FEDERAL AID TO STATE HOMES FOR SUPPORT OF DISABLED SOLDIERS AND SAILORS FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 1943 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS, Washington, D. C. The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:30 a. m., United States Capitol Building, Senator Robert R. Reynolds (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Reynolds (chairman), Truman, Wallgren, Kilgore, Murray, Bridges, Gurney, and Lodge. The CHAIRMAN. The meeting will please come to order. We have up for consideration this morning S. 861, a bill introduced by Senator Walsh to increase the amount of Federal aid to State or Territorial homes for the support of disabled soldiers and sailors of the United States. (S. 861 is as follows:) [S. 861, 78th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To increase the amount of Federal aid to State or Territorial homes for the support of disabled soldiers and sailors of the United States Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the act entitled "An act to provide aid to State or Territorial homes for the support of disabled soldiers and sailors of the United States," approved August 27, 1888, as amended (U. S. C., 1940 edition, title 24, sec. 134), is amended by striking out in the first paragraph thereof "$240 per annum" and inserting in lieu thereof "$540 per annum." SEC. 2. The amendment made by this act shall apply to payments with respect to the care given to disabled soldiers and sailors on and after the first day of the month next following the month during which this act is enacted: Provided, That said payments shall be made regardless of whether said veteran may be receiving domiciliary care or hospitalization in said home and the appropriations of the Veterans' Administration for medical, hospital, and domiciliary care shall be available for this purpose: Provided further, That no payment to a State or Territory under this act shall be made for any period prior to the date upon which the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs determines that the veteran on whose account such payment is requested is eligible for such care in a Veterans' Administration facility. (The existing law is as follows:) SEC. 134. AID TO STATE OR TERRITORIAL HOME. All States or Territories which have established, or which shall establish, State homes for disabled soldiers and sailors of the United States who served in the Civil War or in any previous or subsequent war who are disabled by age, disease, or otherwise, and by reason of such disability are incapable of earning a living, provided such disability was not incurred in service against the United States, shall be paid for every such disabled soldier or sailor who may be admitted and cared for in such home at the rate of $240 per annum. The number of such persons for whose care any State or Territory shall receive the said payment under this section shall be ascertained by the Adminis Frator of Veterans Affairs under such regulations as it may prescribe, but the wald Plate or Territorial homes shall be exclusively under the control of the prospective Ntate or Territorial authorities, and the Administrator shall not have hot #stiine any management or control of said State or Territorial homes. The Administrator of Veterans' Affairs shall, however, have power to have The said State or Territorial homes inspected at such times as it may consider necessary, and shall report the result of such inspections to Congress in its annual report: Provided, That no State shall be paid a sum exceeding one-half The cost of maintenance of each soldier or sailor by such State: Provided furTher, That one half of any sum or sums retained by State homes on account of posions received from inmates shall be deducted from the aid provided for in This section No money shall be apportioned to any State or Territorial home that maintatus a bar or canteen where intoxicating liquors are sold: Provided further, That for any sum or sums collected in any manter fo e inmates of such State of Territorial homes to be used for the support of sud bicies a like amount shall be deducted from the aid provided for in this section. hat this proviso shall not apply to any State or Territorial home into which the wires or widows of ldren are admitted and maintained. AMENDMENTS, EFFECTIVE DATS First paragraph was amended by act August 1. 169 27 tuting $240 per annum“ in lieu of "$120 per annumL provided as follows: "Sec. 2. The amendment made by jayments with respect to the care given to d sized scares in ater the first day of the month next folewing the 300 2 acci epacted: Provided, That said payments sta je male wed veteran may be receiving domiciliary care or desai est the appropriations of the Veterans' Amin st ed domiciliary care shall be available for this purpose To payment to a State or Territory under this at St * to the date upon which the Administrator or Vergang e veteran on whese derunt such payment s day up & Levens 1sion facility." here, gentlemen. i 0. Seven,trách, lo que apprimed Anes 1. 1 wereased the S'e and Tee % homes for the support of disabled soldiers he Unter tre from $120 to $400 ter Aggarently, for requesting an increase in the Federal aid parmers at this Toly to the increased crat of maintaining Stare solders' homes. in inereused cost for such maintenance sizce 193 but, in the Veterane Administration, not in an amount sufficient to justify 125 percent over the amount presently authorized. After carewa of the matter it is believed that under existing circumstances an increase of the present allowance of $20 per month to $25 per month, which would increase the allowance of $240 per annum to $300 per annum, would be sufficient to offset any increased cost of maintaining veterans in State homes. The Veterans' Administration would recommend favorable consideration of such increase. It is estimated that the cost of increasing Federal aid to State homes from $240 to $540 for each veteran who will receive domiciliary care or hospitalization in such homes during the fiscal year 1944 would be $1,700,000. It is estimated that the cost of increasing Federal aid to State homes from $240 to $300 per annum for the fiscal year 1944 would be $340,000. In view of the foregoing, the Veterans' Administration is unable to recommend favorable consideration of the bill, but if it were amended to substitute $300" for "$340," the Veterans' Administration would recommend favorable consideration of the bill as so amended. Advice has been received from the Bureau of the Budget that there would be no objection by that office to the submission of this report to your committee, as it is not believed that the enactment of the proposed legislation, in its present form, should be considered as being in accord with the program of the President. Very truly yours, FRANK T. HINES, Administrator. The CHAIRMAN. Now we have a letter here from the Governor of Indiana, under date of May 18, 1943, directed to one of our colleagues, the Honorable Raymond E. Willis, United States Senator, which I will read. (The chairman read the following letter:) Hon. RAYMOND E. WILLIS, Senate Office Building, Washington, D. C. STATE OF INDIANA, MY DEAR SENATOR: On August 4, 1939, President Roosevelt signed H. R. 4647, which increased the allowance made by the Federal Government to State soldiers' homes and hospitals. The increase was from 33 cents to 66 cents per day per veteran. The original bill called for an allowance of $1 a day. However, there was a compromise to 66 cents, and this was the first increase these State homes had received since their inception in 1888. At that time the 33 cents a day from the Federal Government covered 66 percent of the total cost of maintenance. The present Federal Government contribution, 66 cents per day, covers only 21 percent of the actual cost of maintenance of the soldiers' home here in Indiana, and I think that is also true of the 27 homes in the other 24 States that maintain them. The average daily population at the soldiers' home for the fiscal year 1941-42 was 476.97, while the Government's contribution was based on an average of approximately 270.17-so you see that not all of the members of the home are eligible for the Federal Government contribution. Last year the expenses of the soldiers' home in Indiana were $281,754.48. We were reimbursed to the extent of $59,086.14 by the Federal Government for the members on the Federal rolls as accepted by the Veterans' Administration. This left a net cost to the State of Indiana of $222,668.34 for the care of its veterans. The 25 States that maintain State homes and hospitals for veterans care for a large number of veterans who come within the scope of the Veterans' Administration facilities. If these States were not caring for these cases, the entire cost would have to be borne by the Federal Government. The States should be reimbursed for at least half of the cost for the maintenance of veterans in the State home or hospital. Bills have been introduced at this session of Congress for further reimbursement to the States. One of these, S. 861, was introduced by Senator Walsh. A companion bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives, H. R. 2202, by Congressman Lane. I understand that there will be a hearing on this bill before the Military Affairs Committee, and it would be appreciated if an early date could be arranged for same. The bill has a great deal of merit as the increase in cost of maintaining these homes and hospitals has been exceptionally large. Colonel TURNER. That, as far as I know, Senator, is the only place where the word "misconduct" appears. This law might take that concept out of this whole problem. Senator JOHNSON. Your bill here provides merely for the repeal and does not add any language? Lieutenant HAWKINS. That is right, sir, it just repeals the forfeiture section, and it does not distinguish between misconduct and nonmisconduct in the acquisition of the disease. Senator KILGORE. One thing that might help the whole problem hereafter, Colonel, might be a proviso that all records of this nature shall be treated, not as public records, but exclusively as the records of the Army, something of that kind. Senator JOHNSON. I believe they ought to make records, but I do not believe so much weight should be placed on them. The CHAIRMAN. Are there any other questions, gentlemen? The CHAIRMAN. See what you can work out with respect to that and let us hear from you later in regard to both the suggestions of Senator Johnson and Senator Kilgore. Senator Gurney was not here at the time we had the discussion. Have you any questions to ask? Senator GURNEY. I haven't any questions. Lieutenant HAWKINS. A rule that records of this nature shall be records of the Army exclusively could be established by Army regulations, sir, rather than by legislation. Senator KILGORE. Yes, it could be done by Army regulations, but we might have to amend some statute in order to have authority for the Army regulations to be changed. There might be some statute here some place that makes that mandatory in the regulations. Regulations must conform to existing law. Lieutenant HAWKINS. That is right, sir. Senator KILGORE. Although they are Executive directives, they must conform to the law. The CHAIRMAN. That is all. Thank you very much, gentlemen. REPEALING LAW PROVIDING FOR THE FORFEITURE OF PAY BECAUSE OF VENEREAL DISEASE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 1943 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON MILLITARY AFFAIRS, Washington, D. C. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 11:20 a. m. at the Capitol, Senator Robert Reynolds (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Reynolds (chairman), Downey, Murray, and Revercomb. The CHAIRMAN. This is a continuation of the hearing that we had last week on this bill, S. 1250. A new section has been submitted, reading as follows: No person shall be denied, after separation from the service, any right, benefit, or privilege granted by law, solely by reason of a venereal disease contracted by him, either before or during his service in the Armed Forces; and no record thereof made by the War or Navy Department shall be revealed to any person not in that Department, or to any other governmental department, bureau, or agency, except with the consent of such person. Heretofore, the soldier was penalized if he reported the disease, and now you are eliminating the penalty. Is that right? STATEMENT OF SECOND LT. JOSEFH F. HAWKINS Lieutenant HAWKINS. It is merely a repeal of the proviso. Lieutenant HAWKINS. Yes, and obtain proper treatment for it. We had, as you recall, Senator, testimony on that and you requested the percentages of those who are being inducted with venereal diseases. Colonel Turner was here at the time and made note of the fact that, as they are getting more and more into lessening the physical restrictions, they are taking in some venereal diseases. In October 1942, the percentage with venereal disease was 2.37 percent of the total number inducted; in November, 2.50 percent; in December 3.08 percent; in January 1943 the percentage was 4.37 percent; in February, 4.07 percent; in March, 4.44; and in April it was 8.50. The CHAIRMAN. Of inductees. Lieutenant HAWKINS. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. To what do you attribute that tremendous increase? 9 |