Following is a statement of conclusions of the Administrator of Veterans Affairs concerning the educational program for veterans, condensed from a statement by the Assistant Administrator for Legislation, Veterans' Administration, before the Committee on Veterans Affairs, House of Representatives, on February 7, 1952:

The education and training program under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act has made broad contributions to the welfare of the Nation.

(1) It has raised the general educational level of veteran participants and more than restored the educational deficit created by the war.-An estimate based upon a report of the Armed Forces Committee on Postwar Educational Opportunities for Service Personnel sets the educational deficit attributable to service in the Armed Forces during World War II at about 17 million months of training. Under the Serviceman's Readjustment Act through December 31, 1951, over 88 million months of school and college training had been provided veterans. In addition the program had provided 24 million months of job training and almost 16 million months of institutional on-farm training.

(2) It has assisted returning servicemen to readjust themselves to civilian life.-Over 7,779,000 veterans have taken some education or training under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act. Probably all of these received some assistance in readjustment to civilian life. Other veterans probably experienced benefit to morale in knowing training was available if needed. Although such benefits are extremely difficult to measure, it is evident that most veterans of World War II have satisfactorily readjusted to civilian life. By removing economic barriers, the Nation is profiting from further training those financially poor but rich in intellectual ability.

(3) It has helped to keep economic activity at a high level in the postwar period. During the fiscal year 1946 the Armed Forces discharged into civilian life over 10,000,000 persons. By the close of that fiscal year, 1,130,000 had entered training. During the fiscal year 1947 about 2,550,000 more began courses under the GI Bill. Diversion of these persons into training undoubtedly minimized unemployment. There are still over 1,433,000 veterans in training. Total Federal expenditure of over $12,974,000,000 on the program has sustained much of the Nation's educational system, increased business, and created employment.

(4) It has increased the supply of specialized and highly trained personnel needed by the Nation in the current defense effort.-Institutional on-farm training has helped prepare over 680,000 persons to obtain greater quantities of food and fiber from farms through the Nation. Highly specialized training has also been provided millions of veterans in practically all other occupational fields, thereby reducing shortages of trained manpower. The Veterans' Administration believes that in the great majority of cases the training benefits have been commensurate with the cost. It also is of the opinion that in a decided minority of cases there has been little educational benefit, the program being used for pecuniary gain by veterans and by schools.

A letter to the writer of this report from the Assistant Administ tor for Legislation, Veterans' Administration, dated March 4, 1 contains the following statement:

With specific reference to the position of the Veterans' Administration on the legislative merits of the existing law and the nature of Federal educational i fits for veterans of the Korean conflict you are advised that it is the established policy of the Administrator to refrain from recommending to the Congress the nature and extent of benefits which should be provided by legislation for 57 veteran group. It is his view that this is a legislative function concerning wh he should not submit definitive recommendations. As you know, a number of b are now pending before both the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Housef Representatives and the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare of the Senate relating to this general question. As they are requested, the Veterans' Admi istration is submitting reports to the committees on the bills undergoing active consideration. While suggestions may be made from time to time concert various purely administrative aspects in the light of experience with the Wel War II program, these suggestions will depend upon the particular type of legis lative pattern involved in the bill being considered. As to the matter of what benefits should be extended and the nature thereof, the Administrator is adhering to his established policy of making no basic recommendations to the Congress. B. VETERANS' ORGANIZATIONS

1. American Legion

The American Legion is a national organization composed of men and women veterans of World War I and II and the Korea conflict. The membership includes about 3,000,000 veterans and 1.000000 members of the women's auxiliary. The Legion has 17,400 posts un the United States and abroad."

Several recent resolutions of the national executive committee and the national convention of the American Legion relate to extension of educational benefits to veterans of the Korean conflict. These may be summarized as follows.

Resolution No. 9 of the executive committee meeting in May 1951 (referring to H. R. 3407) urges Congress and the Veterans' Admin istration to provide for the extension of entitlement to education and training under Public Law 346, Seventy-eighth Congress, as amended, to those qualified veterans who have not initiated their course of training at any time prior to the deadline date, July 25, 1951, and whe have reentered active service prior to that deadline date.

Resolution No. 303 of the national convention at Miami, Fla., October 15-18, 1951 (referring to H. R. 6377 and S. 2461), requests that Congress be petitioned to enact laws providing for advanced edu cational opportunities for veterans of this emergency, similar to those granted veterans of World War II.

Resolution No. 669 of the national convention at Miami, Fla., Octo ber 15-18, 1951 (referring to H. R. 6377 and S. 2461), urges Congress to enact legislation to extend the benefits of the Servicemen's Readjust ment Act of 1944, as amended, to all veterans in the Korean hostilities from June 25, 1950, to such date as the hostilities shall be declared legally terminated.

Information obtained from the national headquarters of the American Legion.

The following statement concerning proposed educational benefits for veterans of the Korean conflict was prepared by the national commander of the American Legion for inclusion in this report:

Commendable provisions, of title II, Public Law 346, Seventy-eighth Congress, as amended, which should be extended or included in any new law providing education and training benefits:

(a) Eligibility, as now provided in paragraph 1 to include the new period of service. Provisions for initiating and completing training to remain the same except that such periods should date from the date of discharge rather than "discharge or termination of the present (emergency) whichever is later."

(b) Entitlement, as now provided in paragraph 2, including provisions requiring satisfactory progress and for extending the period of entitlement when it ends after the major part of a term or semester.

(c) Courses.

(1) An election of full-time or part-time training as provided in paragraph 3 (a), including authorization for the Administrator to permit a change of course, or to discontinue a course pursued unsatisfactorily.

(2) Application for a short, intensive postgraduate, or training course of less than 30 weeks as provided in paragraph 3 (b), including provisions for the payment of tuition.

(3) Application for correspondence courses without subsistence allowance as provided in paragraph 3 (c), including provisions for tuition, the charge against entitlement, and the use of such courses as a part of institutional or on-the-job training.

(d) Tuition.

Paragraphs 4 and 5 have proven to be too complex and cumbersome for successful operation without excessive misunderstanding and ensuing abuses. If our recommendations are included in the extended provisions or a new law, and an allowance for books, supplies, and equipment is added to the monthly subsistence allowance then a maximum annual tuition rate of $400 is recommended. (e) Overpayment to a veteran of subsistence allowance (which overpayment has not been recovered or waived) caused by willful or negligent failure of a school to report excessive absences or discontinuance or interruption should be recovered from the school as provided in paragraph 5 (b).

(f) Subsistence rates, as provided in paragraph 6 (a), including provisions for ceilings on compensation from productive labor plus subsistence.

(g) Election of benefits under part VII or VIII as provided in paragraph 7. (h) Supervision or control of instruction in approved institutions should be denied the Administrator as provided in paragraph 8. Provisions for this restriction as applied to approval agencies is not included in this recommendation.

(i) Federal and State agencies having existing facilities and services which can contribute to the successful operation of this program, to be used by the Administrator as provided by paragraph 9, without imposing restrictions upon the selection of approved courses by an eligible veteran. This to include criteria for the approval of institutions and establishments with veto powers resting with the Administrator, including the disapproval of avocational and recreational courses not completely justified as an integral part of an educational or job objective.

(j) Educational and vocational guidance to be arranged by the Administrator as provided in paragraph 10.

(k) Definitions for educational or training institutions, other training on-thejob establishments including criteria for approving establishments offering job training and institutional on-farm training as provided in paragraph 11 (a) (b) and (c).

(1) Customary charges for tuition as defined in paragraph 11 (d) and (e) should be simplified if not entirely revised if our recommendations are considered. Recommendations for overcoming difficulties:

(a) It is believed that many of the difficulties in administering this program have been due to a statutory division of responsibilities. The Administrator has had no control over the approval of training institutions and establishments. His only control has been through the direct supervision of the veteran. The number of training officers needed to supervise the million or more veterans enrolled at any one time proved to be too costly, consequently as appropriations. were curtailed VA training officers were gradually eliminated. The subsequent. growth in the number of racket schools and veteran abuses became an ever increasing problem.

The American Legion has continuously maintained that the benefits granted under this law constituted Federal aid to the veterans, as opposed to Federal aid to education. It provided an opportunity for veterans to overcome handicaps in education and job promotion due to entrance into service. Its principal aim was to assist the veteran to make a readjustment to civilian life.

It is our recommendation that all responsibility for providing education and training benefits be centralized in the Veterans' Administration with authority to use other Federal and State agencies to the degree necessary for the successful operation of the program. Under these circumstances the Administrator can be held directly responsible for abuses. The Administrator, supported by statutory authority, could issue directives to participating agencies which should result in corrective action.

(b) All tax-supported and other institutions of higher learning could be ap proved by the Administrator with the advice and counsel of the United States Office of Education and State boards of education. Veterans enrolling in these approved institutions should be treated the same as other persons enrolled in the same institution under similar circumstances. If attending as a resident student, the Veterans' Administration would pay, in behalf of the veteran, resident tuition and fees. The VA would pay nonresident tuition and fees for the nonresident veteran up to a maximum allowed by statute. There would be no need for nege tiating contracts or agreements other than to provide the VA with reports of progress and attendance when submitting vouchers for tuition payments.

(c) Criteria for approving private trade or vocational schools, tax-supported Vocational schools, and institutions or establishments offering apprentice, other on-the-job, and institutional on-farm training, all of less than college grade, should be included in the law, with authority for the Administrator to implement it through whatever agency or institution or establishment is available in any particular State. Such a provision should authorize the Administrator to reinburse these agencies for the cost of operation under conditions prescribed by him Proprietary schools of less than college grade seeking approval should be re quired to have been in operation at least 1 year before approval and to maintain an enrollment of not less than 25 percent of persons paying their own tuition. Other criteria covering length of course, number of instructional hours, and others that might be recommended by specialists in the United States Office of Educ tion should be included. The resulting competition for students would stabilize tuition rates and give reasonable assurance there woul be a good quality of instruction. Under these conditions the need for negotiating contracts for tuition under a cost accounting formula would be minimized, if not eliminated. All veteran trainees could be treated the same as other enrollees under similar circumstances. Agreements for the payment of tuition would be based on the submission of reports on the progress and attendance of the trainee. 2. American Veterans Committee

The American Veterans Committee is a Nation-wide organization of about 48,000 veterans of World War II and servicemen and veterans of the Korean conflict. The organization has local chapters in most of the States.8

In a statement to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, House of Representatives, on March 14, 1952, the director of research and legis lation, American Veterans Committee, declared that to prevent serious disruption to the Nation's economy and educational institutions new legislation providing benefits to veterans of the Korean "war" should be enacted as soon as possible. Following is the text of the statement concerning education and training benefits:

AVC feels that, on the whole, the educational and training program provided for in Public Law 346 were successful. However, the abuses noted and cited by the Teague committee demonstrate the need for many improvements. We do not feel that desirable improvements result by heavy penalties on the individual veteran.

* Information obtained from the national headquarters of the American Veterans Com "Processed. 5 pp. Education and Training, pp. 3-4.

mittee.

We feel that subsistence allowances should be increased to meet the increased cost of living. The Consumers' Price Index of the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics can be used as a guide in determining the amounts.

While we feel there is much merit in furnishing total sums directly to the veteran, out of which he must pay tuition, laboratory fees, purchase books, and provide for him and his dependents' subsistence, we feel the amounts should be substantially more. If the committee, and subsequently the Congress, does not agree, then we recommend that the ceiling on his earnings be increased to permit him full fruits of his initiative in obtaining income from his labors. I suggest a ceiling of $2,500 for single veterans, and $3,600 for veterans with a dependent or dependents.

We think proposals guarding against the purely "GI" school are sound. Further, we feel safeguards are in order to prevent schools from charging higher tuition from veterans than from nonveterans.

We think it is obvious that high standards be required with respect to all schools-secondary, training, or colleges. We think the United States Office of Education should be consulted to a greater extent in carrying out the educational provisions. There has been a marked lack of liaison between this important Federal agency and the Veterans' Administration.

Advice and guidance in the selection of courses of study should not only be available to all veterans but should be mandatory before an educational or training program is embarked upon. I do not mean to suggest that veterans should be prevented from taking courses of their own choosing; I suggest that, in addition to "approval" of such courses, they should first receive technical advice and Vocational guidance with recommendations so that they may pursue courses best fitted to their aptitudes, previous training and experience, and best calculated to accomplish desirable end results--whether as training courses to aid them immediately in obtaining higher wages, or as educational pursuits increasing their effectiveness as citizens.

3. AMVETS (American Veterans of World War II)

AMVETS is a congressionally chartered organization of veterans of World War II and the Korean conflict. Its present membership is slightly in excess of 100,000.0

Following is the text of a statement prepared in the national headquarters of AMVETS, for inclusion in this report, concerning (a) virtues and defects of Federal legislation and administration of legis lation providing educational benefits for veterans of World War II, and (b) the nature of Federal educational benefits considered desirable for veterans of the Korean conflict:

(A) VIRTUES AND DEFECTS OF FEDERAL LEGISLATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF LEGISLATION PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS FOR VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II By convention action AMVETS have officially determined that the World War II GI bill was an investment in the future of America which produced results far above the most liberal estimates. It is remarkable that this venture into mass education has proven to be such a decided asset to the American way of life when it is considered that no history was present to guide the Congress in its original determinations.

VIRTUES

(1) Over 8 million veterans have received some sort of educational assistance from the GI bill.

(2) The expected mass unemployment following World War II never materialized because many thousands of veterans entered educational institutions. (3) Veterans who otherwise would have had to obtain menial positions were able to participate in on-the-job training phase and the vocational and trade school phase of the GI educational program.

(4) Many veterans were able to enter college who otherwise, because of family obligations would have been unable to further their education.

(5) The on-the-farm training program of the GI bill enabled many farm veterans to take advantage of the latest farm techniques, management, and

10 Information obtained from the national headquarters of AMVETS.