Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1924-02-16
FOURTH DISTRICT VETERANS
BUREAU in EFFECTIVE WORK

Increased service to the disabled e1
service men and extensive reductions
in expenditures for administrations
purposes have resulted in the conduct
Of the Veterans Bureau in Virginia
and other territory in this locality, as
result of the reorganization OF the
Fourth District, which is now nearing
completion. These Improvements are
the result Of about three months inten
sive investigation and readjustment
CT personnel. attitude and methods.
In line with General Hines policy OF
more direct, more human and more
practical treatment of the disabled vet
Grams the local district has already et'
fected the assignment Of attorneys Co
protect the interests of the soldiers, an
Increase of the contact force whereby
The claims of the disabled are brought
to the attention of the Bureau and a
control activity to insure action and ex
petitions service to claimants. Certain
administrative reforms now nearly a.
complished will result in the looping
Oft by March thirty-first of $3.50 600
needless annual expenditure from
which the soldiers would get no com
rensurate benefit. Probably the most
important step yet taken in the new ad
l1inistration. is the beginning of
practical and scientific survey of ca IL
man in vocational training in Washing
ton, Virginia West Virginia and Mar!
land, which is already partly accom-
rlished.
The REIMBURSEMENT in the local Blu
reau activities dates from October las;
when Director Hines appointed Arthur
j. Dalton Manager for the Fourth Dis
trict. He is the first, and thus far the
only District Manager appointed by
General Hines and was selected by the
Director after more than five years dis
tinguished service in the Bureau, dur
ing which he had attracted the atten-
ton and interest of both the exservlce
men and his official associates. 1t was
TO be expected that he would to large
extent reflect the policy of the New d.
rector whose plans are now beginning
to crystalize.
AS result Of the reorganization the
Fourth District is now ready to give uE
brejudiced and careful consideration
to all claims brought before it. Particu
lar efforts are being directed toward
clearing UP cases that have become
community scandals, either because
the claimant has failed to properly
prosecute them or because they have
Teen handled without proper care by
the Bureau in the past. A staff of ex
rerienced men has been assigned TO
Irotect the interests of those appeal
ing to the Bureau, to see to it that
every angle of their case is cleared Up
where possible, and to assist the claim
ent in the proper presentation OF his
case and maintenance of his rights un
der the law. Three additional contact
officers have already been assigned 10
field duty making q total of fourteen
men whose duties are to assist and IN
,rm disabled men both in the cities
and more isolated communities, who
lave come to the Bureau for assistance
how to proceed to furnish the Govern
Iaent the information necessary to
make their claims legal.
In addition all personnel of the
Fourth District have been instructed
that they will be held liable as part
IF their official duty for informing and
assisting any persons who appeal 10
them for help in this connection at any
time As a result of this improved con
tact service a number Of distressing
cases have recently been cleared up
where disabled men were at the point
Ct death as a rsult of heart trouble, tu'
berculosis and other disabilities airs
ing from the service.
To insure the fitness of vocational
frances for employment at the termi'
nation of their training, an exhaustive
individual survey is now under way to
discover what steps of instruction or
experience a man Is lacking in his new
vocation and his training will he ar
ranged to cover these points. The olf
rule of time limitations on training IS
being sufOfdiIated to the ACCOMPLISH
ment of effective results. The training
board of the Bureau has now been re
duced to point where individual at
tention can be given each trainee and
the men coming out from this point On
Will be so graded in their training that
their transition from training status