LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL WASHINGTON, D. C., April 23, 1956. DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: Your Commission on Veterans' Pensions, established by Executive Order No. 10588, of January 1955, herewith submits its final report, including findings and recommendations. The Commission has attempted to carry out the instructions contained in your letter of March 5, 1955, to the chairman, and the timing is in accordance with the approved extension of the completion date. Existing veterans' benefit programs on the whole are working well and are being soundly administered. Veterans as a group are better off economically than nonveterans. The Commission was especially impressed with the recent trend away from the old backward-looking pension philosophy. The present practice of assisting the veteran in his immediate readjustment to civil life is much more effective. A veteran now receives help when he needs it most. While the general situation is good, the Commission's studies did reveal some important weaknesses and inequities that can and should be corrected. One of the most serious is that under some of the programs benefits are not being channeled sufficiently to those who have sacrificed the most or whose needs are greatest. There is also a decided need for long-range programing and for coordination between related programs, especially between the veterans' non-service-connected pension program and the general social security programs. The Commission endeavored to base its conclusions on factual data. Since many of the necessary data were not available, a number of extensive surveys and special studies were undertaken. These covered the economic and social condition of veterans, their special problems, and the effectiveness of present benefit programs. The factual data assembled will be generally available when the various factfinding studies are published as later parts of the report. The Commission also secured the views of the veterans' organizations. At the outset they were requested to submit suggestions and recommendations. Later, extended conferences were held with representatives of the major organizations. We hope that the information collected will be used for the development of more effective and better coordinated programs for veterans. We also hope our report will contribute to a better understanding of veterans' affairs by all the people. Now that one-half of our whole population consists of veterans and servicemen and their families, and Federal veterans' expenditures are $4.5 billion annually, our national policy toward veterans concerns every citizen. |