Show he ea A 0 o on Copy for This Department Supplied d by byI bythe bythe I the American Le Legion Leelon lon News Service IN N PLEA FOR NEGLECTED NEGLECTED MEN Three Thousand Veterans From Legion Legion Le Le- gion glon Ranks Are Explaining Sit to American People Three thousand volunteer volunteer speak speakers rs from rom the ranks of the American Legion Legion Le Le- gion glon In every state are now carrying by word word- f of mouth to the American people e r the Legions Legion's story story story sto sto- ry of ot the rte suffering suffer lug ing s shameful 11 a m e f u 1 neglect and Injustice in injustice In- In justice In th the e govern governments government's ants nt's administration ad nd IS ministration of w the nations nation's debt deb t to the disabled which was con con- John Thomas Thoma tamed In the for- for Taylor mal inal m memorial em 0 rial which tb the Legion n has ins presented to President Wilson President elect Harding and to all members of congress Probably never r before in the history oft ot the country y has such an army of orators been n mobilized to speak at the same time e upon a single text The Legion aims alms to present to th the e people of the United States the facts regarding the disabled In the shin same e language as they were presented t to 0 the he officials of the government The Th e Legions Legion's memorial was carried to th the President resident at the White House by John Joh n Thomas Taylor vice chairman of th the Legion National Legislative commit commit- tee ee National Commander F. F W W. GalbraIth Galbraith Galbralth Gal Gal- braIth Jr gave It to Senator Harding Hardin g at Marlon Marion where he had had hada a long and Important conference on the disabled disable d situation with the next President The Legion denounces the the- present t method of caring for the disabled a aa as asa s a fI failure which only can be remedIed remedied rem rem- by the entire reconstruction reconstruction o othe of 1 the federal machinery with will the pr problem blem The functions of the tnt e agencies which deal with the problems of th the e disabled the bureau of war risk Insurance insurance In in- insurance the federal board for voca voca- lonal education and the Unite United d 1 States public health service must e co d their machinery decentralized and all nil three placed under unde r common control the memorial states As an equally essential remedy fo foe existing conditions the memorial 1 urges the immediate appropriation fo for forthe r I Ithe the the use nse of of the unified organization n of a sum ample to build or or r rent real a sufficient efficient number of hospitals to take tale e care of the ez service ex-service men who wit o are unable enable to receive treatment at a t present because of lack of beds an and d shelter The failure of the government t to toI o I afford justice to the sick and and wounded wound veterans Is attributed by the Legion n to an astonishing state of divided r re re responsibility e and wu wasted ted effort amon among g the he government agencies with which the problem rests The break in the chain of responsibility i- i occurs according to the memorial memorial me me- m e et morial as a result of the fact that the t the war risk bureau Is under and re te responsible to toan an van assistant secretary secreta secreta- ry of the treasury treasury treas treas- ury an er of the e executive x e c u tI v e t branch of tine tie government government gov gov- eminent while the federal board for tor vocational education education ed ed- is responsible responsible sible only to congress congress con com gress and Is under un nn der none of the executive departments departments departments depart depart- ments o of ot the government gov gov- F. F W. W t The memorial Jr asserts that teat the United States has bas been more liberal rah than any other nation Hatton In is its provisions provision s Cor for the We disabled soldiers but that It h has as failed in to large measure to m make ke the these se provisions available In spite of the benefit of the experience of other othe r nations nation's in the recent war and the e experience experience ex ex- z of of I this nation In previous u s warsIn warsIn wars In t the re re of d a n disabled wan there are three needs needs medical medical al treatment vocational training and a nd financial support the memorial al states The government has reco recognized recognized g. g the tine three needs but overl overlooks ks the fact tact that they are the simultaneous e. e ous needs of one man not of three ee different men or of one man at three re e reb different times It makes three pro problems problems b lems hems out opt of ot what really Is one ono problem m Continuing this faulty c conception conceptio n It has given the problem over to three ee agencies All An by force torce of at circumstances n. n ces are exercising functions they We were re not Dot intended to exercise This pr prents presents pre pre- e an amazing spectacle of adminIstrative administrative admin admin- n chaos duplication wasted e energy energy en en- n- n ergy and conflict which Is the k key ey to the present condition n. n The result is the suffering of the disabled veterans Thousands a are re waiting waling and arid have waited welted for moat months hs for compensation for tor their injuries es Thousands have waited for moot months bs for an opportunity to re establish re-establish sh themselves as self sustaining members rs of society by vocational training ing thousands are In need of ot hospital za ton and the government has s no h hospital hos hos- os pital available for tor them diem Of i. 1 t the now in IA hospitals lire are quartered In Institutions unsuited to the needs of the tine men quartered there New hospital cases are developing atthe at atthe the rate of 1500 OO a month in excess of ot the number discharged l. l Sixteen thousand beds are needed now Hundreds Hundreds Hun lIun of veterans are the object of ot public and mid private charity Afflicted and penniless veterans have been driven driven en to refuge In almshouses es and jails Many Inny have died and If Imm immediate d relief reHe relief re re- He lief Is not forthcoming more will willdie die destitute without proper proper- medi cal care without compensation with which to obtain it abandoned by the country the they s ser C ed All this is attributable at directly to the manner in which the government has adminis adminis- administered administered the affairs of the disabled The bureau of If war risk insurance is responsible for the pa payment of com com- pen atlon and for medical and hospital hos bos pital 1 care of f the man Logically thi would involve Involve establishing contact with the men at the time of ot their discharge from the military or naval service It should then determine the existence and degree of disability and compensation on this tilts basis Due to the centralization of at tile the bureaus bureau's forces In Washington 11 la It practically impossible under the present present pres pres- ent ant law to to establish contact with the theman theman man entitled to these benefits The disabled man Is placed in the position of ot ore a man injured in n Industry who must sue the company He must carry carty car ry ty r on an Involved and technical corre It is usually months after after af aft ter hu ho is dropped from the e pay rolls of tho army or navy before he is taken tak tak- en upon the pay roll of the bureau even though his service discharge shows a definite degree of disability On November 26 1920 cases were pending In the bureau awaiting definite adjustment of compensation Thousands are suffering sad and many Lave have I died as ns a n result of this neglect The Tile federal board for tor vocational training will accept the evidence of ot the bureaus bureau's medical files granting compensation as proof that a man i Is s entitled to vocational training Th The e bureau however will not accept th the e evidence that the board has awarded d training as proof that a man is s entitled entitled entitled en en- titled to o compensation u Ii the veteran is receiving compensation com cam and wants training usually he mu must t take another physical examination examination examination exam exam- administered by the board t to u determine whether the claimant has bas a n vocational handicap entitling him t to o training pay or merely a able disability granting him training g only If the tine veteran is not receiving g ge compensation due to delay by th the e bureau he Ile must be examined by th the e board to determine his eligibility fo for r training as well When a man enters training with training pay his compensation stops I and he is shifted from the pay roll of the bureau to the pay roll of 01 the 1 board The board which was created created as a training agency only has become become be be- come a compensating agency as well Many men have been kept on the pay payroll payroll roll o of the board not nut as a n training measure solely but as a measure of ot financial relief which they were entitled en titled to but unable to obtain from the bureau When a man is dropped from training train train- ing he is supposed to be dropped from the pay roll of the tae board and taken up by the rte bureau On both shifts there is s delay The average average length I of ot time for a man to be dropped from the bureau pay roll and taken up on the board pay roll is about three weeks The The average time required for the rte second shift shUt back to the bu bu- bureau bureau reau pay roll yell is s two months No provision provision pro pro- vision is made f for r the mans man's maIntenance maintenance main maIn- during these interims In the majority of cases a man must undergo undergo under under- go a new physical examination before the bureau will again pay him com com- In other words he must again prove his claim The position of the t States public health service is peculiar It took its place In the re scheme poorly equipped for the work it was to perform but was apparently apparent apparent- ly the best medical governmental agency then available It acts as an agent both of the bureau and the board but is responsible to no authority au common to td both bath board and bu bureau eau because there Is no such au an In view of this c condition the tae re rev remarkable remarkable thing about the present rehabilitation re rev habilitation program is s that it has accomplished what little it has Such progress as has bas been made Is a n tribute to the rte sincerity of the men In the tae bureau bu lean reau the rho board and the public health service who generally have made the best of an impossible situation The best of at this impossible situation slims situa tion ton however has been bees Insufficient always Tits This Is particularly true regarding regarding re rev garding lion Of the men now in Hospitals are in to Institutions which are arc unfit un fit because suitable hospital facilities are not available The Legion avers that beds are arc needed at pace Of this number 1500 ate ale necessary for tor transfer of tubercular tu patients from present unsatIsfactory unsatisfactory hospitals and for tor transfer of patients from the inadequate lodgings which they occupy now The number of tubercular tu cases in need of immediate hospitalization is estimated to be and the neur cases ut at Beds are also required for fot about general medical and surgical surgical sur our cases The statistics above are based ed on statements from the following sources Public health service Dr Thomas W. W Salmon of New York medIcal medical med med- ical lead director national committee for formental mental hygiene bureau of war risk I Insurance insurances Dr T. T Victor Keene of ot In Inv member American elou I hospitalization capitalization committee I |