tion officer, rating specialists (claims and occupational), vocational advisor, and training officer. As an initial step in setting up contact offices at advantageous locations throughout the United States approximately 200 additional jobs of contact representative have been authorized for regional offices and combined facilities. This will enable managers to detail contact representatives to separation centers of the Army and Navy for the purpose of assisting prospective claimants in matters affecting them as veterans. The Veterans' Administration has continued its policy of giving emphasis to preference for ex-service men and women in appointment and employment matters. This has necessitated careful evaluation of the qualifications of these men and women as they return from active service to civilian life. The job instruction training program adopted from training within industry has been given to supervisors in central office and in the New York branch office. This program has resulted in reduction of errors, less time consumed in learning and increased production. The job relations training program given to supervisors in central office has acquainted them with techniques of handling personnel harmoniously and has resulted in less turnover, higher morale, and greater production. It has been necessary to carry on considerable training in the occupations represented in the utilities at field stations. Approximately 350 employees were given this in-service training in 30 occupations or trades with the result that many have already been upgraded to more difficult and responsible positions. More than 1,000 new employees have been given orientation training to help them adapt themselves to the new conditions and requirements of the agency and of Washington. Refresher training courses in typewriting and stenography have been continued. It has been foreseen that the training program should be more comprehensive and should cover on-the-job training in many types of positions particularly since we may not now recruit qualified personnel through ordinary channels. On June 30, 1944, there were on the rolls of the Veterans' Administration 50,554 employees (exclusive of those on a per diem and per hour basis) whose aggregate gross annual salaries, including allowances but excluding overtime pay, totaled $85,171,212 as compared with 44,427 employees and $75,740,783 in annual salaries on June 30, 1943, a net increase of 6,127 employees and a net increase of $9,430,429 in aggregate annual salaries. At the close of this year 62.30 percent of the male and 6.93 percent of the female employees on the rolls were ex-service, while 34.37 percent of the total personnel had such status. STATISTICAL TABLES MEDICAL AND DOMICILIARY TABLES TABLE 1.—Clinical laboratory tests and X-ray examinations, fiscal years 1924-44 TABLE 2.-Out-patient medical service, by service rendered, fiscal years 1924-44 TABLE 3.—Number of out-patient treatments divided into medical and dental, salary and fee, with percent of fee, fiscal years 1924-44 TABLE 4.-Number of out-patient examinations divided into medical and dental, salary and fee, with percent of fee, fiscal years 1924-44 TABLE 5.-Admissions of United States veterans for hospital treatment and domiciliary care, fiscal years 1920–44 1 Includes 21 admissions to civil institutions in United States possessions. |