Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-10-06

which decentralized the IA district
offices to 81 regional offices. and at
the same time consolidated certain
subdistrict offices with the regional
offices thus established. This re-
organization brought to the man in
his home state his compensation
case, and permitted local adiudica-
ton and payment. With the es-
Establishment of the Claims and Rat
ing Boards in the several regional
offices, 1t appeared entirely possible
to decentralize action further and,
consequently, authority was granted
to Claims and Rating Boards to
travel outside the home city of the
Claims and Rating Boards are
travelling to places where there is a
concentration of the disabled. They
visit the hospitals and the larger
cities Of the territory for the pur-
pose of accomplishing adiudications
on the ground. 1t might appear
feasible to go further than this and
permit a Board to travel throughout
the start at specified periods. This
has been tried in certain localities.
but has not as a rule been attended
by complete success in view of the
limited examining facilities available
at many of the smaller cities and
towns. It was difficult at times to
obtain proper laboratory and X-ray
examinations, and the final examina-
ton made in the more complicated
cases was unsatisfactory and made,
necessary denomination in the
regional office. Such duplication is
not in the interest of good admins
tration, and an incomplete examina-
t. t. tySfA 80
claimant"
Gen. Hines told how 1t had been
possible to reduce personnel and
secure a more compact organization.
He said there are now employed in
the Bureau approximately 1920 men
including some 5000 hospital at
tendants. and the percentage Of ex-
service men among these employees
is 51.70. Excluding hospital at
tendants, 1t Is found that 81 percent
of the male employees are ex-ser-
vice.
1.-THE numerous notifications of
the World War Veterans Act of 1924
necessitated complete review of
all claims on file in order that each
beneficiary or claimant might be CIV
en- the additional benefits of legisla-
ton enacted subsequent to the date
on which his claim was adjudicated.
There were approximately 100000
cases to review in Central Office
alone and this review Is now nearing
completion. The result to date of
this review and Of all adjudications
under the new law has been a net
increase in active disability compen-
sation claims since June l of 1924 of
$4,000. and an increase in monthly
compensation disbursements from
$S,132, 10000 in May of 1924 to S12.-
42S,5O0.00 during last July. More spe-
officially, the accumulative cost of
this new legislation has been, to
September /, 1925, approximately,
s1S,592, 100000, involving some 41,47o
awards. These awards included TO-
$50 neuro-psychiatric cases, involv-
ing accumulative payments of $5,-
125,000.00, and 10000 tuberculous
cases with an accumulative cost of
$9,457, 10000. Dependency payments
on disability awards have been in
creased by S230,000.00, involving
$500 cases; and dependency pay
ments on death cases have been in
creased by $S05, 100000, involving H.
400 cases. 343 cases of blindness
have been raised to $4,000 per
month. In 967 cases a nurse has
DecIl pIOVlucu. 81 cases OIL TOTAL
deafness have been rated permanent
and total. Awards have been grant
ed in 357 cases of encephalitis le-
thargica, and 1877 awards have been
made in the instance of amoebic dys-
EMERY, together with 124 awards in
cases of paralysis agitans. What the
total cost of the World War Veter-
ans Act of 1924 will be cannot readi- /
ly be determined at this time, be-
cause its effect has not to date been
fully felt. The net monthly increase
in active awards has shown no signs
of diminution and it is now estimat-
ed that the number of active awards |
at any one time will increase to a |
figure approximating 100000.
"The policy was continued during