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governing the conduct of its activities or interagency rules governing relations with other agencies of the Government, a draft thereof shall be submitted to the Committee on Finance of the Senate of the United States and to the Committee on World War Veterans' Legislation of the House of Representatives. [(b) The draft of such proposed regulation or order shall be immediately assigned to the Committee on Finance in the Senate and to the Committee on World War Veterans' Legislation in the House of Representatives,] for study, to consider whether such rule or regulation is made in conformity with the spirit, letter, intent, and purpose of this Act, and that no unusual or unexpected use of powers herein granted is proposed. Such regulation or order may be approved or disapproved by the Committee on Finance of the Senate or by the Committee on World War Veterans' Legislation of the House of Representatives, or a duly authorized subcommittee of either. In the absence of action by either committee approving or disapproving such regulation or order, it may go into effect not earlier than the fifteenth day following, but not including the date of the receipt of the draft of such proposed regulation or order by [the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives] chairmen of such committees. If sooner approved by either committee it may go into effect immediately upon such approval. Disapproval of such regulation or order by either committee shall suspend its issuance: Provided, That in the event of conflicting committee actions the earlier action shall govern.

[(c)] (b) For the purposes of this section the Committee on Finance of the Senate and the Committee on World War Veterans' Legislation of the House of Representatives, or any duly authorized subcommittees thereof, are authorized to sit and act during the sessions, recesses, and adjourned periods of the Congress. [(d)] (c) This section shall be effective from the date of its approval.

[S. 742, 79th Cong., 1st sess.]

A BILL To amend section 104 of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 so as to provide for determination of claims for benefits under the laws administered by the Veterans' Administration with respect to persons discharged from the armed forces, prior to the granting of such discharge

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 104 of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 is amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 104 (a) Whenever a member of the armed forces is to be honorably discharged or released from active duty (other than through retirement under existing laws) for disability, whether or not such disability shall have been incurred in or aggravated by such service, the Secretary of War or the Secretary of the Navy, as the case may be, shall notify the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs (hereinafter referred to as the "Administrator") of such contemplated action and shall permit him to examine such member medically and otherwise, and shall furnish the Administrator with such records and other information as may be necessary to enable him to determine to what benefits such member is entitled under the laws administered by the Veterans' Administration. The Administrator is hereby authorized and directed upon receipt of such notification to make such determination prior to the discharge or release of such member from active military or naval service: Provided, That prior to making such determination the Administrator shall fully inform such member as to any rights, benefits, and privileges to which he may be entitled subsequent to discharge or release from active duty, under the laws administered by the Veterans' Administration: And provided further, That nothing in this section shall preclude the immediate transfer of any person to a veterans' facility for necessary hospital care.

"(b) No member of the armed forces shall be so discharged or released from active service until the Administrator shall have determined (1) whether such member is entitled to pension or compensation, or both, under the laws administered by the Veterans' Administration and the exact amount of the pension or compensation, if any, to which such member is entitled; and (2) whether such member is entitled to vocational rehabilitation under any Act of Congress. Any pension or compensation awarded a member of the armed forces pursuant to this section shall become effective immediately upon the discharge or release from active military or naval service of such member.

"(c) The determination authorized and directed to be made by the Administrator under subsection (a) of this section shall be automatic and shall not be dependent upon any application for benefits.

"(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the right of any member of the armed forces, after his discharge or release from active duty has been effected, to appeal from the determination of the Administrator made under subsection (a) of this section; nor shall anything in this section be construed to prevent any such member from waiving any pension, compensation, or other benefit after an award has been made by the Administrator: Provided, That no such waiver shall be construed to deprive any veteran of the right to make application for any pension, compensation, or other benefit, or to receive any such pension, compensation, or other benefit to which he is entitled.

"(e) The Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy, in collaboration with the Administrator, are hereby authorized and directed to furnish members of the armed forces, pending the determination of the Administrator as provided in subsection (a) of this section, such medical, physical, psychological, vocational, and other rehabilitation as will better fit them to undertake any courses of rehabilitation training to which they may be entitled under any Act of Congress, or to enter civil pursuits after their discharge is effected.

"(f) (1) While awaiting the determination of the Administrator under subsection (a) of this section, any member of the armed forces may, upon his own request and in the discretion of the Secretary of War or the Secretary of the Navy, as the case may be, be granted a terminal furlough with full pay and allowances, including dependents' allowances, for the period until his discharge is effected, and with transportation and travel expense to a point selected by him: Provided, That such transportation and travel expense shall not exceed the amount or amounts to which he would be entitled for final travel allowance were the discharge to be effected from the station from which the terminal furlough is granted, and that when discharge is finally effected no further travel allowance shall be paid other than that which may be necessary in order to furnish such member with transportation to a military or naval station to effect the discharge and return him to the point from which so ordered: Provided further, That nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prevent the War and Navy Departments from revoking any such terminal furlough and ordering any such member to return to duty at any time.

"(2) While on terminal furlough as provided by this subsection, any member of the armed forces may wear and appear in civilian apparel and may engage in gainful employment while not in uniform: Provided, That when appearing in civilian apparel such member shall carry with him at all times adequate means of identification, to be prescribed by the Secretary of War or the Secretary of the Navy, as the case may be.

"(g) The Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy, in collaboration with the Administrator, are hereby authorized to establish discharge centers or other units within selected regional offices or other facilities of the Veterans'. Administration for the purpose of effecting the discharge of members of the armed forces who may be granted terminal furloughs as provided in subsection (f) of this section, and for the transaction of other Army and Navy administrative matters connected with such members or with the administration of this section.

"(h) The Administrator, in collaboration with the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy, is hereby authorized to establish offices or other units in selected military and naval stations to expedite the making of the determinations provided for in subsection (a) of this section, and for the transaction of any other Veterans' Administration matters connected with the administration of this section.

"(i) The Veterans' Administration shall reimburse the War and Navy Departments for such amounts as may be expended by them in carrying out the purposes of subsections (e) and (f) of this section, except that no such reimbursement expense to persons granted terminal furloughs as provided for in subsection (f) shall be made for amounts expended for the payment of transportation and travel of this section.

"(J) Any person entitled to a prosthetic appliance shall be entitled, in addition, to necessary fitting and training, including institutional training, in the use of such appliance, whether in a service or a Veterans' Administration hospital, or by out-patient treatment, including such service under contract.

"(k) Appropriations heretofore made for the Veterans' Administration 'Sarlaries and expenses, medical and hospital, and compensation and pensions',

H

shall be available for necessary expenses in carrying out the purposes of the foregoing provisions of this section, including but not confined to provision of additional personnel and facilities in military and naval hospitals and stations and regional offices and facilities of the Veterans' Administration, and reimbursement of the War and Navy Departments for amounts expended as provided in subsections (e) and (f) of this section; and there is hereby authorized to be appropriated such additional amount or amounts as may be necessary to accomplish the purposes of the foregoing provisions of this section.

"(1) No person shall be discharged or released from active duty in the armed forces until his certificate of discharge or release from active duty and final pay, or a substantial portion thereof, are ready for delivery to him or his next of kin or legal representative.

[S. 866, 79th Cong., 1st sess.]

A BILL To extend benefits under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 to the widows of persons whose death results from service in the armed forces

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That title I of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 is amended by adding at the end of such title a new section as follows: "SEC. 106. In any case in which a person has died or shall hereafter die as a result of personal injury sustained, or disease contracted, or of preexisting injury or disease aggravated, in line of duty in the active military or naval service on or after September 16, 1940, and prior to the termination of the present war, his surviving widow, if any, shall be eligible for benefits under this Act to the same extent and under the same conditions as the deceased person would be if he were living and had been separated from the service under circumstances entitling him to such benefits. No such widow shall be entitled to receive any benefits under this Act after she shall have remarried, except that the remarriage of any such widow shall not in any way affect the guaranty of any loan under title III of this Act made prior to the date of such remarriage."

[S. 487, 79th Cong., 1st sess.]

A BILL To extend certain provisions of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, relating to education and training, to children of persons whose death results from service in the admed forces

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That part VIII of Veterans Regulation Numbered 1 (a) is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof a new paragraph as follows:

"12. A child of any person who shall have died as a result of personal injury sustained, or disease contracted, or of preexisting injury or disease aggravated, in line of duty in the active military or naval service on or after September 16, 1940, and prior to the termination of the present war, shall be eligible for a course of education or training not to exceed four years under this part upon the same terms and conditions, so far as applicable, as other persons eligible therefor except that (a) such child must have satisfactorily completed a high-school course or its equivalent, (b) such course of education or training shall have been commenced before such child attains the age of twenty-one years, (c) no education or training shall be afforded to any person under this paragraph after he shall have attained the age of twenty-five years, (d) the subsistence allowance payable to a person eligible for education or training under this section shall not exceed the amount provided under paragraph 6 for persons without dependents, and (e) such education or training may be afforded to any person eligible therefor under this paragraph, notwithstanding the provisions of the second proviso in paragraph 1 of this part. As used in this section, the term 'child' means a legitimate child, a child legally adopted, or a stepchild who was a member of the serviceman's household on the date of such serviceman's death."

[S. 781, 79th Cong., 1st sess.]

A BILL To amend Veterans Regulation Numbered 1 (a) with respect to payments to educational or training institutions

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That paragraph 5 of part VIII of Veterans Regulation Numbered 1 (a), added by section 400 (b) of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, is amended by striking out the last proviso of such paragrarh and inserting in lieu thereof the following: “And provided further, That if any publicly supported institution or private institution exempt from tax under section 101 (6) of the Internal Revenue Code has no established tuition fee, or if the established tuition fee of any such institution is less than the actual cost to such institution of furnishing the education or training, the Administrator is authorized to provide for the payment to such institution, with respect to any such person, of the actual cost of furnishing such education or training, but not to exceed $500 for an ordinary school year."

[S. 826, 79th Cong., 1st sess.]

A BILL To authorize correspondence schools to participate in the program for the education of veterans

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That part VIII of Veterans Regulation Numbered 1 (a), as amended, is amended (1) by striking out in paragraph 5 thereof "in full time or part time" and inserting in lieu thereof "in full time, part time, or correspondence", and (2) by inserting in paragraph 11 thereof before the word "scientific" the following: "correspondence schools,".

[S. 850, 79th Cong., 1st sess.]

A BILL To provide that the education and training provided for by the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 shall be made available to veterans on an equal basis without regard to their age

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That paragraph 1 of part VIII of Veterans Regulation Numbered 1 (a), as amended (added by title II of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944), is hereby amended by striking out "and whose education or training was impeded, delayed, interrupted, or interfered with by reason of his entrance into the service, or who desires a refresher or retraining course," and by striking out the last proviso in such paragraph.

[S. 974, 79th Cong., 1st sess.]

A BILL To amend parts VII and VIII of Veterans Regulation Numbered 1 (a), as amended, to liberalize and clarify vocational rehabilitation and education and training laws administered by the Veterans' Administration, and for other purposes

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That paragraph 1 of part VII of Veterans Regulation Numbered 1 (a), as amended, is hereby amended by striking the language following the word "Provided" and substituting therefor the following language: "That no course of training in excess of a period of four years shall be approved except with the approval of the Administrator, nor shall any training under this part be afforded beyond seven years after the termination of the present war."

SEC. 2. Section 4 of Public Law Numbered 16, Seventy-eighth Congress, March 24, 1943, as amended by section 402 of Public Law Numbered 346, Seventy-eighth Congress, June 22, 1944, is amended by striking out the period at the end thereof, substituting therefor a colon, and adding a new proviso to read as follows: "Provided further, That returned books, supplies, or equipment may be turned in to educational or training institutions for credit under such terms as may be approved by the Administrator, or disposed of in such other manner as may be approved by the Administrator."

SEC. 3. Paragraph 3 of part VII of Veterans Regulation Numbered 1 (a), as amended, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"3. While pursuing training prescribed herein and for two months after his or her employability is determined each veteran, if entitled to pension, compensation, or retirement pay in an amount less than the amount payable herein, shall be paid increased pension which when added to the amount of pension, compensation, or retirement pay to which he is otherwise entitled will aggregate an amount equal to the following rates:

(a) If he has neither wife nor child, $105. (b) If he has a wife but no child, $115. (c) If he has a wife and one child, $125 child).

(d) If he has no wife but one child, $115 child).

(with $7 for each additional

(with $7 for each additional

(e) If he has a mother or father, either or both dependent upon him for support, then in addition to the above amounts, $15 for each parent so dependent;

Provided, That the rates set out herein shall not be subject to the increases authorized by Public Law Numbered 312, Seventy-eighth Congress, May 27, 1944: Provided further, That when the course of vocational rehabilitation furnished to any person as herein provided consists of training on the job by an employer, such employer shall be required to submit monthly to the Administrator a statement in writing showing any wage, compensation, or other income paid by him to such person during the month directly or indirectly and based upon such written statements, the Administrator is authorized to reduce the pension of such person to an amount considered equitable and just but not below the amount of pension, compensation, or retirement pay to which he would be entitled for service-connected disability if not following a course of vocational rehabilitation." SEC. 4. Paragraphs 1, 2, 6, and 7, part VIII, Veterans Regulation Numbered 1 (a), are hereby amended to read as follows:

"1. Any person who served in the active military or naval service on or after September 16, 1940, and prior to the termination of the present war, and who shall have been discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable, and who either shall have served ninety days or more, exclusive of any period he was assigned for a course of education or training under the Army specialized training program or the Navy college training program, which course was a continuation of his civilian course and was pursued to completion, or as a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies, or shall have been discharged or released from active service by reason of an actual service-incurred injury or disability, shall be eligible for and entitled to receive education or training under this part: Provided, That such course shall be initiated not later than two years after either the date of his discharge or the termination of the present war, whichever is the later: Provided further, That no such education or training shall be afforded beyond seven years after the termination of the present war.

"2. Any such eligible person shall be entitled to education or training at an approved educational or training institution, for a period (or the equivalent thereof in part-time study) not to exceed the time such person was in the active service on or after September 16, 1940, and before the termination of the war, exclusive of any period he was assigned for a course of education or training under the Army specialized training program or the Navy college training program, which course was a continuation of his civilian course and was pursued to completion, or as a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies, or for such lesser time as may be required for the course of education or training chosen by him, but in no event shall the total period of education or training exceed four years: Provided, That his work continues to be satisfactory throughout the period, according to the regularly prescribed standards and practices of the institution: Provided further, That whenever the period of instruction ends during a quarter or semester and after a major part of such quarter or semester has expired, such period of instruction shall be extended to the termination of such unexpired quarter or semester.

"6. While enrolled in and pursuing a course under this part, such person, upon application to the Administrator, shall be paid a subsistence allowance of $50 per month, if without a dependent or dependents, or $75 per month, if he has a dependent or dependents, including regular holidays and leave not exceeding thirty days in a calendar year. Such person attending a course on a part-time basis and such person receiving compensation for productive labor performed as

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