White House Press Release, Message from President Harry S. Truman to the United States Senate

81 1532 HOLD FOR RELEASE HOLD FOR RELEASE HOLD FOR RELEASE March 15, 1948 CONFIDENTIAL: To be held in STRICT CONFIDENCE and no portion, synopsis or intimation to be given out or published until the READING of the President's Message has begun in the Senate. Extreme care must therefore be exercised to avoid premature publication. CHARLES G. ROSS Secretary to the President TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE: I am returning herewith without my approval S. 939, a bill "For the relief of Charles Howard Richards. The bill would direct the Secretary of the Treasury to pay to Charles Howard Richards of Eugene, Oregon, the sum of $5,000 in full satisfaction of his claim against the United States for compensation for personal injuries sustained by him on December 14, 1941, while serving as a volunteer guard, Office of Civilian Defense, on duty at the Bonneville substation, Bonneville power project, Eugene, Oregon. In order to compensate Civilian Defense workers and their depen- dents injured or killed in line of duty and others injured or killed as a result of enemy action, the Civilian War Benefits program was established in the Federal Security Agency in 1942. The program, while not based on substantive legislation, was continued for the fiscal year 1947 by special provision in the Federal Security Appropriation Act, 1947, and thereafter, for the fiscal year 1948, by the Supplemental Appropriation Act, 1948. The Federal Security Agency has recommended to the Congress that the NARA program be continued after the expiration of the current appropriation by a liquidating statute which would transfer the benefit rolls of this program to the Federal Employees' Compensation fund until all pending claims under the program are paid out of that fund, up to a total of $7,500 in respect of any claim (See S. 1456, 80th Cong., 1st Sess.). It appears from the records of the Federal Security Agency that on April 22, 1943, Mr. Richards filed with that Agency an application for disability benefits for an injury sustained by him when he fell while on duty as an auxiliary police officer under the United States Citizens Defense Corps (Office of Civilian Defense) at Bonneville substation during a blackout. Pursuant to a determination of the Board that Mr. Richards was 100 per cent disabled from January 1 to February 28, 1942, and from September 1 to October 19, 1942, he was paid disability benefits under such program in the aggregate sum of $291.83. Expenditures were also made under the program in his behalf for medical treatment. It was further found that Mr. Richards, a self-employed barber, suffered no loss of wage-earning capacity, other than that for which he received such benefits, as a result of his injury. The records of the Federal Security Agency in this case contain no evidence of any additional disability sustained by Mr. Richards. He has received under the program the maximum amount of benefits to which he has shown himself entitled according to the reports and evidence received. If he has suffered a substantial permanent disability and loss of wage-earning capacity as a result of the injury or incurred any medi- cal expenses with respect to which he might be entitled to additional compensation or reimbursement under the program, he may present claim therefor to the Federal Security Agency's Bureau of Employees' Compensation which is now charged with the administration of the program. Should he be found to be actually entitled to such benefits, they will be paid to him at least until the termination of the current fiscal year, and longer should Congress continue such program by appropriate legislation. (OVER)