We were all relieved when President Nixon ordered the withdrawal of the VA's plan. However, I now realize that we must ensure that this sort of capricious action does not take place again. I am appalled at the unrestricted authority of the executive branch to change the rating schedule at whim. Under my bill, any proposed adjustment must be formally submitted to Congress and no change would become effective if either House disapproved. This bill does not freeze the rating schedule which was last adjusted in 1945. Indeed there are many disabilities which are under-evaluated and should be revised upwards. There may even be some categories for which minor downward adjustments are in order. However, under my bill these changes would not take place without the benefit of much thought and discussion on the part of Congress.

I would like also to briefly speak on behalf of H.R. 9914 which provides that the remarriage of a widow of a veteran after age 60 shall not result in the termination of dependency and indemnity compensation. The widow of a veteran who died from a service-connected disabilty has experienced a very hard life. She has endured a life alone, frequently under very difficult financial circumstances. The wives of all veterans had to undergo a change in their life style when their husbands accepted the duty to serve their nation. Fortunately for most, these changes were only temporary. But for those who husbands died of a serviceconnected disability, the change was permanent. Their husbands either never returned from service or returned in very poor health only to die of the condition which they incurred in the line of duty. For those over the age of 60 who wish to remarry, I feel that it is only just to continue the DIC benefits which these women have come to rely upon.

STATEMENT BY HON. J. HERBERT BURKE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA

H.R. 5581 and H.R. 6427-To amend title 38 of the United States Code in order to provide additional compensation to veterans who ae totally disabled as a result of combat injuries.

Mr. Chairman, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee on Compensation and Pension, I deeply regret that I cannot appear before you today, personally, in support of my bills to provide additional compensation to veterans who are totally disabled as a result of combat injuries.

Regrettably, prior to the announcement of these hearings, I was appointed to be a member of the delegation from the House of Representatives to meet with members of the European Parliament to weigh the impact of recent tensions arising from the Middle East war and the energy crisis, and must be out of the city today.

I am delighted that you are having hearings on H.R. 5581 and H.R. 6427, and I hope your subcommittee will see fit to act favorably on this measure. The original purpose of all veterans legislation was to aid men who had fought for our country, and their widows and orphans. Today, veterans legislation has been expanded to cover all former members of the Armed Forces. This is a very good thing and I have always worked for legislation to aid all veterans, however, we must keep some semblance of the original meaning and purpose. Too many of our cherished programs and holidays have been robbed of their meaning in recent times.

It is cruel to rob a man who is totally disabled as a result of combat injuries of a separate distinction for his service.

It is my opinion, that those who have been wounded and maimed totally in direct combat with the enemy should be singled out from others who have been wounded and maimed while serving in the U.S. armed services, and be recog nized as men who faced greater danger, under more hazardous conditions and with less chance for survival than others.

All permanent and total disabilities are equal in their impact upon individual lives, but not in their impact upon our society.

Since the beginning of time, when men first banned together for survival, men have periodically had to fight to protect the rights of the society in which they lived from intruders. It has always been more noble and praiseworthy for a man to fight for his country than anything else he can do. This is because all people of the nation owe a debt to him for their survival and preservation. It behooves us therefore to find ways of expressing the singular gratitude of our people to men who have fought for the United States.

The simplest and most sincere way is by additional compensation. My posture is not that other totally disabled veterans should receive less, but that combat totally disabled veterans should receive more.

It is my sincere hope that this subcommittee will agree with me and with millions of veterans throughout the United States in reasserting the right of totally disabled combat veterans to additional compensation.

STATEMENT BY HON. DONALD M. FRASER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MINNESOTA

I am grateful for the opportunity to express my views on H.R. 12333 to this distinguished subcommittee. This bill which I have introduced would increase the rates of disability compensation for disabled veterans.

Inflation has had a serious impact on the adequacy of the compensation benefit. In July 1972, compensation benefits were increased 10 percent. Since that time, the Consumer Price Index has reflected a cost-of-living increase of 11.3 percent. My bill would increase benefits by 15 percnt. This change would take into account the inflation which has occurred since the last legislated increase and would establish a hedge against further continuing inflation.

I have received numerous heart-breaking letters from disabled veterans who rely on their compensation benefits for the necessities of life and who are unable to meet expenses because of rising costs. Unfortunately, the letters that I have received are not atypical; all of us representing districts across the nation have received similar correspondence.

Inflation, of course, affects most people adversely but none are more hurt than the elderly who are on fixed pensions and have no way of stretching dollars already too thin.

The men and women who are entitled to compensation benefits have a serviceconnected disability. While we can in no way compensate for the pain and suffering these individuals have endured, we can compensate for the loss or reduction of earning capacity.

There are currently more than two million disabled veterans in receipt of compensation benefits. These men and women served our nation in a time of need. They are now in need of the higher compensation benefits which this bill would authorize. I hope that we will act with haste in our consideration of this bill.

STATEMENT BY HON. JOHN J. FLYNT, JR., A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF GEORGIA

Mr. Chairman, it is always a personal pleasure for me to appear before this Subcommittee as well as before the Full Committee on Veterans' Affairs. I have great confidence in this Committee, and I respect the time and thought which I know it gives to each of its recommendations.

My interest in all matters pertaining to veterans and their dependents is a long and continuing one. For this reason, I am particularly pleased to appear before you today in behalf of HR 519. This bill provides for annual adjustments in the monthly monetary benefits administered by the Veterans' Administration, accord. ing to changes in the Consumer Price Index.

Twenty-nine million men and women in our Country are veterans of our Armed Forces. Seven million of these individuals performed military service during the Vietnam era. The benefits which we offer our former servicemen and servicewomen is a reflection of our pride in our veterans and our gratitude for their service to this Nation. To those who have borne the heaviest burden, we owe our best efforts in providing them with the benefits that their service has earned them. To fail to fulfill the Nation's obligations to its veterans reflects dishonor on our Country and ignores the American people's grateful appreciation for the sacrifices of these men and women.

Many veterans and their dependents are now receiving less money from the programs administered by the Veterans' Administration than they could receive from the welfare programs. This disgraceful situation exists in part because of the failure of our present law to provide for periodic, automatic, cost-ofliving adjustments in veterans' benefits.

HR 519 would correct this injustice by providing VA pensioners with a regularized method of receiving cost-of-living adjustments in their veterans' compensation and Dependency and Indemnity compensation payments. Annual, automatic adjustments are the only fair and equitable method for VA benefits to

keep pace with the spiraling inflation plaguing our economy. Congress has recognized the necessity for cost-of-living adjustment periodically for those receiving Social Security benefits and Civil Service and Military retirement. Can we do less for those citizens who have sacrificed so much in the service of their Country?

During the last three years, inspite of The President's Economic Stabilization Program and wage and price controls, the cost of living has risen rapidly. These increasing costs hurt most those who are living on relatively small, set incomes like our disabled veterans and their widows and children. The Failure to keep these VA benefit programs in line with the increase in the cost-of-living undermines and weakens the structure of all veterans' programs and deprives our veterans and their dependents of their right to live in dignity and pride.

I urge this Subcommittee to take swift and affirmative action on HR 519 or similar legislation as an indication of our continuing appreciation and in an effort to repay the great debt owed to those who have served this Nation so faithfully.

Hon. OLIN TEAGUE,

CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D.C., March 25, 1974.

Chairman, Subcommittee on Compensation and Pension, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Cannon Building, Washington, D.C.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: I would like to add my voice to that of those urging additional compensation to veterans who are totally disabled as a result of combat injuries. I am a cosponsor of H.R. 6427, Congressman Burke's bill which would amend title 38 of the United States Code in order to provide additional compensation to veterans who are totally disabled as a result of combat injuries.

I am very proud of the fact that the Congress has been active in passing legislation providing more adequately for health and education benefits for our veterans. All of our veterans deserve this kind of assistance. I remember well my own gratitude for GI educational benefits following World War II. Without that help I could not have attended law school, and it is doubtful that I would have put myself forward for election.

Our veterans today have many of the same needs as we experienced. There is a special need that I think we must take cognizance of, a special kind of "thank you" we need to make. That is embodied in this legislation as we grant special recognition and benefits to veterans totally disabled as a result of actual combat injuries. They carry a special physical and psychological burden. Legislation such as this cannot lighten that load, but it can indicate that the nation for which they suffered and sacrificed has not forgotten them and appreciates what they have given. I urge rapid action on H.R. 6427.

Yours sincerely,

J. EDWARD ROUSH,
Member of Congress.

HON. ANGELO D. RONCALLO, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK, STATEMENT ON PROVIDING DISABILITY BENEFITS FOR VIETNAM ERA PRISONERS OF WAR

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to testify in support of H.R. 3623, of which I am a cosponsor. This bill would provide adjustment assistance to prisoners of war of the Vietnam era to compensate in some degree for suffering and disabilities incurred due to the inhumane circumstances of their imprisonment. Assistance would be in addition to and independent of any other benefits previously authorized by law.

Compensation would be effected by adding to section 314 of Title 38, USC, the following new subsection: "If the veteran was detained through no misconduct of his own, as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam era by the Government of North Vietnam or governments or forces allied with such Government. such detained status shall be deemed to be a disability within the meaning of section 310, and the rate of compensation therefor shall be $30 per month for each year or portion thereof that the veteran was detained as a prisoner of war, un to a maximum of $150 per month. Such compensation shall be independent of any other compensation provided in this section, and is authorized because

throughout the Vietnam conflict the Government of North Vietnam and governments and forces allied with such Government persistently and grossly violated the provisions of the Geneva Convention Relative to Treatment of Prisoners of War, which North Vietnam ratified in 1957."

We are all aware of the shocking accounts of treatment accorded to American prisoners of war by the Communists. These reports revealed harsh and severe conditions that do not make for pleasant reading. Prisoners were often beaten daily, permanently crippling some and killing others. Some received broken arms, legs, and teeth at the hand of their captors. A number of the men were denied food and sleep for days at a time in attempts to destroy their will, and a few were detained for months and even years in complete isolation from fellow captives. They were also placed in heavy iron bars or chains and forced to sit, stand or lie in unnatural positions. For some, medical treatment was denied, or if given it was often too little and too late. The returning men reported that this sadistic treatment occurred frequently, and that seriously disabled prisoners even risked summary execution if they did not regain their health.

It is obvious that such brutal and inhumane treatment by the Communists could lead to serious physical and emotional problems for some of the men involved. Upon the return of the prisoners last year, a Pentagon physician re marked:

"Every one of these men left a piece of himself in prison. You just never come back from an experience like that whole. And there's no way to predict how these men will bounce back. Some will make it in fifteen weeks, some in fifteen years and some never will."

Severe disabilities stemming from imprisonment may not be evident for some time, but we know from the past records of POWs of earlier wars that some of the men will eventually be subject to breakdowns, serious accidents, and even early death, among other misfortunes. Examples of probable POW disabilities come from the insurance industry. Actuarial statistics recorded after World War II and Korea have shown that ex-POWs, in general, have a shorter life expectancy than other men and a greater tendency for broken marriages and various accidents. Also, they have a higher rate of psychiatric disturbances, including insomnia, depression, and alcoholism.

At the time of the POW's return to the United States, doctors discovered several cases of arthritis, kidney trouble, and heart disease, in addition to various intestinal ailments and dental problems. These are physical burdens that may well plague some of the men throughout the remainder of their lives. As one Pentagon official stated: "Medically speaking, they are simply going to have to endure a lower standard of living." This prospect, in itself, would tend to be a disability to those of us who are used to leading vigorous and healthy lives. Already, the effects of incarceration appear to have taken their toll on a few of the men. At least two suicides and one tragic auto fatality have been recorded since they were released during the spring of last year. We can only guess at the number of similar tragedies that could befall other former prisoners in the years ahead.

Of the large number of POW officers released, many were pilots at the time of their capture. Sources within the Defense Department have expressed the belief that many of these men will never fly again, and if they remain in the service they may have to be retrained for other jobs that do not require the very stringent standards that have been established for flying status. Clearly, such men would be victims of an occupational disability, and adjustment to their new work environment might be difficult for some.

In brief, I think it would be an act of equity and concern to recognize that our Vietnam era prisoners of war deserve adjustment assistance beyond that accorded to other veterans. These men, who so faithfully served us during the war and who bravely endured long years of confinement in Southeast Asia, unquestionably deserve our gratitude and full support. Consequently, as a symbol of our individual and collective concern for their past suffering and for new burdens that will inevitably develop in the future, we should provide these men with the additional benefits set forth in this bill.

STATEMENT BY HON. KEN HECHLER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA, RELATING TO H.R. 3622

Each day I get letters from veterans, of all ages, concerning the compensation benefits they presently receive. These veterans are disabled due to injuries received during their time in the service. In most cases, they have families to support and must rely on their compensation for this support.

During the past year, the cost of living has risen 8.8%, and it seems only right that compensation benefits be increased to meet today's rising costs.

The veterans of our country seem to feel that they are a "Forgotten People", and it is up to the Congress to show them that this is not true, and that we do recognize and appreciate the service they have given to our country.

The following statements are excerpts from a few of the letters I have received from Veterans, urging passage of this legislation:

From a disabled veteran and officer of the DAV in Bluefield, West Virginia : ". . . I feel the bill should pass for the cost is so high these days, living costs are so expensive that right now the amount we are getting is not enough to pay bills and get other things needed."

From a disabled veteran and his wife in Huntington, West Virginia: “...since the last increase in compensation benefits, the cost of food, clothing and living expenses have gone up and increased so much that it is hard to make ends meet at present on a limited income."

From the wife of a 100% disabled veteran in Alum Creek, West Virginia : "... You can see what we owe the men who lost their lives and some so severely injured that they could not come back to a normal life. You can see the price he paid, his health, money, a lonely life, and if the doctors are right, some day his life."

From a disabled veteran in Princeton, West Virginia: "... the pensioned veterans got a raise recently. When are the compensated veterans going to get a raise. The way the price of living is going up, we need more money."

We can not deny the fact that these veterans, and thousands more like them, are entitled to a raise. Just because a man is disabled and not able to work, does not mean that he and his family must suffer because his country can not find the means to repay him for his faithful military service.

STATEMENT BY HON. TOM BEVILL, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ALABAMA, IN SUPPORT OF H.R. 11579

Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, I appreciate this opportunity to express my strong support for H.R. 11579, a bill which would amend Title 38 of the U.S. Code to provide a 15 percent increase in disability and indemnity compensation for service connected veterans.

I was proud to be among those Members of Congress who worked for the successful passage of legislation last year which increased non-service connected pension benefits by 10 percent. This legislation is helping thousands of veterans and their dependents live a little better.

I believe it is most important, Mr. Chairman, that we now increase the benefits of disabled veterans. As you know, many of these disabled veterans live on fixed income so this proposed increase would be of great benefit to them.

The Labor Department reported recently that living costs have gone up 10 percent in the last year. This is the first time since 1948 that the cost of living has increased by as much as 10 percent in a 12-month period.

Because of this ever increasing cost of living the prices of food, clothing. and other necessities we are now at the point where disabled veterans cannot obtain these necessities, on their fixed monthly compensation payments.

In my judgment, the Congress should show its appreciation to these men, who have given so much to their country, by giving swift approval to this

measure.

Mr. Chairman, disabled veterans, their dependants and survivors are depending on Congress for increases in benefits to help them keep up with the rising cost of living. We must not fail them.

I respectfully urge the Committee to give favorable consideration to this bill. Thank you.

STATEMENT BY HON. HENRY HELSTOSKI, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Mr. Chairman. I would like to voice my support for legislation pending before the committee which would grant cost of living increases in compensation for disabled veterans and dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors The consumer price index has advanced almost 15 per cent since disabled veterans had their last increase and a similar advance has occurred since survivors received their last increase.