where we felt we could provide sheltered living for them under supervision and where psychiatric attention was available to them, should they so need it. This number has increased steadily. In 1956 there were a little over 300, 1957 there were nearly 400, in 1958 there were nearly 600.

And so we are slowly moving in that direction with this group. Most recently-the program is now about a year old-a pilot study was begun in our outpatient program in the regional office in Brooklyn, N.Y.: Placement of service-connected veterans (they being the only ones eligible for outpatient care) in their home communities, with their families. These patients are brought to the clinic where they spend the entire day in groups, working in considerable measure with the volunteers who have been referred to by Mr. Morse, and other members of our staff.

This particular project-pilot project-has been so valuable, in our opinion, that we are now expanding it and plan to introduce it into additional health clinic settings. We hope to try this on a similar basis for the nonpsychiatric patients who have chronic illnesses. Of course, it will be limited strictly to the service-connected veteran in this outpatient group.

PERSONNEL NEEDS

Senator MCNAMARA. Generally you assume that the Veterans' Administration has a tremendous problem obtaining nearly enough psychiatrists. Is this a true situation? Is it still awfully hard for you to get people highly skilled in the profession for your continuing increasing numbers of patients, it seems, who need such treatment? Dr. COHEN. That is quite true, Mr. Chairman, but I think we suffer in no small measure the same disability the entire Nation is suffering, a total inadequacy of trained, well-qualified psychiatrists. I think that perhaps it may be a little bit more difficult than with some other groups, especially in recent years.

Senator MCNAMARA. Do you consider that this is likely due to the fact that you cannot compete economically with the public at large? Dr. COHEN. This, I believe, has played a striking role, particularly since State institutions have increased their fees to psychiatrists in increasing measure in recent years.

Senator MCNAMARA. You find it hard keeping up with competition of State organizations?

Dr. COHEN. That is correct, sir. As an example, of the 300 physician vacancies we had on June 30, 1958, 128 of them were in the field of psychiatry alone.

Senator MCNAMARA. That demonstrates very well the trouble that you have and this is certainly a very serious lack in your program. I know that while we are concerned with it nobody seems to be doing very much, if anything, to bring about a correction of this situation. Dr. COHEN. One step we have made, Mr. Chairman, is the establishment of the career training program for psychiatrists which is producing for us each year an increasing number of qualified physicians who are available on an indentured service, an obligated service basis for several years after their period of training. But the numbers that will remain with us for longer periods than their obligated period, I cannot report to you yet, since the program is too recently instituted.

Senator MCNAMARA. Well, there is some hope at long range for some help in that area, but even that is rather feeble to meet the situation, do you think?

Dr. COHEN. Yes.

Senator MCNAMARA. Thank you, Mr. Director. It certainly has been very helpful. I am sorry we are running so late. We appreciate very much the cooperation of your agency and the fine staff that you brought with you today.

Mr. MORSE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do want to thank you for your foresight in getting this committee going and pledge to you the full support of the VA and any help that we may be able to give you in days to come.

Senator MCNAMARA. Thank you very much.

Thank you all, gentlemen.

Is Mr. Munson of the American Legion here?

Do you want to make a statement now? What is your pleasure, sir?

Mr. MUNSON. Mr. Chairman, I will be glad to accommodate myself to whatever your desires are, or come back.

Senator MCNAMARA. Are you located here?

Mr. MUNSON. Yes; I am located here.

Senator MCNAMARA. Why don't you return on tomorrow, then?
Mr. MUNSON. That is perfectly agreeable.

Senator MCNAMARA. The hearing is adjourned to tomorrow at 10 o'clock.

(Whereupon, at 12:30 p.m., the hearing was recessed to reconvene at 10 o'clock, Thursday, July 30, 1959.)

FEDERAL PROGRAMS FOR THE AGED AND AGING

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 1959

U.S. SENATE,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON PROBLEMS OF THE AGED AND AGING

OF THE COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to adjournment, in room 4232, New Senate Office Building, Senator Pat McNamara (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Senator McNamara (presiding).

Subcommittee staff members present: Sidney Spector, staff director, and Dr. Harold Sheppard, research director.

Committee staff member present: Stewart E. McClure, chief clerk, and Raymond D. Hurley, minority professional staff member.

Senator MCNAMARA. The hearing will be in order.

The topic we are considering here today is certainly a vital issue for the Nation, as our experts last month indicated so forcefully. The problem has been even more highlighted in recent days, as a result of the President's veto of the housing bill, S. 57-concerning which I addressed Senator Sparkman's Housing Subcommittee yesterday. In my statement before the Housing Subcommittee, I expressed my concern about the housing needs of older Americans, and my hope that we legislate a number of improvements in the existing Housing Act for the elderly.

Today-after hearing from the American Legion, which was unable, due to lack of time, to present its testimony yesterday-we will hear from Mr. Henry O. Talle, Assistant Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency.

We will want to hear about the data concerning the nature of the housing of older persons, and the kinds of problems they face in finding and maintaining adequate living conditions, and what the HHFA's program for the aged includes, and what the progress has been since the Housing Act of 1956. After that we will have a number of questions that we hope can be answered today.

First of all, would Mr. Munson like to give his statement? STATEMENT OF CECIL H. MUNSON, NATIONAL REHABILITATION COMMISSION, THE AMERICAN LEGION; ACCOMPANIED BY AUSTIN E. KERRY, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COMMISSION, THE AMERICAN LEGION Mr. MUNSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We appreciate this opportunity to speak for the American Legion. I have with me Mr. Austin Kerby, Administrative Assistant to the Director, National

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Economic Commission, whose field is employment. He works with the Department of Labor quite closely in that field.

Mr. Chairman, we appreciate the opportunity to appear today following the excellent presentation of the Veterans' Administration yesterday. The Veterans' Administration statement will be helpful to your subcommittee and the American Legion in planning constructive rehabilitation programs for the aged and aging.

Senator MCNAMARA. We are certainly glad that it will be helpful. Mr. MUNSON. The professional services of physicians, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, social workers, vocational counselors, and training specialists are utilized in the Veterans' Administration in a team approach to assist disabled and aged veterans in developing and carrying out plans to overcome their handicaps. These services are available as needed, at each step in the rehabilitation process. The success of rehabilitated veterans speaks well for the high professional standards maintained by personnel in the Department of Medicine and Surgery and the Vocational Rehabilitation and Education Divisions in the Central Office of the Veterans' Administration. We believe these services have been superior to similar services provided by other Federal agencies.

Mr. Chairman, I will briefly summarize my formal statement in order to provide some continuity for our present discussion of the problems of the aged and aging.

RESOLUTIONS OF THE AMERICAN LEGION PERTAINING TO AGED

I will refer briefly to the resolutions that have been approved by our national convention and national executive committee in the last year, to emphasize, thereby, the program and the instructions we have for implementing this program.

The first resolution passed by the national convention instructed the National Rehabilitation Commission to inaugurate a continuing study of problems of older veterans. This resolution was passed by the national convention in 1958.

The second resolution from the 1958 convention adopted a program for the National Economic Commission dedicated to hiring older veterans, similar to the employ the physically handicapped program. The next resolution from the 1958 convention directs the National Economic Commission to campaign for the employment and retention of older workers through a system of awards and citations for employers.

Another resolution from the same convention instructs the National Economic Commission to encourage the elimination of calendar age discrimination in employment.

The national executive committee, in October of 1958, passed a resolution whereby the National Economic Commission designated the first full week of May each year as "National Employ the Older Worker Week" for the American Legion.

I am sure you realize that these programs will do a great deal to emphasize the need of the aged and aging; particularly when you take into consideration that the American Legion has a membership of about 2,700,000 and about 17,000 posts.

The last resolution, which was passed by the national executive tee, in October of 1958, approves activities of the National

Rehabilitation Commission and National Economic Commission in encouraging participation of the American Legion in local and State meetings leading to participation in the White House Conference on Aging in January 1961.

We are sending out fact sheets encouraging our departments, posts, and Legionnaires, to become active in their community and State programs for the aged and aging in preparation for the White House Conference on the Aging in January of 1961.

ACTIVITIES OF LEGION POSTS

Activities of American Legion posts in seeking information on employment practices in local communities and urging local employers to employ older workers emphasizes the need for voluntary services, to not only improve the opportunities for these oldsters, who are able and willing to work, but to also improve facilities for those who are disabled and in need.

Mr. Chairman, you will remember that yesterday the Veterans' Administration emphasized the need for more volunteers in this program. The American Legion has participated in the Veterans' Administration special service program since it originated on April 8, 1946. The American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary are represented on the Veterans' Administration Voluntary Service (VAVS) National Advisory Committee and a VAVS Advisory Committee for each VA hospital and domiciliary. Representatives on these committees assist the thousands of Legionnaire and auxiliary volunteers in VA hospitals, domiciliaries, and home communities to effectively integrate the rehabilitation services of the hospital into the community thinking and living. That this responsibility has been accepted is clearly indicated by the fact that there has been a continuing growth each year in the number of volunteers from both the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary participating in the VAVS program of community assistance in activities for the patients. The medical approach to overcoming the disabilities of old age is now being pioneered in Veterans' Administration hospitals and domiciliaries.

Volunteers from the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary in hospitals and home communities stand ready to cooperate in assisting oldsters to return to their rightful place in society. This is a heavy and growing responsibility because nearly half of the average daily patient load of about 111,000 veterans in the Veterans' Administration 171 hospitals are 55 years or older.

Now, Mr. Chairman, I want to quote a few paragraphs from a letter dated April 16, 1959, that Mr. John J. Corcoran, Director of the National Rehabilitation Commission, sent to you:

It will be apparent that American Legion consideration of this group (aged and aging) is approached through programs available for the considerable segment of the general population who are war veterans.

Veterans' Administration approaches the problems of the aged and aging through many of its activities. Perhaps the summary of its involvement in this question is indicated by the attached statistical summary issued by its Information Service for February 28. The benefit and service programs administered by VA parallel many of the lines of study and endeavor that have gone into consideration of the problems of the aged and aging.