WORLD WAR VETERANS' LEGISLATION MICHIGAN FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1931 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON WORLD WAR VETERANS' LEGISLATION, The subcommittee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. Edith N. Rogers presiding. Mrs. ROGERS. The subcommittee will be in order. H. R. 14059, the bill introduced by me at the request of the American Legion, is as follows: [H. R. 14059, Seventy-first Congress, third session] A BILL To authorize an appropriation to provide additional hospital, domiciliary, and out-patient dispensary facilities for persons entitled to hospitalization under the World War Veterans' Act, 1924, as amended, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That in order to provide sufficient hospital, domiciliary, diagnostic, and out-patient dispensary facilities to care for the increasing load of mentally afflicted World War veterans and to enable the United States Veterans' Bureau to care for its beneficiaries in Veterans' Bureau hospitals rather than in contract temporary facilities and other institutions, and in order that the United States may in part fulfill its sacred obligations to its World War veterans, the Director of the United States Veterans' Bureau, subject to the approval of the President, is hereby authorized to provide additional hospital, domiciliary, diagnostic, anad out-patient dispensary facilities for persons entitled to hospitalization under the World War veterans' act, 1924, as amended, by purchase, replacement, and remodeling, or extension of existing plants, and by construction on sites now owned by the Government or on sites to be acquired by purchase, condemnation, gift, or otherwise, of such hospitals, domiciliary, diagnostic and out-patient dispensary facilities, to include the necessary buildings and auxiliary structures, mechanical equipment, approach work, roads, and trackage facilities leading thereto, and also to provide proper and suitable recreational centers; and the Director of the United States Veterans' Bureau is authorized to accept gifts or donations for any of the purposes named herein, Such hospital and domiciliary plants, and diagnostic and outpatient facilities to be constructed shall be of fireproof construction, and existing plants purchased shall be remodeled to be fireproof, and the location and nature thereof, whether for domiciliary, diagnostic or out-patient care, or the treatment of tuberculosis, neuropsychiatric, or general medical and surgical cases, shall be in the discretion of the Director of the United States Veterans' Bureau, subject to the approval of the President. SEC. 2. The construction of new hospitals, domiciliary, out-patient and diagnostic facilities, or dispensaries, or the replacement, extension, alteration, remodeling, or repair of all hospitals, domiciliary, out-patient and diagnostic facilities, or dispensaries heretofore or hereafter constructed shall be done in such manner as the President may determine, and he is authorized to require the architectural, engineering, constructing, or other forces of any of the departments of the Government to do or assist in such work, and to employ individuals and agencies not now connected with the Government, if in his opinion desirable, at such compensation as he may consider reasonable. SEC. 3. For carrying into effect the preceding sections relating to additional hospitals and domiciliary, diagnostic, and out-patient dispensary facilities there is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of $52,000,000 to be immediately available and to remain available until expended. That not to exceed 3 per centum of this sum shall be available for the employment in the District of Columbia and in the field of necessary technical and clerical assistants at the customary rates of compensation, exclusively to aid in the preparation of the plans and specifications for the projects authorized herein and for the supervision of the execution thereof, and for traveling expenses, field-office equipment, and supplies in connection therewith. SEC. 4. The President is further authorized to accept from any State or other political subdivision, or from any corporation, association, individual, or individuals, any building, structure, equipment, or grounds suitable for the care of the disabled, with due regard to fire or other hazards, state of repair, and all other pertinent considerations, and to designate what department, bureau, board, commission, or other governmental agency shall have the control and management thereof. SEC. 5. The Congress of the United States hereby declares it to be the policy of our Government to provide sufficient beds in modern, sanitary, fireproof Government hospitals, to care for all sick and disabled veterans entitled to hospitalization under the World War veterans' act, 1924, as amended, and to this end requests the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to submit annually to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and to the President of the Senate an estimate of the hospital construction necessary to fulfill this policy. Last spring we had hearings on H. R. 14572, a bill introduced by Congressman Hooper, of Michigan, which is as follows: [H. R. 14572, Seventy-first Congress, third session] A BILL To authorize the erection of an addition to the Veterans' Bureau Hospital Plant Numbered 100 at Camp Custer, Mich., and to authorize the appropriation therefor Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That in order that the United States may in part fulfill its obligations to its World War veterans the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs, subject to the approval of the President, is authorized and directed to contract for the erection at Camp Custer, Michigan, of a modern, sanitary, fireproof, five hundred bed patient capacity addition to the existing Veterans' Bureau hospital plant, for the diagnosis, care, and treatment of neuropsychiatric disabilities, and to provide Government care for the increasing load of mentally afflicted veterans, regardless of whether said disability developed prior to January 1, 1925, at a cost not to exceed $2,000,000; such construction to provide additional hospital and out-patient dispensary facilities for persons entitled to hospitalization under the World War veterans' act, 1924, as amended. Such hospital and out-patient dispensary facilities shall include the necessary buildings and auxiliary constructions, mechanical equipment, approach work, roads and trackage facilities leading thereto; vehicles, livestock, furniture, equipment, and accessories; and shall also provide accommodation for officers, nurses, and attending personnel; and shall also provide proper and suitable recreational centers; and the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs is. authorized to accept gifts or donations for any of the purposes herein named. SEC. 2. The construction shall be done in such manner as the President may determine; and he is authorized to require the architectural engineering, constructing, or other forces of any of the departments of the Government to aid or assist in such work, and to employ individuals and agencies not now connected with the Government, if in his opinion desirable, at such compensation as he may consider reasonable. SEC. 3. For carrying into effect the foregoing provisions relating to additional hospital and out-patient dispensary facilities, there is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of $2,000,000, to be immediately available and to remain available until expended; and not to exceed 3 per cent of this sum shall be available for the employment, in the District of Columbia and in the field, of necessary technical and clerical assistants at the customary rates of compensation, exclusively tot aid in the preparation of the plans and specifications for the projects authorized herein and for the supervision of the execution thereof, and for traveling expenses, field equipment, and supplies in connection therewith. SEC. 4. The Congress of the United States hereby declares it to be the policy of our Government to provide sufficient beds in modern, sanitary, fireproof Government hospitals, to care for all sick and disabled veterans entitled to hospitalization under the World War veterans' act, 1924, as amended, and to this end requests the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to submit annually to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and to the President of the Senate an estimate of the hospital construction necessary to fulfill this policy. STATEMENT OF HON. JOSEPH L. HOOPER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MICHIGAN Mr. HOOPER. I intend to be very brief, as this is in reiteration of what I said in April, 1930, when I had the pleasure of appearing. before your committee, stating some facts with reference to this bill. At that time we had with us various representatives of the service organizations of Michigan, Mr. Byers, the present head of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and some from the other organizations. This time I have not happened to hear from these gentlemen whether they are to be present or not. This bill, H. R. 14572, was introduced by me at the request of the American Legion organization, and it provides for an appropriation of a sum not to exceed $2,000,000 for additional hospital facilities at the Veterans' Bureau Hospital No. 100, which is located at Camp Custer, Mich. As I have stated, I have not any additional figures at this time, but it is my belief that the situation which was detailed to the committee at that time certainly has not improved, and if anything there is a more crowded condition and a larger waiting list for this particular hospital than existed in April, 1930, when I made a statement on the matter which I will be glad to have included now, and will furnish such additional information as I can obtain. Mrs. ROGERS. I notice here that there are almost as many patients as beds, which is extremely bad, and we have a long waiting list. Mr. HOOPER. I will state when I am at home in the vacation period I frequently go out to these hospitals. There is another hospital located at the camp aside from this one. Mrs. ROGERS. What is that? Mr. HOOPER. Our American Legion Tuberculosis Hospital. It was originally a welfare house, a house of entertainment provided at the time Camp Custer was established. It was the property of the State of Michigan, and the State of Michigan turned it over later to the American Legion, who operate it now as a tuberclosis hospital, and that is always filled to capacity. However, that has nothing to do with the present bill. It is taken care of by the American Legion and is a very fine thing indeed. I frequently go out to these places when I am at home and look them over to see what is going on there, and I am positive that not only are both of these places filled to capacity but there is a large number of persons needing hospitalization at these places who are deprived of the opportunity of getting it because of the lack of space. Mr. RANKIN. This is an N. P. hospital? Mr. RANKIN. How many veterans' hospitals do you have there? Mr. HOOPER. That is the only one I know of. Mr. RANKIN. You are asking for $2,000,000. Mr. MADIGAN. There is a marine hospital in Detroit which the bureau utilizes for general medical and surgical cases. Mrs. ROGERS. They are the only two Government hospitals in Michigan? Mr. MADIGAN. Yes. We utilize other Government agencies. Mr. HOOPER. Yes. Mr. RANKIN. Since we have embarked upon the policy of hospitalizing nonservice-connected cases, I have taken the position that the Government ought to take care of all these, especially the mental cases, so that the States might use their State hospitals for nonveteran cases. Do you agree with that policy? Mr. HOOPER. I have not given any thought to that. It is a subject I have not gone into myself. You probably have to a considerable extent. Mr. RANKIN. So in the State of Michigan, if we are going to take care of any of them, we ought to make our N. P. hospital there sufficient to take care of all the N. P. veteran cases in the State, and the same in other States. Mr. VINCENT. If you do not, you have a discrimination between the veterans. Mr. RANKIN. You have not only a discrimination between the veterans but you are discriminating between States and between localities. For instance, take a small State-I will not name any-I know several that have a fairly large N. P. hospital sufficient to take care of the load in that State. If we are going to do that for them, why should we not do it for other States. It seems to me that there is a policy, as far as I am concerned, and I have come to that conclusion definitely, that since we have embarked upon that policy to take care of these men whose disabilities are not connected with the service, that, at least, as to N. P. cases, we ought to take care of all the veterans, the Federal Government ought to, and let the State use the State institutions to take care of nonveteran cases. Mrs. ROGERS. You will find also that the States will not have a sufficient number of beds even if the veteran cases be eliminated from the State hospitals. There is a very large N. P. population in every State without the veterans. Mr. RANKIN. That is a fact. Even if you take these veterans all out of the State institutions, at the present time--and it is growing worse every day under the strain we are passing through now-you still would not have sufficient room in your State institutions for the nonveteran cases. They are all having considerable trouble. I know some States have the jails full of insane people. Mr. VINCENT. That condition is not true in Michigan. I have no doubt it does exist in other States. Mr. RANKIN. I did not have reference to Michigan in that regard. Mr. VINCENT. I do not think that prevails in our State, but I have no doubt that throughout the country there would be conditions very much like you suggest. Mr. RANKIN. I will say frankly I addressed the same question to the legionnaires from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and several other States, and they all agreed to that proposition, at least, as to N. P. cases, that the Government ought to take care of the entire veterans' load and leave the State to take care of the nonveteran cases, leaving their institutions free from the veteran load so that they could take care of the nonveteran cases of N. P. trouble. Mrs. ROGERS. Would you like to have a telegram from C. C. Slemons, Commissioner of Health of Michigan, placed in the record? Mr. HOOPER. I will be glad to have that made part of the record. Mrs. ROGERS. The telegram referred to is as follows: EDITH NOURSE ROGERS, Congress. LANSING, MICH., December 16, 1930. Number of vacant beds in State hospitals unavailable. psychopathic hospitals overcrowded. Tuberculosis and C. C. SLEMONS, Commissioner of Health. Mr. HOOPER. I should also like to include in my statement the tes-timony taken in April, 1930, as a part of this record, whether you print it or not. It was an interesting and comprehensive statement at that time. Mrs. ROGERS. The committee will be glad to have anything of that sort in. Mr. RANKIN. You can insert it here. Mr. HOOPER. I believe I will reinsert that subject to the proposition that there may be small changes in numerical points that have come up since. Mrs. ROGERS. I suggest that you take the testimony and correct it and send it back to us. Mr. HOOPER. It may take me a little while, because I will have to get from the organizations at home such additional information as they possess about it. I will complete my statement by saying a word about the physical conditions there so far as the hospital is concerned. This hospital is located about 5 miles distant from the city in which I reside. I live at Battle Creek, and Camp Custer was located there at the outbreak of the war in 1917. Battle Creek and Camp Custer are considered together ordinarily. Battle Creek is 120 miles from Detroit on the Michigan Central Railroad, 165 miles from Chicago, and it is about 75 miles distant from the rather metropolitan town of Grand Rapids. It is close to Toledo, which is near Mr. Michener's district, and close to Indianapolis, and it is a focal point. It is on two trunk lines of railroad, the Grank Trunk Western and the Michigan Central, which cross each other, their main lines, at one point, at Battle Creek. At Kalamazoo, 22 miles from Battle Creek, and 17 miles from the camp, there is a north and south line, the Pennsylvania Railroad, running from the Straits of Mackinac at one end to Cincinnati on the other. There are several trunk highways, automobile highways, extending east and west in the immediate vicinity, one through Battle Creek and Camp Custer, and others, east and west lines and north and south, at the same point. At Camp Custer there is not only a psychiatric hospital, but also a hospital I have just mentioned to the committee, an American Legion hospital which was formerly a welfare and entertainment house at Camp Custer, a very large plant there, which later reverted to the State after the war and which the State has turned over to the Legion. They take care |