(b) The Veterans' Administration is the agency primarily responsible for, or concerned with, the administration of Federal laws providing direct benefits for veterans and their dependents such as pensions, compensation, retirement pay, insurance, readjustment allowances; medical treatment, hospital and domiciliary care; burial and funeral expenses; vocational rehabilitation; edu cation and training; guaranty of loans for purchase or construetion of homes, farms, and business property, and other related benefits.

(c) A discharge or release from active service in the armed forces under conditions other than dishonorable is, in general, a prerequisite to entitlement to benefits available to veterans through the Veterans' Administration.

(d) Hospitalization and domiciliary care are furnished by the Veterans' Administration for veterans who have served in the armed forces of the United States, preference being given to those suffering with disabilities of service origin and to veterans whose service was in time of war. Veterans whose disabilities are connected with their military service may, in addition to hospitalization and domiciliary care, receive out-patient treatment for their service-connected diseases or injuries. Treatment may be given at a Veterans' Administration facility or regional office, or be authorized to be given by a physician or dentist in the applicant's place of residence.

(e) Under certain conditions, emergency hospitalization is granted, but before proceeding to a Veterans' Administration hospital, the veteran, or someone acting for him, should communicate with the nearest facility, requesting authority for admis sion and for transportation if necessary. Prior authority is neeessary before a person may be reimbursed for any expenses incurred.

(f) Pension is payable through the Veterans' Administration for disability shown to have resulted from injury or disease connected with service in the armed forces, even though it did not become manifest until after discharge. Where the disability is connected with World War II service, the rates range from $11.50 a month for a disability of a degree of 10 percent, to $115 a month for total disability; but where certain specific disabilities such as the loss of the use of both hands or blindness in both eyes, or certain combinations of disabilities exist, the amount payable is larger and may be as high as $265. Pension is payable for non-serviceconnected disability only in the cases of war veterans, and then only where it is shown that the veteran had the necessary length of service and meets the other requirements of the particular statute applicable. In World War I and World War II cases, non-serv ice-connected disability is pensionable only where the degree thereof is permanent and total.

(g) National Service Life Insurance, administered by the Veterans' Administration, is one of the most valuable assets of a veteran after he leaves the service. He should keep it in force by sending direct to the Collection Subdivision, Veterans' Administration, Washington 25, D. C.., checks or money orders made payable to the Treasurer of the United States, in payment of premiums as they become due. Arrangements may be made to pay the premiums monthly, quarterly, semiannually, or annually. This insurance is issued originally on the 5-year level premium term plan with the privilege of conversion, while it is in force, at any time after the first policy year and before the end of the 5-year term period, without medical examination, to policies of National Service Life Insurance on any of the following permanent plans: ordinary life, 20-payment life, or 30-payment life. These policies have guaranteed cash, loan, paid-up, and extended insurance values available after the policy has been in force 1 year. The 5-year level premium term policy has no cash, loan, paid-up, or extended insurance value.

(h) If, when the veteran entered service, he had commercial life insurance, the Veterans' Administration may guarantee the premiums on policies totaling up to $10,000. If so, the payments must be brought up to date, with interest, within 2 years after discharge.

(i) Educational benefits for World War II veterans are provided under three acts of Congress, two of which are administered by the Veterans' Administration:

(1) Under Public Law No. 16, Seventy-eighth Congress, Vocational rehabilitation is available to veterans who have pensionable service-connected disabilities and vocational handicaps. Each applicant for this training will be given expert counseling in the selection of his employment objective and such training as will enable him to overcome his handicap. Applied methods are used for measuring the aptitude as well as the skill acquired in civilian life and during service. Each claimant is trained into employment with educational guidance throughout the course. Training may be given in an approved college or establishment which affords training-on-the-job. Full expenses of the course are paid through the Veterans' Administration. While in training, the pension of a disabled veteran, unless it equals or exceeds such amounts, is increased to $92 a month, plus an additional pension allowance on account of a wife, child, or dependent parent. Upon completion of the course, he will be placed in employment and there will be no reduction in his basic award of pension by reason of individual success in overcoming the handicap of his injuries.

(2) The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 provides an educational program for all returning veterans who have served at least 90 days and are discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. A 1-year refresher or retraining course is available without regard to the age of the veteran

when he entered the service. He may take this course in any approved school or establishment where he wishes institutional or on-the-job-training. To be entitled to further education at Government expense beyond 1 year, he must show that his education or training was interrupted by the war. If he was not over 25 years of age when he entered the service, it is presumed that his education was interrupted. This additional education or training beyond 1 year may not exceed an additional 3 years and is determined on length of service and satisfactory progress in the course pursued. The law authorizes as much as $500 per year for tuition and other necessary expenses, plus subsistence allowance of $50 per month if without dependents or $75 per month if he has a dependent or dependents.

(j) The Veterans' Administration is not empowered to make loans to World War II veterans, but is authorized to guarantee, under certain conditions, a loan or loans for the purchase of homes, farms, or business property, repairs, additions, machinery, equipment, etc. The aggregate amount which may be guaranteed shall not exceed $2,000 and the guarantee in any case may not be more than 50 percent of any such loan or loans. Loans guaranteed bear interest of not more than 4 percent per year and must be paid up within 20 years. Interest on the guaranteed amount for the first year will be paid by the Government.

(k) If a veteran of World War II is unemployed within 2 years after discharge or the termination of the war, whichever is later. he may be entitled to a readjustment allowance of $20 per week, while unemployed, under conditions specified by the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. This allowance may not be paid for more than 52 weeks of unemployment.

103.6 Civil Service Commission.-(a) All placement in positions in the Federal civil service is made by the United States Civil Service Commission. Information about Federal Government positions may be obtained from the nearest Civil Service Commission office or from any first- or second-class post office. The President, on February 26, 1944, designated the Civil Service Commission as his representative for the purpose of issuing from time to time instructions covering the rights of returning veterans to Government employment under certain sets of circumstances. Therefore, all matters of reinstatement of returning veterans in positions under civil service should be taken up through the State director with the regional office of the Civil Service Commission.

(b) If the veteran was a civil-service employee (other than temporary) when he entered the armed forces, and has been honorably discharged therefrom, he should contact the agency where last employed, or an office of the Civil Service Commission, within 90 days of the date of his discharge, or within 90 days following hos pitalization not exceeding 1 year immediately subsequent to his military service. If he applies for reemployment within the given period, he is entitled to be reemployed in his former position, or

"if such position does not exist, in one of like seniority, status, and pay." War-service appointees are administratively entitled to reemployment rights, also. However, the tenure placed upon a position to which the employee is restored is the same as the tenure of the original appointment.

(c) A veteran who never held a civil-service position, but desires one, will be given special consideration and preference in civilservice examinations. A disabled veteran is entitled to have 10 points added to his earned rating upon examination, and a veteran of war service, not disabled, is entitled to 5 points. Other privileges which veterans may enjoy are:

(1) Examination for any position filled in the Federal service within the 3 preceding years may be reopened upon the request of an applicant entitled to 10-point veteran preference.

(2) Age, height, weight, and other physical standards are waived for veterans in any case where they are in fact physically able to perform the duties of the position.

(3) In examinations for elevator operators, messengers, guards, and custodial positions, competition is restricted to veterans as long as veteran applicants are available.

(4) In examinations where experience is an element of qualification, time spent in military service of the United States is credited in a veterans' rating where his or her actual employment in a similar vocation for which he or she is examined was interrupted by such military or naval service.

(5) Names of 10-point preference eligibles are placed at the top of the appropriate register in the order of their augmented ratings, except for positions in the professional and scientific services for which the entrance salary is over $3,000 per annum.

(6) Names of 5-point preference eligibles are entered on the register in accordance with their augmented ratings, and ahead of all nonpreference eligibles having the same ratings.

(7) Preference eligibles are exempted from the provisions of law prohibiting Government employment to more than two members of a family.

(8) The name of a preference eligible may not be passed over in appointment and a nonpreference eligible selected until the appointing office has considered the determination of the Commission as to whether the reasons he furnishes for such action are sufficient.

(9) In any reduction in personnel, preference employees whose efficiency ratings are "good" or better are retained in preference to all other competing employees, and preference employees whose efficiency ratings are below "good" are retained in preference to competing nonpreference employees who have lower efficiency ratings.

103.7 Agriculture, Department of.-(a) The Department of Agriculture performs functions relating to research, education, conservation, marketing, regulatory work, and agricultural in

649596° -45- -3

formation on these subjects. It conducts research in agricultural and industrial chemistry, the industrial uses of farm products, entomology, soils, agricultural engineering and economics, marketing, human nutrition, and other kindred subjects. It makes research results available for practical farm application through extension and experiment-station work in cooperation with the States.

(b) Under arrangement between the War Food Administration (now the U. S. Department of Agriculture) and the Selective Service System, returning soldiers interested in agriculture are referred to county agricultural extension agents by Selective Service Local Boards.

(c) Veterans' advisory committees organized in virtually all agricultural counties provide general advice to agriculturally inclined veterans. The Veterans' Administration has officially des ignated these committees as a local point of contact for veterans desiring advice prior to applying for a farm loan guaranty under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944.

103.8 Railroad Retirement Board.-Employment of railroad workers, railroad retirement insurance, and railroad unemploy ment insurance are functions under the jurisdiction of the Railroad Retirement Board. The Board's employment service carries out its responsibility of supplying the railroad industry with needed manpower through 150 field offices so located as to best serve the industry. Through contacts with veterans' information centers, discharge centers, veterans' organizations, etc., the field offices provide information to discharged veterans interested in railroad employment.

103.9 War Production Board.-The War Production Board regulates the production and distribution of materials and commodities in accordance with the needs of the war effort. Priorities assistance for veterans, both for material and for equipment, in establishing or reestablishing small businesses, are provided by the War Production Board where such priorities will not interfere with the fulfillment of war requirements or critical essential needs of the kind normally protected by priorities assistance.

103.10 Department of Commerce.-The Department of Commerce is equipped to give individual service, advice, and guidance to those now in business and those contemplating entrance into business on the wide range of problems arising daily in the field of production, distribution, and foreign trade. Through its reports, publications, and counseling facilities, means are provided for applying a vast array of data and information to the solution of specific business problems. Application should be made to any field office of the Department of Commerce.

103.11 Smaller War Plants Corporation.-The Smaller War Plants Corporation, organized for small business, will help returning veterans and nonveterans alike. It will make small