(General District Manager Letter, Administration Division No. 25. Canceled by Property Regulations, 1924) INVOICES COVERING SUPPLIES SHIPPED TO THE DISTRICTS SEPTEMBER 11, 1922. The chief of the supply section of central office and the representatives in charge of the intermediate depots have been instructed to forward, through your office, all invoices covering supplies shipped to stations under your jurisdiction. Supplies shipped to the district office and all stations, the property of which is accounted for by the district property custodian, should be receipted for and carried on the property returns as prescribed in paragraph 71, Property Regulations No. 1. In this case the district property custodian should accomplish receipts as prescribed in paragraph 30-b, Property Regulation No. 1. In the event that supplies are shipped to a station under the jurisdiction of your office, but to which a bonded property custodian has been assigned, all papers should be forwarded by your office to the property custodian in question, who should accomplish receipts as required by paragraph 30-b, Property Regulations No. 1, and account for the property as prescribed in paragraph 75 of the aforementioned regulations. It will be noted that a copy of an invoice or receipt should not be retained in your office if property is shipped to a station under your jurisdiction at which a bonded property custodian has been assigned. As such property custodian is under bond, is held accountable for all property entrusted to his care, and is required to make returns through your office to central office, a copy of the property vouchers to his accounts will not be required in your office. Kindly acknowledge receipt of this letter and advise if these instructions are clearly understood, and if not, please request further information in the form of a questionnaire, in order that a definite reply may be given to each question. Your reply should be addressed for attention of the chief clerk, United States Veterans' Bureau, Arlington Building, Washington, D. C. W. C. BLACK, Chief Clerk. (District Manager Letter, Claims Division, No. 1. Obsolete) APRIL 4, 1922. The index section of the claims division sends to each district office a daily list showing the C numbers assigned to the new claims for that district. The letter transmitting this list requests the return, receipted, of a carbon copy. Some of the districts are returning also the original list for no apparent reason, and frequently the same district later writes in requesting a duplicate list. The original list should be retained in the district as a permanent record after the C numbers have been entered on the various other records. You are directed to issue the necessary instructions to the end that the original copy of these lists will be retained in your office. LEON FRASER, Assistant Director. (District Manager Letter, Claims Division, No. 2) APRIL 7, 1922. In the event that a claimant who has a permanent address in another district is residing in your district for any reason, and will remain in your district for a period of time, any claim which he may desire to file should be handled by your district. His local address and his hospital address, if any, should be given on Forms 76, and 3101, 3102, 3103, or 12-D. On these forms there should be no reference to his legal residence. All data received in central office on such a case will be referred to your district provided the claimant has not previously filed a claim in another district, in which event you will be advised. At the expiration of a man's period of sojourn in your district the case file will be transferred as provided in Field Order No. 39, United States Veterans' Bureau. The case file will not be transferred, however, until a C number has been assigned. When filling out Forms 3101, 3102, 3103, or 12-D on any case the present address of the claimant should always be given. LEON FRASER, Assistant Director. (District Manager Letter, Claims Division, No. 3) APRIL 25, 1922 The claims division of the central office is receiving claims jackets that are being returned from the district offices for the purpose of final review in very poor condition. That is to say, in many instances the jacket does not accompany the claims papers and in some instances the papers in the jacket are not securely attached. In sending in a claims jacket to the central office all the evidence should be securely fastened to the folder and a rubber band placed around the same before it leaves the district office. We also find that the award face briefs have been detached, and upon examination of the file there is evidence which shows that an award has been made, but the award face brief can not be found. You should see that all of this evidence is contained within the jacket before the same leaves your district office. LEON FRASER, Assistant Director. (District Manager Letter, Claims Division, No. 4. Obsolete) MAY 16, 1922. This is to advise you that the decentralization section in the central office has been transferred from the district office division to the claims division. Hereafter all requests for transfer of cases should be addressed to the claims division, attention of decentralization section, central office. In making requests for cases, please give the claimant's full name, rank, organization, and C number, if possible. This information will greatly aid central office in expediting reply to your requests. CHARLES E. MULHEARN, Acting Assistant Director. (District Manager Letter, Claims Division, No. 5) MAY 17, 1922. It has been observed that the instructions to examiners and reviewers, entitled " 'Subrogation cases," issued under date of November 1, 1921, are not being followed by the district offices. There are inclosed herewith copies of my previous instructions dated November 1, 1921, on subrogation cases, and it is suggested that the reviewers' and examiners' attention be again called to the necessity of following these instructions implicitly, as their failure to detect potential subrogation cases when a claim for compensation is filed may result in a substantial loss to the Government under section 313 of the act. There are also inclosed herewith 100 questionnaire forms, together with 100 letters, signed by John P. Bramhall, chief, subrogation section, legal division, this bureau, one of which should always be properly addressed and sent to the claimant with a questionnaire. A careful check should be kept of a subrogation case on which one of these questionnaires is sent out to see that the claimant properly executes same and forwards it to the central office. If desired, these questionnaires can be sent out in duplicate, with a request that one copy be sent to your office and the other mailed to the central office, so that your office will know when the claimant has complied with the instructions contained in the letter accompanying the questionnaire. CHARLES E. MULHEARN, Acting Assistant Director. (District Manager Letter, Claims Division, No. 6) JUNE 3, 1922. With further reference to our night letter of May 25, regarding decentralization of disallowed claims, you are advised that we are making a special effort to honor promptly every request that is submitted, either by forwarding the case itself or giving satisfactory reason why the case can not be sent. At the close of business on May 24 all requests received from all of the districts for disallowed cases had received the proper attention. When calling for a disallowed claim district managers should be careful to see that the correct C number is furnished and that the request is submitted in duplicate. Upon receipt of the request in the decentralization section the case will be immediately forwarded to the district, or in the event that the case has been sent to another district, or is a permanent total or death case, you will be so advised by letter. A copy of your duplicate request will be returned to your office with the case, or a letter advising other disposition of the case. The information contained in the letter should immediately upon its receipt be checked against your pending requisitions for disallowed cases to avoid having a list of cases which have apparently not received the proper attention in the central office. There are numerous instances where requests for disallowed cases are dated in the district office and allowed to accumulate for a period of time varying from 3 to 10 days before being forwarded all at one time to the central office for attention. This practice should be discontinued. There should be sent but one request for a claim, but should the claim be not received or no satisfactory answer given as to its disposition, instead of making another request for the same case the matter should be followed up with a letter requesting information as to action taken. It is desired that requests for disallowed cases be confined to letter only, discontinuing the use of the telephone and telegraph for this purpose, unless the case is one of great urgency, in which event the telegraph should then be used. Hereafter all requests for claims as well as all cases to and from the district offices shall be handled in the decentralization section, claims division, central office. It being our purpose to give you prompt and satisfactory service in handling these disallowed cases, you will, by following instructions, assist us materially. CHARLES E. MULHEARN, Acting Assistant Director. (District Manager Letter, Claims Division, No. 7. Canceled by General Order No. 375) JULY 18, 1922. In the adjudication of insanity claims and claims of incompetents where no guardian, committee, etc., have been appointed, the following procedure shall be observed in accordance with section No. 5 of H. R. 8778, approved December 24, 1919. (a) The provisions of Treasury Decision No. 59 WR, promulgated by virtue of the authority conferred in section No. 13 of the war risk insurance act, should be carefully read. Special attention is invited to sections 1, 8, 9, 10, and 11. (b) When a claim comes before the examiner for adjudication, the file disclosing that the disability is compensable but the man considered mentally incompetent to supervise the receipt and expenditure of compensation and insurance funds, it is the duty of the examiner to communicate with interested parties regarding the appointment of a guardian, committee, etc., who may receive these benefits for the claimant. If no suitable response is received and the claimant is confined to a public institution, the examiner will proceed at once with the adjudication of the claim under Treasury Decision No. 59 WR. The initial step is as follows: Examine carefully the list of hospitals sent in communication dated February 4, 1922, in order to see if the necessary evidence of authority is on file which will permit the forwarding of an institutional allowance for comforts and desires, which is exclusive of the man's regular medical care, treatment, and maintenance. If the hospital is listed a communication is addressed to the chief executive officer of the institution wherein the claimant is confined, stating that the man is suffering from a compensable disability, but considered incompetent, and that steps are being taken toward the adjudication of the claim in accordance with Treasury Decision No. 59 WR, inclosing United States Veterans' Bureau Form No. 574, estimate sheet (Exhibit A), for the chief executive officer to execute, showing the amount required per month for necessary comforts and desires. If the hospital is not listed, it will be necessary that the following evidence from the chief executive officer be secured before you can request and approve any estimates submitted by him for the furnishing of comforts and desires of the insane claimant. (From opinion of general counsel, under date of May 22, 1920.) 1. A copy of statutes or other legal enactments by virtue of which authority is granted to receive and disburse funds received on behalf of inmates. 2. A certified copy of the appointment to office by the Federal, State, municipal, or other official authorized to make such appointment. 3. A certified copy of the bond furnished by such official authorized to receive and disburse funds, if he is a bonded officer. Everything being correct, proper brief face United States Veterans' Bureau Form 502-A, revised March, 1919 (Exhibit B), should be prepared, allowing the amount requested per month for the furnishing of comforts and desires, and in addition thereto a special payment of $50 should be made to the institution, which is to be held in trust until such time as a guardian, committee, etc., is appointed, or the claimant is considered competent. When a guardian committee, etc., is appointed, or the claimant is considered competent, the hospital will pay the amount of $50 over to the proper person, obtaining receipt for the same; this receipt is to be forwarded to the central office when accounting is made by the hospital. The institution should be clearly informed by letter as to the special purpose of this payment. If the award is approved by the reviewer in charge the award typist |