It may not be out of order to mention at this time that the U.S.
Veterans’ Bureau through its Foreign Relations Section, Medical
Division, has cared for over 9,000 Canadian ex-service men. When I say
Canadian ex-service men, please know that these are not in reality
Canadians, but that 95% of the number are American boys, who, through
their valor and enthusiasm, rushed into the breach in the early stages
of the conflict, having crossed the Canadian border in 1914, 1915, 1916
and 1917. Their Services having been rendered under the English flag in
Canadian organizations, these boys are properly beneficiaries of the
Canadian Government, and are being cared for by that Government through
the U.S. Veterans’ Bureau, Foreign Relations Section, Medical Division,
by cooperation with the Department of Soldiers’ Civil Re-Establishment,
which is an organization of the Canadian Government, similar to the U.
S. Veterans’ Bureau. The personnel of the Department of Soldiers’ Civil
Re-Establishment is something over 6,000, divided into 10 medical units,
or districts. The Foreign Relations Section, Medical Division, of the
Bureau is constantly in receipt of requests for service from allied
ex-service men with whose government this Bureau has no reciprocal
agreement. These cases are promptly referred to the representative of
that government located in Washington with a view of giving service if
the Government under whose flag the man served will authorize the
service.
REPORTS TO BE MADE UPON CANADIAN FORMS 346,399 and 76.:
Your attention is particularly called to the necessity of forwarding to
the Bureau reports required by the Canadian Government regarding the
hospitalization of Canadian ex-service men; and I desire to stress this
point, that, when a medical examination is made of a Canadian ex-service
man, the report of your findings should be furnished on S. C.R. Form 346
(S.C.R. meaning Soldiers’ Civil Re-Establishment), this Form being
similar in requirements to the Bureau Medical Division Form 2545. It is
upon the findings in this report mode upon S.C.R. 346 that the Canadian
Government gives its approval for hospitalization. S.C.R. Form 399 is a
Progress Report, and should be rendered monthly during the man’s stay in
hospital, for the reason that until this report is received no pension
will be paid to the man or to his dependents. When a Canadian
beneficiary is hospitalized his compensation is reduced, but the family
allowance, should he have dependents, is increased. $40 is the maximum
pension payable to a man while in hospital, $10 of which is paid to him
and $30 held in reserve, which is accumulative, and is given to him upon
discharge from hospital. The family allowance is increased according to
the number of his dependents, and is paid to his family direct. S.C.R.
Form. 76 is a discharge report from hospital and should be rendered
promptly in triplicate, as all these reports should be. If you are not
in possession of these Canadian Forms, 346, 399 and 76, they may be
obtained from the District Manager in whose district you are located.