Evening star., 1945-07-18
GI disqualification
Measure AssaiIed by
Legion al Hearing
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.

Legislation sponsored by the Vet
Grams Administration, described as
liberalizing the laws pertaining to
disqualification of veterans, was as
sailed by the American Legion before
Senate committee today as In
reality new and vicious economy
act" which would wipe out medical
benefits which veterans have won
over the last quarter century.
The legislation, pending in both
houses of Congress, was denounced
by John Thomas Taylor, national
legislative director of the Legion, in
a statement to the Veterans Sub
committee of the Senate Finance
Committee.
The subcommittee, headed by Sem
ator Johnson, Democrat, of Colorado,
was told that the bill lis an effort
to cramp Americas disabled vet
Grams into inadequate existing hos
pital facilities, rather than expand
these facilities to meet the require
ments of veterans"
Called Money-Saving Measure.
Mr.. Taylor said the measure "can
be interpreted only as an effort to
save money at the expense of dis
abled men and women who served
in the armies Of our country" 1t
would freeze inadequate facilities
by tossing thousands of veterans to
the tender mercies of State asylums
and charity wards of public hos
pitals," he added.
Brig. Gen. Frank T. Hines, vet
eranS' administrator, defended the
bill, declaring it would give the Vet
erans' Administration needed au-
thority to deal with existing and fu-
ture conditions in a way that would
give the best possible service to the
maximum number of veterans.
Mr.. Taylor disagreed He con-
tended that the bill, as a substitute
for the present more liberal laws,
would permit the veterans admins
traitor to provide for care of veterans
"by regulations which he prepares
at his own whim or discretion"
More Facilities Demanded.
Mr.. Taylor told the subcommittee !:
"For 25 years the American Legion
fought to provide hospital care for
veterans unable to prove that their
disabilities were service-connected,
because of the rigid Interpretation of
the laws governing service-con-
nected cases. 1t is true-and the
Legion insists-that first attention
must be given to service connected
cases. But the Legion insists as well
that all our resources, all the efforts
of Congress, all the influence of the
people be exerted toward expanding
the facilities Of Veterans Admins
tration hospitals, not limiting them"
Mr.. Taylor charged that the atti-
tude of the Veterans Administration
did not represent the will of Con-
gress as expressed repeatedly in the
laws it has passed since the last war.
Gen. Hines urged that compensa-
tion for veterans in hospitals be re-
duced to $40 a month in cases where
they were without dependents.
Those who were married or had
other dependents would not have
their pensions or allowances reduced
during disqualification under the
proposed amendments to the law, he
explained.
The administrator said that up to
May 81 the veterans hospitals had
admitted total of 177,572 veterans
Of the present war.
In response to a question by SEN
ator johnson, Gen. Hines said that
at rough estimate the Government
had spent well over s270, ,000,00 in
the construction of hospitals to date
and their annual cost of operation at
present was about $4,000, 900.