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    "localId": "7336777",
    "label": "President withholding approval of H.R. 7768, a bill for the relief of Mr. Nolan Sharp [Veto Statements and Announcements]",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "President withholding approval of H.R. 7768, a bill for the relief of Mr. Nolan Sharp [Veto Statements and Announcements]",
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    "collections": [
        "White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)",
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    "subjects": [
        "U.S. House of Representatives. (03/04/1789 - )",
        "Vetoes",
        "Legislation"
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        {
            "day": 29,
            "logicalDate": "1974-10-29",
            "month": 10,
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    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/77/3367/7336777/content/library/document/0248/whpr19741029-032.pdf",
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    "ocrText": "Digitized from Box 4 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\nOctober 29, 1974\nOffice of the White House Press Secretary\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nTO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:\nI am withholding my approval of H.R. 7768, a bill\nfor the relief of Mr. Nolan Sharp. I am advised by the\nAttorney General and I have determined that the absence\nof my signature from this bill prevents it becoming\nlaw. Without in any way qualifying this determination,\nI am also returning it without my approval to those\ndesignated by the Congress to receive messages at this\ntime.\nH.R. 7768 would authorize retroactive service-\nconnected disability payments to Mr. Sharp, because of\nmultiple sclerosis, for the period from January 16, 1956,\nto October 1, 1962. Under the bill, these payments would\nhave to be offset against certain non-service-connected\nbenefits Mr. Sharp received during the same period.\nMr. Sharp had honorable Army service from December 1,\n1942, to June 5, 1943, when he was discharged because of\nsevere hypochondriasis and anxiety state. The first\nconfirmed medical diagnosis of an organic neurological\ndisease identifiable as multiple sclerosis was made in\n1949, six years after his discharge. At that time, the\nlaw allowed payment of service-connected disability\nbenefits for multiple sclerosis manifesting itself within\nthree years after separation from wartime service.\nMr. Sharp's claim for service-connected benefits\nbased on multiple sclerosis received several adjudicative\nreviews and was the subject of appellate consideration\non four occasions. On the basis of available evidence,\nthe Veterans Administration was unable to determine\ndirect connection of multiple sclerosis with the veteran's\nmilitary service as required by law. He was, however,\ngranted non-service-connected disability pension, effective\nJanuary 16, 1956.\nEffective October 1, 1962, the Congress extended\nthe presumption of service connection for multiple\nsclerosis from three to seven years. The liberalizing\nstatute, however, prohibited any retroactive payments\nbased on the new presumption. Since Mr. Sharp qualified\nfor service-connected benefits under the new statutory\npresumption, he has been receiving such payments since\nOctober 1, 1962.\nHaving carefully considered the circumstances of\nthis case, I am unable to find sufficient reasons for\napproving this legislation to pay Mr. Sharp's benefits\nfrom an earlier date than the law permits. To make\nsuch a special award would seriously discriminate against\nsimilarly situated veterans.\nmore\n2\nMoreover, once the precedent for such special awards\nis established, it would be difficult to deny awards to\nother veterans who have been prohibited from receiving\nretroactive benefits under the 1962 law or similar statutes.\nThe inevitable result would be to undermine the integrity\nand impartiality essential to the administration of such\nveterans' benefits.\nFor these reasons, I am constrained to withhold my\napproval from H.R. 7768.\nGERALD R. FORD\nTHE WHITE HOUSE,\nOctober 29, 1974\n# # # #"
}