COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS NINETY-THIRD CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON BILLS TO INCREASE COMPENSATION PAYMENTS FOR SERV- 31-413 O UNIV Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans Affairs 1974 GOV'T Pages of all hearings are numbered cumulatively to permit a U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1974 VEPARTA CONTENTS Page Attridge, 1st Lt. Patrick J., Jr., AUS (Ret.) (See: Disabled Officers Asso- Chairman, Subcommittee on Compensation and Pension (See: Teague, Chittick, Geraldine B. (See: Gold Star Wives of America, Inc.) Collatos, Charles N. (See: Massachusetts Veterans Service Commission) Compensation and Pension Subcommittee (See: Subcommittee on Com- Gallaher, Mrs. W. Earl (See: Military Wives Association, Inc.) Golembieski, Edward H. (See: American Legion) Hammerschmidt, Hon. John Paul---. 2305, 2306 2220, 2230, 2237, 2251, 2253, 2258, 2264, 2265, 2280, 2281, 2286, 2290, 2291, IV Page. Kischefsky, Walter A. (See: National Association for Uniformed Services) McKinney, C. A. "Mack" (See: Noncommissioned Officers Association of the United States of America) Massachusetts Veterans Service Commission: Collator, Charles N., commissioner Matsunaga, Hon. Spark M___ 2306 2309, 2310 Mattingly, Charles E. (See: American Legion) Maye, James A. (See: Paralyzed Veterans of America) Meyer, Col. George F., Jr. (See: Retired Officers Association) Military Wives Association, Inc.: Galaher, Mrs. W. Earl.. 2303 2307 Montgomery, Hon. G. V. (Sonny). 2258, 2264-2266, 2279-2282, 2284, 2286, 2287, 2290–2294, 2297, 2298, 2301, 2324 Myers, Hon. John T-- 2307 National Association for Uniformed Services: Kischefsky, Walter A., legislative counsel__. 2287-2291 Nolan, Robert W. (See: Fleet Reserve Association) 2246-2251 O'Brien, Hon. George M_. 2233, 2234 Paralyzed Veterans of America: Maye, James A., executive director_- 2282-2286 Pepper, Hon. Claude___ 2313, 2314 Price, Hon. Bob____. 2319, 2320 Reilly, Maj. Walter J., USMC (Ret.) (See: Disabled Officers Association) Retired Officers Association: Meyer, Col. George F., Jr., legislative counsel Say, Harold B. (See Veterans of World War I of the U.S.A., Inc.) 2214, 2220, 2221, 2230–2232, 2234, 2237, 2238, 2246, 2247, 2251-2255 Stover, Francis W., Director, National Legislative Service----. 2235-2238 Veterans of World War I of the U.S.A., Inc.: Say, Harold B., legislative director 2234 Whitehurst, Hon. G. William__ 2312 Wyant, Dennis R. (See Blinded Veterans Association) Wylie, Hon. Chalmers P. 2230, 2231, 2237, 2238, 2251, 2253, 2254, 2298–2301 Young, Hon. C. W. (Bill). 2321 INCREASES IN COMPENSATION AND DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COMPENSATION RATES TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 1974 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMPENSATION AND PENSION OF THE Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to notice, in room 334, Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C., Hon. Olin E. Teague [presiding]. Mr. TEAGUE of Texas. The meeting will come to order. The committee is meeting this morning to begin hearings on two major programs, veterans' disability compensation and the survivors benefit of dependency and indemnity compensation. Hearings on these subjects were last held in the 92d Congress in October, 1971, on the survivors program and in May 1972 on veterans disability compensation. Following these hearings our committee recommended and the Congress enacted, cost of living increases in the rates of DIC, effective January 1, 1972, and in the rates of disability compensation, effective August 1, 1972. In view of the growing inflation and the ever-increasing rise in the cost of living, we must again inquire into the adequacy of the benefits we extend to our service disabled veterans and to the survivors of those who die from service-connected causes. Although we are primarily concerned with determining the appropriate levels of the monthly rates authorized for the various categories of beneficiaries, I want to make it clear that all bills before the subcommittee bearing on each of these most important programs have been placed on the agenda of the hearings in order that we may have the benefit of views concerning all aspects of the laws pertaining to these benefits. Before introducing our first witness, I would like to ask unanimous consent to insert in the record at this point the history of wartime service-connected compensation increases for disabled veterans from July 1, 1933, through August 1, 1972, and also a list of bills to be considered, with copies of the bills and the agency_reports thereon. [The documents referred to follow:] (2115) |