The CHAIRMAN. I will say to Captain Kirby that is exactly_the reason I am speeding this matter up as much as possible. The Veterans of Foreign Wars want to be heard tomorrow and Friday, and the American Veterans Association is to be heard. And then as soon as they are through it is my intention to go into executive session to work out what we are going to work out and get it on the floor of the House and have it passed. Mr. KIRBY. May I suggest you expect General Hines. The CHAIRMAN. Well, I mean to take on General Hines. Mr. KIRBY. Is it the purpose of the committee to meet on Saturday? The CHAIRMAN. I do not know. We might meet Saturday morning but we have not decided yet. It all depends on how much time General Hines wants. Mr. Bull, the representative of the American Veterans' Association, said he only wanted a few minutes and I thought we could take General Hines just as soon as we could. I am trying to give 1 day to each veterans organization if they want it. Mr. KIRBY. Then the committee will be in a position to go early next week into executive session on the whole proposition? That is what you want to do? The CHAIRMAN. That is what we want to do. We delayed too long last year and we got some information that we could have gotten in one-third of the time spent on the hearings. We wanted to give as much time as we can and I think we gave too much. As a result we probably lost some of the things which we probably would have liked to retain in the bill. Mr. KIRBY. Are the hearings going to be limited to the witnesses enumerated? The CHAIRMAN. That is what we have always done. We have never gone out. If we were to go out and invite witnesses here we would never get through the hearings and we would be here indefinitely. Mrs. ROGERS. But will Members of Congress appear? I think some would want to. The CHAIRMAN. Only those who want to but we will not advertise for them. We will allow them to come over here and put their remarks in the record. They can, if they want, extend their remarks in the record. Of course, any member of the committee who wants to make a statement may do so. We want to receive them but we are not going to advertise for Members of Congress to come over here. Mrs. ROGERS. I know. Mr. KIRBY. Mr. Chairman, I am very grateful for this opportunity of appearing here. I want to assure you if I can be of any help at all to the committee or the individual members I will appear at any time. Thank you. PENSIONS FOR WORLD WAR VETERANS' WIDOWS AND ORPHANS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1940 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON WORLD WAR VETERANS' LEGISLATION, Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10:30 a. m., Hon. John E. Rankin (chair man) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. We have agreed to hear Mr. Millard W. Rice, the legislative representative of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Mr. Rice. STATEMENT OF MILLARD W. RICE, NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIVE, VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS Mr. RICE. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, last Saturday our commander in chief, Otis N. Brown, made a statement before this committee setting forth the general policy of the organization, concerning pensions for handicapped disabled veterans and for the dependents of deceased veterans. The entire organization, of course, endorses fully all that was in the commander in chief's statement, as well as in the statement made by Mrs. Roberta Fawcett, chairman of the national legislative committee of the ladies' auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Lest there be any misunderstanding because of our strong emphasis as to the necessity for pensions for unemployable and handicapped disabled veterans, whose disabilities are not service connected, let me say, first of all, that the Veterans of Foreign Wars is insistent that there shall be no reduction of compensation or other benefits for veterans suffering with service-connected disabilities. Rather, we advocate more liberal benefits, more liberal compensation for certain noncompensated and undercompensated, serviceconnected disabled veterans, and their dependents, as I shall later on develop in more detail. The fact that the Veterans of Foreign Wars advocates pensions for veterans suffering from permanent handicapping, nonserviceconnected disabilities, at lower amounts than the amounts of compensation now paid to those veterans suffering from service-connected disabilities, should not be taken to infer that we advocate any reduction of the compensation payments for service-connected disabled veterans. 214844-40-8 109 Mr. Chairman, I would like to present a brief résumé of the provisions of our omnibus bill, H. R. 7925, introduced by you, which is before this committee. In order to conserve time-since I realize you are desirous of having me conclude my testimony today, if at all possible, and I am equally anxious that we move forward in the matter of beneficial legislation in behalf of veterans and the dependents of veterans-I would like to insert in the record an article which appeared in the February issue of our national magazine, Foreign Service, which gives a very brief description of each of the paragraphs of H. R. 7925. The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, it is so ordered. PENSION BILL TO CONGRESS For the benefit of those less fortunate among disabled veterans, and the dependents of deceased veterans, the Veterans of Foreign Wars sponsored the introduction, on January 16, 1940, by the Honorable John E. Rankin, chairman of the House Committee on World War Veterans' Legislation, of H. R. 7925, a bill "to provide liberalized benefits for disabled veterans and the dependents of deceased veterans." H. R. 7925 is the first congressional bill to include, among other liberalized provisions, proposals for pensions for all permanently disabled World War veterans, and for the dependent widows and orphans of those who have died, under the same conditions and in the same amounts as have long been payable as to the disabled veterans of the Spanish-American War, and their dependents. Containing 40 sections, this Veterans of Foreign Wars-sponsored bill proposes legislation which would beneficially affect more veterans, and the dependents of more deceased veterans, of the several wars, campaigns, expeditions, occupations, and regular services, past and future, than any bill ever before introduced in Congress. Section 1 of H. R. 7925—also H. R. 7980, by the Honorable John W. McCormack of Massachusetts, chairman of the Democratic caucus-would provide pensions for all permanently disabled World War veterans, honorably discharged after 90 or more days of service, or because of disability incurred in service, in amounts ranging from $20 per month for 10 percent disability, $25 for 25 percent, $35 for 50 percent, $50 for 75 percent, and $60 for total disability, with total disability to be assumed as to anyone who has passed the age of 65, and providing for $100 per month if so permanently disabled as to be in need of a regular attendant-the new major objective of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Sections 2 and 3-also H. R. 7953, by the Honorable Jerry Voorhis, of California-would provide a pension of $60 per month ($30 per month is now payable) to any war, campaign, or expedition veteran who has "any impairment and/or defect of mind or which is sufficient to render it impossible for the individual ('average person' basis now in law) to follow a substantially gainful occupation." Sections 4 and 5-also H. R. 7944 and H. R. 7943, by the Honorable J. Hardin Peterson, of Florida-would provide for optional liberalized definitions of permanent and total disability, based, re spectively, upon "any impairment of mind or body which is sufficient to make it impossible for the individual to earn a support by the performance of manual labor," or upon "any mental or physical disability * * which totally incapacitates him for the performance of manual labor, so as to render him unable to earn a support," as applicable as to veterans of the Spanish-American War. * Section 6-also H. R. 7978, by the Honorable Harold K. Claypool, of Ohio-would increase the pension payable to a dependent widow of a World War veteran, who, at time of death, was suffering with a service-connected disability, from $30 to $40 per month, with the same allowance as now as to all dependent children. Section 7-also H. R. 7928, by the Honorable Joe B. Bates, of Kentucky-would increase the pension payable to a widow of a World War veteran, who died by reason of his service-connected disability, from the present rate of $38.50, or $45 per month, dependent upon certain ages, up to the uniform sum of $50, with the same allowances as now as to all dependent children. Section 8-also H. R. 2876, by the Honorable James E. Van Zandt, of Pennsylvania, former commander in chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars-would extend to the widows, children, and parents of deceased World War veterans, who were permanently and totally disabled in combat in line of duty in active service in any war, campaign, or expedition, pension at the same rates as if the veterans had died by reason of such service disabilities, without regard to the cause of their deaths. Section 9-also H. R. 7905, by the Honorable John Lesinski, chairman of the House Committee on Invalid Pension-would provide the same pension benefits to any veteran, or to the dependents of any deceased veteran, otherwise entitled, if the death or disability resulted from an injury received in actual combat in a military expedition or occupation, or by reason of any accident involving a submarine or an airplane, as would be payable if the veteran had served during a war period. Section 10-also H. R. 2889, by Mr. Lesinski-would provide the same pensions to the dependent widows and orphans of deceased Regulars who, at time of death, were suffering with pensionable service-connected disabilities, as if such Regulars were World War veterans. Section 11-also H. R. 7904, by Mr. Lesinski-would extend eligibility for pension to the widow of a veteran, if otherwise eligible, regardless of the date of her marriage to him, if she was married to and living with the veteran for 2 years immediately preceding his death, or if she gave birth to a child by the veteran. Section 12-also H. R. 7903, by the Honorable Francis H. Case, of South Dakota-would repeal the provision in Public Law No. 198, Seventy-sixth Congress, which now precludes payment of the increased amount of death pension provided for therein if the monthly payment of compensation, under Public Law No. 2, and of yearly renewable term or automatic insurance, is equal to or more than the increased amount of death pension provided for in Public Law No. 198. Section 13-also H. R. 2874, by the Honorable Martin F. Smith, of Washington, chairman of the House Committee on Pensions— |