Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-04
VETERANS STRESS
NEEDOF HOSPITALS
Bureau Chief to Present Plea
to Congress for Increase
of Facilities.

The Veterans Bureau is making q
survey Of facilities and the hospitalizA-
ton needs of American veterans, with
a view to presenting the facts to Con-
gress when the proposal of organized
veterans. particularly the Disabled
American Veterans, for new legislation
comes before Congress next session.
Brig. Gen. Frank T. Hines, director
of the bureau, today would not COM
NIT himself on the question as to
whether he favors legislation to give
more care TO veterans, to take care OF
what is known as the "non-service
connected load" But he is having the
survey made to estimate the cost OF
disqualification for these men, who are
Ill, but whose illness cannot be traced
back to their service.
Cites Inadequate Facilities.
Commenting on the recent statement
of william j. Murphy, national COM
mander Of the D. A. w., Gen. Hines said
the reiteration that facilities were In
adequate did not make clear the kind OF
cases for which more hospitals than
are now contemplated would be needed
nor did It explain that under present
legislation the bureau is obliged to dis
tinguish between service connected, and
non service connected cases.
Gen. Hines explained that while the
bureau was permitted to hospitaliZe vet
Grams of any and all wars without re-
gard to the nature or origin of their
disabilities, If bureau facilities were
available. Congress had never author
lied the construction of hospitals espe-
/ cially to include the non-service cases.
| he Nafh IL
to place such cases in contract hospi-
tails in the United States. with the ex-
ception of female patients.
Many NOn-Service Cases Treated.
However" explained Gen. Hines, "in
all our plans and estimates for hospital
construction, the non-Service cases are
taken into consideration so far as prac-
| ticable under the law. ] am very glad
to be able to report that since the acI
of June z, 1924, gave us the authority
we have been privileged to extend hos
pitalization to over 10000 whose dis
eases or injuries were not due to mill
| tary service, and of the 27,487 now hos
pitalized under the supervision OF the
bureau 1923 are of this class OF
patients. Since the end of the fiscal
year, 1925, the percentage of the total
number of admissions to our hospitals
| OF THESE SOsCdlcu SOH wv OooSS
has increased from II per cent to over
| IS per cent at the present time"
Replying to the assertion of veterans
| leaders that hospitals would not be
adequate in facilities to care for the
peak load of mental cases in 1947-at
which time Gen. Hines has said II
would be reached-he said here again
confusion appeared to be widespread.
Bureaus Program Outlined.
"The present and contemplated pro-
gram of the bureau" he said. would
adequately care for all cases which the
bureau is at present obliged TO hospit-
alize, as they increase in number" he
said. THE bureaus present program. y
he added, "contemplates the CONVEX
sion Of some existing general hospitals
into mental hospitals. Expectance of
cases has been charted' and graphed In
three divisions-mental. tubercular and
general. While the curve of expected
mental cases rises sharply, the other
two curves show declines. We have
checked actual occurrence of cases in
the three classes against expectancy
curves. and we find that the latter are
accurate"