STATEMENT OF HON. JOSHUA EILBERG, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS Mr. Teague and gentlemen, I speak in support of H.R. 15338, which I introduced last February, in an effort to alleviate to some degree a problem which is growing and which will continue to grow. Our veteran population is growing-growing larger and growing older. What my bill seeks is to readjust and in the main improve benefits for disability and for families in cases of the death of disabled veterans. Its aim is to bring closer to reality this entire field; to correct inequities which have been observed both by veterans and by the Veterans Administration, which services these claims. How many cases have we on record of veterans denied benefits because of chronic diseases because these diseases did not become manifest until after existing deadlines, although it is probable that these diseases were contracted during service? I have a number in my files and feel sure my colleagues have many as well. Basically, H.R. 15338 would provide for benefits for a chronic disease which becomes manifest within a year of separation from service; for chronic diseases which become manifest within five years of separation if the veteran was a prisoner of war for 90 days or more; for Parkinson's disease developing within seven years of separation from service. The bill raises and adjusts monetary disability and death benefits. It provides further for a clothing allowance for veterans with prosthetic devices which tend to wear out or tear clothing. It improves and adjusts subsistence for veterans and their families during a period of training or retraining. This bill does not solve all problems; indeed there are so many problems facing the disabled veteran that money can only aid in the smallest degree; but it is a means through which we can begin to discharge our debt to the men who lost their lives and health in the service to their country. STATEMENT OF HON. SEYMOUR HALPERN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK, IN FAVOR OF H.R. 16158 Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the committee, I am appearing here today to urge passage of H.R. 16158, which I introduced, to increase compensation veterans receive for service-connected disabilities. The bill makes the same provisions as H.R. 16027, introduced by you, Mr. Chairman, during the present session. This nation's veterans, to whom we owe so much, are still being compensated as if nothing had changed since December of 1965. Since that time, the cost of living has risen 8.3%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics. H.R. 16158 would correspondingly adjust the compensation rates. The bill increases the nine disability rates, of ten percent disability through ninety percent disability, by approximately that same percentage-eight point three. For example, the monthly rate for ten percent disability would rise from 21 to 23 dollars. The ninety percent disability rate would rise from 209 to 226 dollars. Section 314, United States Code Title 38 provides additional amounts for specific service-connected anatomical losses and physical disorders in addition to the disability percentage rates. For instance, if a veteran has lost a hand or foot, or lost his sight, or has incurred a hearing or speech disorder, he receives $47 monthly for each such loss in addition to the disability rate which, as we see, presently ranges from 21 to 209 dollars. However, Section 314 now limits the entire monthly compensation entitlement to $600. My bill would increase that limit to $700. By this measure, higher compensation would not be paid for the specific losses, but the veterans most severely disabled on the battlefield would receive compensation for losses which are presently non-compensable only because of the monetary limit. In the same manner, H.R. 16158 increases the limit of compensation of veterans who are bedridden, in need of regular attendance or independent upon prosthetic appliances. We have recently adjusted the veterans pension and social security payments to the increased cost of living. Rising living costs affect most harshly persons of limited incomes. Certainly then, we owe the same obligation to those citizens who must suffer and endure limited earning capacity for the very reason of their physical, bodily disability suffered while serving their country. STATEMENT BY THE HONORABLE WILLIAM H. HARSHA, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF OHIO, ON BEHALF OF H.R. 15779 Mr. Chairman and members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I deeply appreciate the opportunity to appear in support of my bill, H. R. 15779 and related measures. Your Committee has long been aware of my sincere interest in the welfare of our nation's veterans, and my appearance before you in support of legislation to improve the veterans' welfare is not new. However, I could not pass up this opportunity to urge your stimulating discussion and prompt action on the legislation proposed to increase compensation rates payable to service-connected disabled veterans. We are all aware of the many sacrifices our servicemen are making not only by spending two or more years of their productive lives to defend freedom around the world, but many of them are now being returned with severe disabilities received in direct combat in Vietnam. To these men as well as to the thousands of older veterans who still bear the scars of other wars, we have an obligation to keep such benefits at a level which will ensure them a decent standard of living. Under existing law the basic rate for a totally disabled service-connected veteran is $300 per month and this sum is insufficient to meet the cost of maintaining himself and his family under prevailing standards of what is necessary for health, nutrition and participation in community activities. The average family income in the U.S. now exceeds $6400 per year and there seems little justification for compensating a 100% service-connected disabled veteran at a rate only little more than half of the nation's average family income. I would also like to direct the attention of this Committee to the fact that the statutory award for service-connected arrested tuberculosis has not been increased since 1952-16 years ago. Even non-service connected pensions have had increases several times during the last 16 years, but this particular service-connected disability has been completely ignored. I would again emphasize the fact that these increases in compensation for our veterans are desperately needed to assist the veteran and his family in meeting the cost of living in today's economy in the U.S. within a standard of living which is not demeaning to his status as a veteran. I strongly urge this Committee to give consideration to the provisions of H. R. 15779 which I introduced in the House on March 6, 1968, and to report to the Congress this or similar legislation to enable our veterans to live with dignity. STATEMENT BY HON. SPEEDY O. LONG, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, ON H.R. 12046 Gentlemen, This statement is presented, at your invitation, in support of H.R. 12046, which I have introduced, and which is pending before your Committee. The bill would amend the appropriate sections of the United States Code to equalize the rates of disability compensation payable to veterans of peacetime and wartime service. Under the law as it is presently written, veterans with service-connected disabilities who are entitled to disability compensation receive different benefits, depending upon the time or date the disability began, whether in peacetime or within certain designated wartime dates. Those veterans in the category of peacetime disabled veterans receive only 80% of the benefits paid to wartime disabled veterans with similar disabilities. I have been unable to understand the reasoning behind the differences in these disability benefits. A disabled veteran has no control as to the date of his onset of disability; indeed any veteran has no control over the times and periods he may be required or may have been required to serve in the armed forces of his country. A disabled veteran of any period is faced with the same problems of economic impairment. In many cases, veterans with disabilities occurring during peacetime service also served during wartime periods. In essence, therefore, I believe the present law should be amended to equalize the benefits being paid to these two classes of disabled veterans. My bill has the support of the Louisiana Department of the American Legion. I am pleased to submit for the record and to make as part of my remarks, the copy of a resolution adopted by the Louisiana Department of the American Legion at its annual convention at Shreveport, Louisiana, on July 14-16, 1967 in support of this proposed legislation. I might add further that several of my constituents have called this inequity in our law to my attention and have requested my assistance and support in amending the law so as to equalize benefits being paid to veterans with service connected disabilities. My bill, H.R. 12046, would accomplish this needed change in the law. I respectfully request, therefore, that your Committee report favorably H.R. 12046. THE AMERICAN LEGION, HON. SPEEDY O. LONG, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. DEAR SPEEDY: Attached are resolutions passed by the Louisiana Department of The American Legion at its State Convention held in Shreveport, Louisiana, July 14-16, 1967. Your kindest consideration of these matters will be appreciated. Very truly yours, WILSON J. HEBERT, RESOLUTION No. 1 Whereas, the present peacetime rate of disability compensation is 80% of that of the wartime rate, and Whereas, the disabled veteran has no control as to the date of onset of his disability, and Whereas, the disabled veteran of any period is faced with the same economical impairment, and Whereas, the original law governing compensation did not equate periods of onset of disability to govern payments, and Whereas, in 1956 the Congress corrected the inequity in death payment by equalizing benefits to surviving beneficiaries entitled to D&IC award, and Whereas, many veterans have disabilities incurred during a peacetime period but also served within wartime dates, and Whereas, this is an inequity to compensate veterans with identical disabilities at different rates of payment; and Whereas, the Senate Bill #1800 has been introduced and is presently before the Senate Finance Committee to right this inconsistent compensation payment: Therefore be it Resolved, That the Louisiana Department of The American Legion in Convention assembled in Shreveport, Louisiana, July 14-16, 1967, that The American Legion support Senate Bill #1800 introduced in the 90th Congress which would eliminate this inequity in compensation rates to certain veterans; and be it further Resolved, That copies of this resolution be sent to The American Legion National Convention, Members of Congress, State of Louisiana, and other designated and interested parties selected by the Department of Louisiana American Legion. STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN J. MCFALL, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, ON H.R. 14635 Mr. Chairman, thank you for allowing me to present this statement in support of my bill, H.R. 14635. The bill, while beneficial to all veterans, was prepared in cooperation with the Veterans of World War I, Incorporated, whose membership consists of America's veterans now in the greatest need. I believe the provisions of the measure are just and necessary in view of the sacrifices made by our veterans. H.R. 14635 would provide increased disability compensation and revise pension income limitations. Under the proposal, it would not be necessary for a veteran to count income from public or private retirement sources in determining his veteran pension rate. Signing a pauper's oath would not be required prior to admission to Veterans Administration Hospitals. In addition, my bill calls for review of the National Cemetery System with possible expansion. Of all veterans, the need for additional and greater assistance is greatest for those men who responded to the call to duty in 1917 and 1918. If this legislation is enacted, it would provide partial payment for the inestimable contributions made by those who preserved freedom two generations ago. Time has almost run out for mose of our World War I veterans. Of the 4,734,991 men engaged in World War I, approximately 1,800,000 remain alive today. Their average age is nearly 73. By 1976, only four of each 100 will be alive. I am confident that your Committee will give sympathetic consideration to the needs of this patriotic and deserving group of Americans. STATEMENT OF HON. J. IRVING WHALLEY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA Mr. Chairman, on February 6, I introduced a bill, H.R. 15158, which would increase the disability compensation rates and improve the other benefits provided to veterans who have service connected disabilities. The changes which would be made by H.R. 15158 are sound and needed. The need for similar improvements was attested to on March 18, when the U.S. Veterans Advisory Commission issued its recommendations for improvements in the veterans benefits programs. One should not wonder, however, that the changes I proposed have a great deal of similarity with those of the Commission. The need is obvious even though reasonable men can differ as to details or priorities. Over time, the compensation we pay to our veterans who were disabled in the service of our country has come to represent less and less purchasing power. While prices have gone up and while wages have gone up, veterans compensation has remained steady. This is most unfair to the men who not so long ago were considered the Nation's heroes, the men for whom nothing was too good. These men are still heroes to me. I believe it is time we stop treating them like second class citizens. Last December we voted a 13 percent increase in social security benefits and I propose in H.R. 15158 to increase veterans compensation by roughly the same amount for all veterans with service connected disabilities. I would, though, do more for the veterans whose disabilities are rated at 100 percent or who are receiving higher statuary awards. For these the most severely disabled and handicaped of our veterans-I would increase their monthly payments by a straight $150 a month. Veterans with service connected disabilities can now get medical treatment in Veterans Administration Hospitals for non-service connected conditions as beds are available. As a result many veterans are being treated as in-patients for conditions which could just as well be treated on an out-patient basis. Others are going without needed medical care because they cannot afford to pay for it. It seems to me that this situation could be improved if we were to require the Veterans Administration to provide medical care for the disabled veteran who is rated as 100 percent disabled as a result of a service connected disability. Other veterans are presumably able to do some type of work and should be able to provide for their own medical care. The 100 percent disabled veteran can not do this. Therefore H.R. 15158 would provide total medical care, in-patient and out-patient, for these veterans. Mr. Chairman, these and the other changes and liberalizations in the benefits provided for veterans with service connected disabilities and their widows deserve the serious consideration of this House. I urge the members of this Committee to study the bill, to recommend improvements where they think they are needed, and finally to pass this legislation before this Congress adjourns sine die. STATEMENT OF HON. WILLIAM C. WAMPLER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF VIRGINIA IN SUPPORT OF H.R. 15617 I appreciate this opportunity to express my views on H.R. 15617, the bill which I introduced to provide for additional compensation for veterans who have suffered the loss or loss of use of a lung. The historical purpose and basis for the compensation program is to make up for loss of a veteran's earning capacity due to service-connected disability. In recognition of this principle, the Congress has enacted legislation authorizing special statutory awards to veterans who have suffered certain anatomical losses. While none of us can deny that the loss of a hand, foot, or sight of an eye severely limits the productive capabilities of an individual, my contention is that the loss of a lung is equally debilitating. In checking with medical authorities, I find that they are of the opinion that such loss of use of a lung would prevent an individual from any employment requiring hard labor, and any activity involving physical effort is automatically eliminated. This, of course, has a direct impact on the earning power of the veteran, who, in most cases, earned his living through manual labor. The following report which I received from the Legislative Reference Service in the Library of Congress, was prepared by a leading lung specialist: "A person with one lung is definitely disadvantaged. The degree of incapacitation and general limits for employment of such an individual are dependent on his age and overall physical condition. Under normal conditions a man with one lung should be able to work at a sedentary occupation with little difficulty. However, a job which requires physical exertion would be beyond the capabilities of the individual. "If the patient is a young man at the time of the removal of the lung he can expect 10 to 20 years of freedom from complications. After this time he is generally more predisposed to lung disease. Of course, the older the individual is at the time of lung removal, the greater the risk is for complications to arise during any subsequent period." Where is the coal miner, the automobile mechanic, the house painter or the farmer going to find a "sedentary" job? I received a letter from a veteran who was in a profitable business for himself as a carpenter and house painter, prior to his service, and because of an illness incurred while he was in the Army, subsequently had to have a lung removed. He stated, in part: "I couldn't hold down any job because I'd get out of breath so easily. *** The only thing I could find to do was sell real estate on a commission basis, and everybody and his dog sells real estate in this county!" Another veteran wrote: "I have to sleep sitting up, because when I lie down, I feel like I'm choking to death." I believe that it is only fair and equitable to authorize a statutory award to these severely handicapped veterans, and I hope that the subcommittee will include the provisions or my bill in any legislation concerning service-connected disabled veterans it may report to the full committee. CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D.C., April 11, 1968. Hon. OLIN E. TEAGUE, Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: As I have indicated, I am very grateful for the opportunity to submit testimony in support of the D.A.V. legislation to increase compensation rates and benefits to disabled and service-connected veterans. I am enclosing a short statement, and I wish to reiterate that I appreciate the courtesies you have extended to me relative to your disability hearings. With every good wish, I remain, Sincerely yours, HENRY B. GONZALEZ, STATEMENT OF HON. HENRY B. GONZALEZ, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS, ON H.R. 16087 AND H.R. 14995, TO AMEND TITLE 38 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE TO PROVIDE INCREASED RATES OF DISABILITY COMPENSATION, IMPROVE SERVICE CONNECTED BENEFITS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES Mr. Chairman, let me say first of all that I appreciate very much being afforded this opportunity to express my views on H.R. 16087, a bill which I have introduced as a companion bill to H.R. 14995 introduced by Chairman Teague at the request of the Disabled American Veterans. I am glad and pleased to be able to add my support to this request of the D.A.V. which has long been the front runner in assuring the protection and well being of all our nation's disabled veterans. |