It is too lengthy to submit in detail but some of the outstanding points of that program include:

1. Extend effective preferences for veterans, their wives and widows for all governmental jobs for which qualified.

2. Condemn efforts to remove benefits already extended by Congress by Veterans Preference Act of 1944 or other laws.

3. Amend the Veterans Preference Act to (a) grant 10-point preference to widowed unremarried mothers of any deceased person who died while actively serving in the United States armed forces, or of a veteran who died of a service-connected disability, or of any war veteran who is permanently or totally disabled.

4. Liberalize regulations of the United States Civil Service Commission relative to reductions in force, suspensions, transfers, dismissals, demotions, and reinstatements.

5. Liberalize civil service retirement.

The DAV strongly advocates the enactment of legislation to authorize and direct the Veterans' Administration to make reimburs3ment to the several States, all State workmen's compensation benefits paid out under the provisions of any workmen's compensation act for compensated service-connected disabled veteran employees.

While not a subject for consideration by this committee we look to this session of Congress to provide the necessary funds so that the Veterans' Administration may furnish efficient and adequate service. to the veteran and his family.

Immediately prior to the convening of this session of Congress it became necessary for me as commander of the DAV to call to the attention of the members of the Appropriations Committees an existing deficit in the Veterans' Administration. This letter reads in part as follows:

Following complaints reaching us from various sections of the country, we have conducted a survey which discloses the fact that out-patient service, including medical treatment and necessary physical examinations of America's wartime service-connected disabled, has been sharply reduced and restricted. This is due to a reported shortage of approximately $32,000,000 allocated to this phase of the medical program to complete the current fiscal year.

We are convinced that you, too, believe that the required medical treatment of America's war disabled is as important as any action this Nation may take toward the care and rehabilitation of Europe's war refugees. With this thought in mind we ask that you urge the convening Congress to act immediately to clear up an unfortunate condition lest its continuance prove disastrous to thousands of our own war disabled.

This will be a subject which will be considered by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, but we know the deep interest that each member of this committee has in the proper functioning of the Veterans' Administration. We hope the expert knowledge possessed by you in this field will be passed along to members of these Appropriations Committees.

Another bill before your committee which has our endorsement is H. R. 486, to provide follow-up out-patient treatment for war veterans with non-service-connected disabilities following hospitalization for such disabilities.

The DAV, like most veterans' organizations, adopts a large number of resolutions at our annual national convention, but one of our most important mandates requests that "first things should be done first." This in DAV language, means "adequate provision for America's

wartime service-disabled veterans should be a primary obligation of our Nation."

We are hopeful our national defense will be maintained at the necessary level to deter future war lords against acts of aggression or transgression. We hope our national security will be strengthened through appropriate laws to protect our free American institutions against the subversive forces within our midst.

Housing for veterans should receive immediate attention by the Congress in order to alleviate the deplorable conditions in which the veterans, their families, and dependents are required to live. Our resolutions on housing, while general in nature, urge the Congress to adopt a realistic housing program which will make available adequate, low cost, multiple rental units in sufficient quantity to satisfy the demands of the veteran. In addition the resolutions urge the Congress to protect the disabled veteran by providing proper preferences or priorities for him. In this connection, however, we are not in favor of loading additional administrative duties on the Veterans' Administration which will result in a decrease in the service now being rendered the disabled veteran.

The Veterans' Administration was established primarily for the benefit of the service-connected disabled veteran and any lessening of that service due to excessive administrative functions not directly attributable to such prime objective will be strenuously opposed by us.

I have outlined some of the major points of our legislative program. The past record of your committee indicates you are sympathetic to the cause of the veteran and his family. We believe you will continue your considerate attention. With that hope, I again express my appreciation to the chairman and members of the committee for this opportunity to meet you and to appear before

you.

And with your permission I request leave to insert a full and complete outline in the record at a later date of the policies and objectives of the Disabled American Veterans.

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. GOLOB. Thank you.

Mr. RANKIN. At this point in the record? That is what you want? Mr. GOLOB. Yes, sir.

(The statement referred to is as follows:)

REHABILITATION AND READJUSTMENT OF VETERANS AND DEPENDENTS

1. Requests that "first things shall be done first"-i. e., expedite enactment of legislation of disabled veterans and their dependents (L. 1). of Committee on Veterans' Affairs by National Commander Golob on January 19, Called to attention 1948.

2. Provide allowances for dependents of service-connected disabled veterans, (L. 33). H. R. 2716, by Mrs. Rogers of Massachusetts.

3. Provide ample appropriations to VA so that it may function and operate properly in behalf of disabled veterans and their dependents (L. 11). Independent offices appropriations bill, 1949.

A. AMENDATORY LAWS FOR VETERANS

1. Urges legislation for the furnishing of stenographic assistance by the VA and that pending such legislation stenographers be employed for all national service officers by the national organization (L. 8 and R. 26). to House July 24, 1947, and S. 1268, by Senator Butler, before Senate Finance H. R. 3016, reported Committee.

2. Provide legislation to establish presumptive period for malaria and other tropical diseases, and for certain chronic diseases (R. 5, R. 6, R. 7, R. 12). H. R. 3889, passed by House July 21, 1947, referred to Senate Finance Committee.

3. Legislation so that World War II veterans shall be rated presumptively service-connected for arrested TB (R. 18). H. R. 4243, reported to House July 24, 1947.

4. Requests that all cases of active pulmonary TB be rated as 100 percent disabled (R. 4).

5. Urges legislation to increase compensation and/or pension benefits to World War I and II by a 33% percent increase and that the minimum amount payable shall be $50 monthly (R. 54).

6. Requests legislation to extend credits for social security benefits for the period of time spent in military service during World War II (L. 23). H. R. 4336, before House Ways and Means; S. 1975, before Senate Finance Committee.

7. Restore full compensation to presumptive cases (R. '11). H. R. 1235, by Mrs. Rogers.

8. Legislation to provide for a minimum rating of permanent partial 10 percent for any war veteran who was wounded or gassed in active service (R. 37). H. R. 2714, by Mrs. Rogers.

9. Right of judicial review or establishment of an advisory group within VA for further appeal of claims (L. 13, L. 34, R. 30, R. 39). H. R. 3181 by Representative Mathews, New Jersey, for judicial review; H. R. 4811, Mrs. Rogers, for creation of advisory group.

10. Legislation to provide tax exemption on moneys received in amount of $2,400 or less per year (L.12); legislation that all private medical expenses incurred by compensated disabled veterans be deductible (L. 24) and, legislation that disability compensation be disregarded in the determination to entitlement for old-age pension (L. 22). These resolutions submitted to the House Ways and Means Committee during its consideration of the tax reduction bill.

11. Requests legislation to establish a Federal prisoners of war Commission to consider claims of former Japanese prisoners (R. 52). H. R. 2823 and S. 172.

12. Seeks an amendment to Public Law 663, as amended, to provide for the furnishing of automobiles to those who have suffered amputation of the major portion of a foot or have lost the use of a foot (R. 3). H. R. 4007, reported to House July 2, 1947; S. 1391, passed by Senate July 23, 1947.

13. Recommends legislation designating all benefits payable to war veterans as "compensation," not "gratuity" (L. 16). House Journal Resolution 260, by Representative Philbin, Massachusetts.

14. Remove all limitation dates in filing applications for review of claims by VA (L. 17 and R. 19). H. R. 1283, Representative Meade.

15. Requests mustering-out pay for persons discharged with disability, or who subsequently establish service-connection for a disability even though the records may show such veterans were discharged to accept essential employment (L. 21). H. R. 252, Representative Kearney, New York; and H. R. 1236, Representative Andrews, New York.

16. Seeks basic legislation to prohibit the branding of a veteran as constitutional psychopathic inferior, constitutional psychopathic state, simple, adult maladjustment, and such other related catch-all diagnosis unless and until such diagnosis have been established by examination by a board of three neuropsychiatric specialists and social service investigations (R. 53).

17. Requests legislation to amend Public 182, Seventy-ninth Congress, to permit payment of two statutory awards in cases of veterans who suffered the loss or loss of use of one extremity and one eye (R. 21). H. R. 1267.

18. Amendment of Public Law 361, Seventy-seventh Congress, by deleting the words "engaged in combat" and substituting therefor "served in time of war" and that the word "convincing" in the proviso be deleted and the word "unmistakable" substituted therefor (R. 36). H. R. 2179 and H. R. 3249.

19. Would provide for a total rating during hospitalization for treatment of service-connected disability (R. 45).

20. Seeks pay to provide for per diem of not less than $5 for those disabled veterans who lose daily income while undergoing examinations or treatment under the supervision of VA (R. 50).

21. Recommends legislation to provide a complete and fully equipped VA facility for service-blinded veterans (R. 56).

22. Requests that the VA and the United States Public Health Service treat Hansen's disease (leprosy) on an in-patient or out-patient basis in field stations, when the condition has been deemed to be of noninfectious type (R. 48).

23. Condemns treatment accorded by VA in the cases of former prisoners of war suffering from beri-beri, amoebic or bacillary dysentery, malnutrition and other similar conditions requesting a minimum statutory rating of 50 percent for all former prisoners of war (R. 7).

24. Requests application of the principle of the bilateral factor as now applied in those cases in which there are injuries to two extremities on the same side (R. 2).

25. Requests the VA to ascertain immediate examination of patients admitted for observation instead of permitting them to remain at rest under the most ideal circumstances for a matter of weeks before examinations are made (R. 8).

26. Requests inclusion of Buerger's and Raynaud's diseases in R. and P. R. 1086 for 1 year presumption of service connection (R. 35).

27. Requests legislation to include former members of WAAC as a part of the Military Establishment for compensation purposes (R. 51). H. R. 143, by Mrs. Rogers.

28. Uniformize administrative provisions concerning inequalities between various similar groups of disabled veterans and their dependents (L. 26).

29. Requests that congressional committees furnish copies of Federal Government agencies' reports on pending bills to representatives of congressionally chartered veteran organizations (L. 2).

30. Proposes legislation for adjusted compensation for World War II veterans (L. 36); amendment to World War I adjusted compensation act to allow filing of applications to January 1, 1950 (L. 5 and R. 33). H. R. 2901 (for latter), by Representative Eberharter, Pennsylvania.

B. AMENDATORY LAWS FOR DEPENDENTS OF VETERANS

1. Requests increases in compensation for widows and chilren of veterans who died in service or from service-connected disabilities (R. 31). H. R. 3748, reported to House July 24, 1947.

2. Would provide for raising income limitation of $1,000 for widows without dependents and $2,500 for those with dependents to $1,800 and $3,000 (R. 47). H. R. 4242, reported to House July 21, 1947.

3. Would provide for exclusion of insurance benefits from private or other insurance sources in the computation of income in the cases of veterans who died from non-service-connected disabilities (R. 32). Also in H. R. 4242, reported to House July 21, 1947, above.

4. Requests the provisions of Public Law 483, Seventy-eighth Congress, be extended to dependents of World War II veterans (R. 46). H. R. 4761, by Representative Meade, Kentucky.

5. Requests increase in burial allowance from $150 to $250 (R. 24).

6. Urges amendment to existing law to provide that a widow shall be eligible to receive compensation if she was married to the veteran 2 years prior to his death or if she gave birth to a child as the result of the marriage (R. 49).

C. HOSPITALIZATION AND OUT-PATIENT TREATMENT

1. Urge no curtailment of out-patient treatment by fee basis physicians (R. 34, also R. 10).

2. Requests removal of the ceiling on amounts that may be paid to physicians and surgeons for fee-basis treatment, etc. (R. 13).

3. Provides that if out-patient physicians find a definite increase of serviceconnected disabilities then report of this fact to the chief medical officer for examination and compensation purposes shall be automatic (R. 23).

4. Support any VA request for additional hospitals.

D. INSURANCE

1. Remove all statutory time limit for filing applications for waiver of premiums (national service life insurance) (R. 20) H. R. 4160, passed House July 25, 1947. 2. Urges legislation that would continue insurance in force after the payment of 240 monthly installments (R. 40).

3. Urges legislation to grant $10,000 gratuitous insurance instead of $5,000 as now allowed (R. 41). H. R. 2769.

4. Would provide that all Government insurance policies shall be incontestable 1 year following date of issuance, reinstatement, or conversion (R. 42).

5. Requests legislation removing the time limit for filing suit for recovery of automatic, renewable term or United States Government life insurance after final disagreement by the VA (R. 43).

E. RATING SCHEDULE

1. Protests the legality of instruction No. 1A, Public 458, Seventy-ninth Congress, and requests legislation restoring the 1926 rating schedule (L. 20 and R. 27). 2. Requests consideration of the Rating Schedule Board, VA, of ratings for defective hearing where hearing aid is employed (R. 1).

F. RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONS BY VA

Requests VA accord recognition to chiropractors and osteopaths in treatment of VA beneficiaries (R. 44 and R. 57).

G. VETERANS' ADMINISTRATION'S OPERATION

1. Requests that the Administrator give consideration to

(a) That Coordination and Planning Division be eliminated;

(b) That the Personnel Division be reduced;

(c) That Public Relations as a division be eliminated;

(d) That special services be reduced to a reasonable number of chaplains and recreational aids based upon patient load;

(e) That all the duties performed by the four divisions previously mentioned be placed under the direction of the assistant manager in regional offices and hospitals and under the Assistant Deputy Administrator at the branch level (R. 17).

2. Urges abolution of VA branch offices with recentralization of supervisory and inspection services and decentralization of death and insurance claims (R. 38). 3. Requests establishment of appellate boards in each regional office (R. 29). 4. Requests central office study its own affairs to expedite decisions of the Central Disability Board, Dependents Claims Service, Insurance Claims Service, Board of Veterans Appeals, and administrative bodies (R. 25).

5. Requests the Administrator to make further study of the branch offices with a view to reducing field control offices to not less than four and not more than six such offices and that death cases be decentralized to the regional offices. The branch offices to be limited to supervisory status and that personnel in such branch offices be known as control offices to be reduced to an absolute minimum (R. 16).

6. Suggests VA examiners be not permitted to review case files prior to the making of the physical examination of a veteran (R. 15).

7. Requests VA to immediately process change of address on receipt of notice of change in order that delay may be avoided in the delivery of compensation checks (R. 14).

8. Urges VA to discontinue technical bulletins, circulars, etc., and that all future issues be incorporated in R. and P. R. and P. R. (R. 9).

CIVIL SERVICE, EMPLOYMENT, AND VETERANS' PREFERENCE

Facilitate suitable employment of service disabled (L. Y.).

1. Extend effective preferences for veterans, their wives and widows for all governmental jobs for which qualified (L. Y.).

(a) Enable Civil Service Commission, through increased congressional appropriations and personnel, to—

(1) Recentralize its examining activities.

(2) Make speedy decisions on appeals os to efficiency ratings, dismissals, demotions, and other unfavorable agency actions (E. 42).

(3) Conduct regular examinations for all positions now filled by warservice appointees (E. 15).

(4) Provide for more assembled, rather than unassembled, examinations.

(b) Confer permanent status to war-service indefinite 10-point-preference employees on basis of noncompetitive unassembled examinations.

(1) With right of appeal to Commission.

(c) Provide that, regardless of any change in the type or place of assignment, 1 year shall constitute the probationary period.

(1) With temporary appointments extended beyond 1 year to be considered as indefinite and eligible for permanent status.

(d) Oppose legislation exclusion of any jobs from classified civil service (L. Y.).