Summit County Labor News

REHABILITATION
WORK IS
CONFERENCE
THEME
Labor, management, and workmen's
compensation and rehabilitation offi-
cials met in conference in Washington
last week to discuss means of in-
creasing services to injured workers
in an effort to get them back on their
jobs faster.
Under Secretary of Labor Michael
J. Galvin opened the 2-day session of
the National Conference on Work-
men's Compensation and Rehabilita-
tion with the statement that "nothing
is more challenging in postwar Amer-
America than the rehabilitation of injured
workers to most nearly normal life
and work."
The conferees were also addressed
by Federal Security Administrator
Oscar R. Ewing, who underscored the
problem presented by chronic disabil-
ities caused by heart disease, nervous
and mental disorders, arthritis, and
other diseases. "Chronic disability
cases are no less a challenge to our
program--and no less a responsibility
--than the victims of crippling indus-
trial accidents or injuries," he said,
pointing out that accidents and in-
juries on the job--those either wholly
or partially covered by workmen's
compensation--represent only about 5
per cent of the total problem of dis-
ability.
"There is a strong probability," he
(Continued on Page Four)
declared, "that during the present session of Congress, some provision at least for permanent disability will be adopted as a part of our old-age and survivors insurance system. The worker who is permanently disabled, from any cause, would then be able to draw monthly benefits at the same rate as the worker who retires at age 65."

Forty-three States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Canada were represented at the conference by directors of workmen's compensation, State directors of vocational rehabilitation, or private citizens in the fields of labor, business, medicine, and insurance. The conference, which met in the Labor Department Auditorium, was under the joint sponsorship of the U. S. Labor Department and the Federal Security Agency.

Under Secretary of Labor Galvin told the conferees that only about half of the eligible severely disabled workmen's compensation patients are currently being processed through the Federal-State vocational rehabilitation program. He estimated that an additional 6,000 injured workers yearly qualify under the eligibility standards set by Congress - employable age, substantial job handicap, a reasonable chance for suitable reemployment if rehabilitated.

"Labor can lend powerful backing in the State to the facilitation of rehabilitation service," he said, adding that labor representatives often assist injured workers with their compensation claims and are increasingly active in insuring the availability of the best rehabilitation services to injured workers.

One of the features of the conference was a demonstration by rehabilitated persons from Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center, Fisherville, Virginia, and from the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, West Orange, New Jersey.

More than 600 persons in need of assistance were referred to social agencies by the Labor Relations Department of the Community Chest. This service is available to any one, without charge.

sons and indications are that increased interest in the union label league will bring out a greater crowd. Last year the crowd taxed the capacity of the Neil House main ballroom.