CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF WITNESSES Bartlett, Hon. E. L., a U.S. Senator from the State of Alaska_ Garvin, Maj. John G., U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense_- Faulkner, Lt. Col. Norman A., Chief of Legal Assistance, Judge Advocate General's Office, U.S. Air Force.. Bland, R. P., Veterans' Administration, Assistant General Counsel; accom- panied by Dr. Turner Camp, Director of Clinics; M. W. Bowers, De- partment of Medicine and Surgery; and G. A. Keith, Contact and For- eign Affairs Service, Veterans' Administration_ Dervan, John, Veterans' Administration, Director of Loan Guaranty Serv- ice; accompanied by Robert Coon, loan guaranty service; and R. P. Huber, Charles L., national director of legislation, accompanied by Irving Peltz, national service director, Disabled American Veterans.. Bird, Clarence W., director, National Economic Commission, American Bland, R. P., Assistant General Counsel, Veterans' Administration, ac- 14 16 29 III Bland, R.P. Assistant General Counsel, Veterans' Administration, ac- Dervan, John, Director of Loan Guaranty Service, Veterans' Administra- Faulkner, Lt. Col. Norman A., Chief of Legal Assistance, Judge Advocate Fong, Hon. Hiram L., a Senator from the State of Hawaii, prepared state- ment__ Garvin, Maj. John G., U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense.. statement_ _ Huber, Charles L., national director of legislation, accompanied by Irving Stover, Francis W., director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of ADDITIONAL INFORMATION House Joint Resolution 9, Legislature of the State of Alaska, 3d legisla- Letters from: P. N. Brownstein, Commissioner, Federal Housing Administration, Bagwell, John C., General Counsel, Department of Agriculture, to Resolutions adopted at the 63d National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, held at Minneapolis, Minn., August 4-VA hospital and medical program- 39-Abolish 10-F-10a-Admission policy at VA hospitals_ 45-Requesting VA hospital in Alaska.. 53-Hospital and nursing home care for veterans in State veterans I MISCELLANEOUS VETERANS' BILLS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1962 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS OF THE The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in room 1114, New Senate Office Building, Senator Ralph Yarborough (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senators Yarborough, Burdick, Kennedy, and Jordan of Idaho. Subcommittee staff members present: Stewart E. McClure, chief clerk; Frederick R. Blackwell, general counsel; Charles Johnston, associate counsel; Raymond Hurley and George Denison, assistant minority counsel. Senator YARBOROUGH. The Senate Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs will come to order. The hearing testimony this morning will be directed to seven legislative proposals, most of which are not new. Most of these-I think all of them-were reported from committee in the last session, but died on the calendar, since there was not time enough to complete action on them. These seven proposals are: S. 274, to restore to certain veterans in Alaska and Hawaii the right to receive hospital care. S. 342 and S. 625, providing veterans' medical care through private contract facilities in Alaska and Hawaii. S. 331, to extend the period during which the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs may contract for the hospital and medical care of certain veterans in the Republic of the Philippines. S. 384, to amend the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940, as amended in order to provide increased protection against eviction of dependents of servicemen from premises rented for dwelling purposes. S. 412, to provide for waiver of indebtedness to the United States in certain cases arising out of default on loans guaranteed or made by the Veterans' Administration. And S. 449, to liberalize the provisions of title 38, United States Code, relating to automobiles for disabled veterans. The first three of the bills, numbered S. 274, S. 342, and S. 625 are concerned with medical and hospital care to veterans in Hawaii and Alaska. Two of the three bills, S. 342 and S. 625, would provide for medical and hospital care for veterans with non-service-connected disabilities, while the third, S. 274, would provide such care for specified illnesses. 1 The bill, S. 331, would extend for 5 years the program originally established in 1948, and which will terminate on June 30, 1963, unless extension legislation is enacted. A number of other Senators and I introduced an identical bill during the 2d session of the 87th Congress, which was reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. The bill, S. 384, would amend the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940. Presently, section 300 of the act provides that dependents of a serviceman cannot be evicted from their dwelling place, except pursuant to a court proceeding, when the rent does not exceed $80 per month. This bill would increase that limitation to $135 per month. This amendment is necessary in order to bring the limiting rental amounting to present-day perspective. The other two bills, S. 412 and S. 449, liberalize the waiver of indebtedness on default of loans guaranteed or made by the Veterans' Administration in some cases and extend the provisions relating to automobiles for certain disabled veterans. All of these are worthy bills. The agencies have expressed themselves on some of the bills, and we have representatives here today and they will probably express themselves on the remainder of the bills before us. At this time there will be placed in the hearing record copies of the bills, together with explanations thereof, and the Department reports thereon. (The explanations and departmental reports on S. 274, S. 342, S. 625, S. 331, S. 384, S. 412, and S. 449 follow :) [S. 274, 88th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To amend section 601 of title 38, United States Code, to restore to certain veterans in Alaska or Hawaii the right to receive hospital care Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 601 (4) of title 38, United States Code, is amended (1) by striking out “or (iii)" and inserting in lieu thereof "(iii)"; and (2) by inserting immediately before the period at the end thereof the following: "; or (iv) for veterans of any war in Alaska or Hawaii where they are suffering from tuberculosis, Hansen's disease, or a neuropsychiatric ailment, or where they are permanently totally disabled within the meaning of section 502 of this title". EXPLANATION OF S. 274 This bill amends section 601 (4) of title 38, of the United States Code, to restore to veterans of any war in Alaska and Hawaii the right to receive hospital care where they are: (1) Suffering from tuberculosis, or (2) Hansen's disease, or (3) a neuropsychiatric ailment, or (4) are permanently totally disabled within the meaning of section 502 of this title. Since the Veterans' Administration can provide hospital care for veterans who suffer from service-connected disabilities, this bill would extend such care to non-service-connected disabilities in the categories listed above. [S. 342, 88th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To amend section 601 of title 38, United States Code, with respect to the definition of the term "Veterans' Administration facilities" Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 601 (4) (C) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking out "or (iii)" and inserting in lieu thereof “(iii)", and by adding immediately before the period at the end thereof the following: "; or (iv) for veterans of any war in a State (not including a territory, Commonwealth, or possession) if no hospital under the direct and exclusive jurisdiction of the Administrator is located in such State on the effective date of this Act, and if no such hospital is located within five hundred miles of the border of such State." [S. 625, 88th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To amend section 601 of title 38, United States Code, with respect to the definition of the term "Veterans' Administration facilities" Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 601(4) (C) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking out "or (iii)" and inserting in lieu thereof “(iii)", and by adding immediately before the period at the end thereof the following: "; or (iv) for veterans of any war in a State (not including a territory, Commonwealth, or possession) if no hospital under the direct and exclusive jurisdiction of the Administrator is located in such State on or after the date of enactment of this clause (iv), and if no such hospital is located within five hundred miles of the border of such State." EXPLANATION OF S. 625 AND S. 342 This bill amends the definition of the term "Veterans' Administration facilities" contained in section 601 (4) (C), title 38, of the United States Code, to include private contract facilities for veterans of any war in a State if— (1) no Veterans' Administration hospital is located in the State on the effective date of the act, and (2) no Veterans' Administration hospital is located within 500 miles of the border of the State. The amended definition of "VA facilities" would permit the use of private contract hospitals for the care of veterans with non-service-connected disabilities in the States of Alaska and Hawaii. In practical effect, the bill restores the situation existing prior to the time Alaska and Hawaii achieved statehood. Alaska and Hawaii are the only States affected by this legislation. HON. LISTER HILL, VETERANS' ADMINISTRATION, OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, Chairman, Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The following comments are furnished by the Veterans' Administration on S. 274, S. 342, and S. 625, 88th Congress. These bills deal with the hospitalization of veterans in Alaska and Hawaii. S. 342 and S. 625 propose to amend the definition of the term "Veterans' Administration facilities" contained in 38 U.S.C. 601(4) (C) to include private contract facilities for veterans of any war in a State if (1) no Veterans' Administration hospital is located in the State on the effective date of the act, and (2) no Veterans' Administration hospital is located within 500 miles of the border of the State. This would permit the use of private contract hospitals for the care of war veterans with non-service-connected disabilities in the States of Alaska and Hawaii. S. 625 differs somewhat from S. 342 by incorporating certain desirable clarifications, notably to make the provision inapplicable if a VA hospital is established in the State at any time after date of this amendment. |