105. Be it resolved, That we recommend the enactment of legislation providing for a 2-year presumptive period for compensation purposes for psychosis and, in so doing, we emphatically urge that once service connection is granted for a disability, thereby implying that this disability was incurred in service, that compensation be payable by the Veterans' Administration. 106. Be it resolved, That we recommend the enactment of legislation providing for a 15-percent increase in compensation to all widows of service-connected veterans who have no other dependents. 107. Be it resolved, That we recommend that the Veterans' Administration take administrative action in order that it might maintain uniformity in rating board procedures. 108. Be it resolved, That we recommend that all ratings made by the Veterans' Administration on individual veteran claims show whether or not that veteran has had combat service or whether or not he was a former prisoner of war. Also, we recommend that at all times the Veterans' Administration make absolutely certain that all disabilities are recorded on the rating sheet. 109. Be it resolved, That we ask that the Veterans' Administration give particular consideration to dates, places, and types of service in the consideration of adjudication of neuropsychiatric claims. 110. Be it resolved, That we ask that the Armed Forces change their administrative procedures so as to make absolutely certain that a claimant applying for benefits in reference to discharge, retirement, or separation from the service be allowed adequate counsel, such counsel to include service officers of veterans' organizations. 111. Be it resolved, That we recommend that, when veterans are retired under Public Law 351 and given severance pay and when they are subsequently awarded a compensable rating from the Veterans' Administration for the same disability, the Veterans' Administration reschedule for examination and reevaluation all such claims in order that the severance-pay period may be paid off and recouped as soon as possible and in order that the veteran might be allowed to draw Veterans' Administration benefits at an earlier period than would otherwise be the case. 112. Be it resolved, That we recommend that veterans' insurance laws be amended to such an extent that managers of Veterans' Administration hospitals will have the authority to take the necessary action to protect insurance rights of incompetent veterans. 113. Be it resolved, That we recommend that the Veterans' Administration recognize dependent parents of non-service-connected disabled veterans whose income limitations exceed the present rate of a single man but who do actually have a dependent mother or father, and we request regulations be changed to count dependent mothers and fathers in the income-limitation brackets. 114. Be it resolved, That we recommend that legislation be adopted giving the boards presently set up under section 302 of Public Law 346 the authority to review all disability evaluation proceedings of disability evaluation boards when the retired person believes that the percentage of disability is not correct, thus eliminating a review by the same branch of service which formerly evaluated a disability and thus effecting a full-time Board of Physical Evaluation Boards, thereby formulating appeals procedure for persons retired under Public Law 351. 115. Be it resolved, That we recommend the enactment of legislation amending Public Law 351 in order that a veteran released by the Armed Forces prior to the enactment of such a law who has disability that was called to the attention of the proper authorities prior to his separation from the service which would have qualified him for retirement be allowed to appear before a disability evaluation board and be given recourse to retirement procedures. 116. Be it resolved, That we recommend that no mentally incompetent veteran so rated by the Veterans' Administration be discharged from the VA hospital prior to the appointment of a guardian by the VA, thereby eliminating the problem of an incompetent veteran, discharged from a hospital with funds held in escrow by the Veterans' Administration, walking around the streets with no one to take care of him and no funds on which to live. 117. Be it resolved, That the national legislative department of AMVETS continue support of the library services bill which is now pending in Congress. 118. Be it resolved, That there be no amendments in the educational provisions of Public Law 550 of the 82d Congress at this time due to the newness of the bill and due to the short time that it has been in effect. We feel that it should be given a period of time to prove its worthiness. At the end of the first year, if need be, technical amendments could be made. 119. Be it resolved, That after Public Law 550 has been in effect for a prescribed period of time, that national headquarters of AMVETS give consideration to a determination as to whether or not the intermediate amount of subsistence under this law should be increased. 120. Be it resolved, That we find there is a definite shortage of doctors and nurses in the medical profession and we recommend passage of legislation granting Federal aid to medical education. 121. Be it resolved, That an overall review be made of the minimum subsistence payments under veterans' educational laws and that adjustments be made in these payments to conform with the cost of living based on the fiscal year with such adjustment in benefit payments being made on a fiscal year basis. 122. Be it resolved, That an appropriate letter of appreciation be forwarded to Oliver Meadows, chief counsel to the House Committee to Investigate the GI Bill, for his outstanding efforts in obtaining passage of this legislation and for his complete cooperation with the national headquarters staff of AMVETS. The CHAIRMAN. We have one more very fine witness, Commander in Chief Dan S. Hewitt. of the United Spanish War Veterans, the only organization representing a war in which every man was a volunteer. STATEMENT OF DAN S. HEWITT, COMMANDER IN CHIEF, UNITED SPANISH WAR VETERANS Mr. HEWITT. Thank you, Madam Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. We have known of you for years very favorably and are delighted to have you with us. Will you sit down. Judge Mack, of Washington, will be the chairman of your subcommittee. Mr. HEWITT. Madam Chairman and honored members of the committee, we thank you for allowing us to appear before you today representing our organization, the United Spanish War Veterans. As you, Madam Chairman, stated, we were a 100-percent volunteer organization. I daresay it was the only war in the history of the world fought entirely by volunteers, and we have been very, very proud of that fact. I would like to give you a little history of our Spanish-American War. The official period of the war was from April 21, 1898, until about July 4, 1902, a period of a little over 4 years. Of the troops engaged, about 61 percent saw foreign service. I think that is a larger percentage than in any other war service. From death, we lost a little over 4 percent from various causes. Our pay was $15.60 a month. We had no allowances of any kind, and we received no benefits until about 20 years after the war, when they gave us hospitalization and a small pension if we could prove we were unable to earn a support. We appreciate very much what this committee and our Congress has done for us in the past, so we are not asking specifically for any increases in pensions for our men, but we are asking for a slight increase for our widows because most of them are having a very hard time getting by with what they are getting. So we are presenting a bill, H. R. 2574, which we pray will be favorably considered. As far as the men are concerned, we are asking that we be granted outpatient hospitalization treatment on the same basis as service connected. This request is represented in H. R. 2573, introduced for us by your gracious chairman. When we enlisted in 1898, we were sent down into mosquito-infested areas; the water was contaminated; and in a very short time we became infected with malaria, yellow fever, typhoid, and such diseases as that. In fact, the doctors used Spanish War veterans as guinea pigs in their studies of those diseases at that time. We are claiming that some of our men are still suffering from the effects of those diseases. As far as proving that as service connected, we cannot do it. Neither can the Government disprove it, for the simple reason that no proper records were kept at that time. Those of us who went to the Philippines immediately came into direct contact with smallpox, cholera, and even leprosy. We used to see lepers and people with smallpox walking around on the streets. Our first job in Manila was to get these people isolated. Most of our veterans have reached an advanced age. They are far removed from hospitals. When they suffer illness, their conditions are critical, and few can be admitted to VA hospitals; they cannot even reach them. Our legislative chairman, Judge Matthias, will present our case at your convenience, and we do ask for your earnest consideration of this bill. In closing, I wish to say that we are favoring a bill-S. 36, I believe it is to have a Veterans' Committee in the Senate. We have also approved H. R. 380, which is to correct the service records of a few naval veterans. And, while we have no mandate to that effect, we are going to back up and approve in every way we can H. R. 23, which I believe has to do with converting the Veterans' Administration into a department of the Government with a director of Cabinet status. That is something that I believe would be a very, very fine thing as far as veterans are concerned. We, being the older veterans of the country at an average approaching 80, we are not going to worry you very much longer. At the present time there are some 76,000 Spanish War veterans alive. They are dying at the rate of about 7,000 a year, so any benefits you vote for us will not cost very much. Now I have one further statement, and then I will be finished. I would like to say this—that the United Spanish War Veterans maintain a headquarters here in Washington; and, if at any time any of you wish us to do anything for you, or if you wish any information, we would appreciate it very, very much if you would call upon us. Thank you very much. The CHAIRMAN. You have always been very, very cooperative, and we are delighted to hear you, and if you are going to be here we will call on you again, and I think Judge Mack will be calling on you, too. I will insert at this point the two bills to which you made reference. [H. R. 2573, 83d Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To provide greater security for veterans of the Spanish-American War, including the Boxer Rebellion and the Philippine Insurrection, in the granting of emergency hospital care by the Veterans' Administration Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Public, Numbered 62, Seventysixth Congress, approved May 3, 1939, as amended by the Act of September 19, 1950, Public Law 791, Eighty-first Congress, is hereby amended by changing the proviso to read as follows: "Provided, That veterans of the Spanish-American War, including the Boxer Rebellion and the Philippine Insurrection, who are in need of outpatient treatment, shall, upon application for such outpatient treatment by the Veterans' Administration, be deemed, for the purposes of such outpatient treatment, or for emergency hospital care incident to such treatment, to have incurred their diseases or disabilities as a direct result of military or naval service, in line of duty, during such war." [H. R. 2574, 83d Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To increase the monthly rates of pension payable to certain widows of deceased veterans of the Spanish-American War, including the Boxer Rebellion and the Philippine Insurrection Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 8 of the Act of May 1, 1926, as added by section 3 of the Act of March 1, 1944, (58 Stat. 107; 38 U. S. C. 364g), is amended to read as follows: "SEC. 8. The rate of pension payable to widows and former widows under the provisions of section 2 of this Act, as amended, is hereby increased to $60 monthly, and the widow or former widow who was the wife of the soldier, sailor, or marine during the period of his service, as defined in section 2 of this Act, shall be paid a pension at the rate of $72 per month." SEC. 2. Section 1 of the Act of June 24, 1948 (62 Stat. 645; 38 U. S. C. 364i), is amended by deleting the words: "authorized by section 4 of the Act of August 7, 1946 (Public Law 611, Seventy-ninth Congress), as amended by the Act of July 30, 1947 (Public Law 270, Eightieth Congress)", and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "prescribed by section 8 of the Act of May 1, 1926, as added by section 3 of the Act of March 1, 1944 (58 Stat. 107), as now or hereafter amended (38 U. S. C. 364g), for a widow who was not the wife of the veteran during the period of his service". SEC. 3. The rates provided by this Act shall be effective the first day of the second calendar month following its enactment. Mr. HEWITT. Thank you. The CHAIRMAN. If there is nothing further to take up, the committee will stand adjourned until the 17th, when the Veterans of Foreign Wars will be with us in force. Thank you very much, everybody. VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE UNITED STATES TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1953 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10 a. m., Hon. Edith Nourse Rogers (chairman) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will please come to order. The committee has met today to receive a statement from James W. Cothran, commander in chief, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, who is present with members of his staff and a very large delegation of members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, whom we are glad to have with us this morning. In addition to Mr. Cothran, the commander in chief, we have with us Omar B. Ketchum, director of the legislative service; Col. George H. Ijams, rehabilitation director; and Elmer Richter, director of claims, who are here with Commander Cothran. STATEMENT OF JAMES W. COTHRAN, COMMANDER IN CHIEF, VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE UNITED STATES; ACCOMPANIED BY OMAR B. KETCHUM, DIRECTOR, LEGISLATIVE SERVICE; GEORGE H. IJAMS, REHABILITATION DIRECTOR; AND ELMER RICHTER, DIRECTOR OF CLAIMS The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Ketchum, do you wish to present the commander to the committee? Mr. KETCHUM. Madam Chairman and members of the committee, may I say personally, as legislative director, that we are deeply appreciative of this special meeting which you have arranged to receive our commander in chief and national and department officers. We have asked one of the distinguished members of this committee, who happens to be well acquainted with our commander in chief, to present him to the committee. So at this time I would like to ask the honorable Gen. B. W. (Pat) Kearney, past commander in chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, to present our commander in chief. The CHAIRMAN. We should be delighted to have Gen. B. W. Kearney present the commander in chief. STATEMENT OF HON. BERNARD W. (PAT) KEARNEY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK Mr. KEARNEY. Madam Chairman and ladies and gentlemen of the committee, and my comrades of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, it is a high privilege for me today to present to the |