
dacid d at the end of the year But the
bureau investigated and rejected 4S4,6I6
claims for compensation. Further COM
ments OH these amazing figures would
seem unnecessary.
Now, what about the claims for in
surance? When the war started an act
OF Congress provided insurance at net
peace-time rates. This resulted in the
government AZ ssuming liability far in
excess OF the premiums received. Any
service man who desired might Apply
for and receive insurance in an amount
not exceeding $4,000, payable in case
of death or total permanent disability
in 240 monthly installmentS of s5.75 per
thousand insurance.
Up to January 1, 1924. a total of 159.-
tJU Surancp G aims nave been allowed,
carrying 81 ,399 100000 insurance. So
much for insurance claims.
4 University in Itself.
The record further shows that up to
June 80, 1928, a grand total of 669 -02
veterans had applied for vocational
training. OF those eligible for such
training, $500 had been registered
and up to January /, 1924. a total of
271.552 ex-service men had entered
vocational training at the expense of
the government
The second major function of the Vet
erans' Bureau is TO provide free medical
and hospital care for every disabled vet
eran of the last war. For the fiscal
year 1928 there We're S2,S1i admissions
TO the hospitals under the bureaus SUI
pervision. For 1928 a tota of 1.526.766
medical and dental examinations were
made. The total number of ex-service
men who received hospital treatment
during the fiscal year 1928 was 109 ,6S3,
while treatments were given outside the
hospitals numbering over $4,000 cases.
At the close of the fiscal year 1928
there were ninety-one government
hospitals in operation, With a total
bed capacity of 25,714. 1t was neces-
sary for the Veterans Bureau
TO utilize 1909 civil hospitals, where an
additional 1856 patients were cared for
The third major function of this bu-
reau is to provide vocational training
for disab ed veterans having vocational
handicaps. Director Frank T. Hines of