“All of these matters ought to be attended to before the patient leaves the hospital, and with close co-operation and efficient administration, both in the field and in the Bureau, this can be done, and of course must be done without keeping the patient in the hospital after his treatment is completed. Manifestly there is only one way to accomplish this, and that is, to anticipate the discharge of the patient a sufficient length of time in advance to provide for these objects.” “_Feasibility_ of training is to be determined preferably by the Medical Officer in Charge of the hospital, or his assistant, and means only that, in his opinion, the patient is physically and mentally fit to receive vocational training.” “The other requirements must be met by the Bureau or its field representatives, but with the co-operation of the hospitals. A representative will shortly be named at each hospital, who will keep himself informed of the status of each patient’s claim to the benefits enumerated and who will follow up all cases in which there may be delay.” “Again reminding all concerned that anticipation is the key-note of the action desired in these General Orders, the hope is expressed that the objects outlined may be obtained, as nearly as possible, before the patient is ready to be discharged.” Any discussion of the instructions of General Order No. 26 and No. 26–A must take into consideration the reasons which led to the issuance of those orders. The officials in the U. S. Veterans’ Bureau had been convinced for sometime that a high percentage of patients were being cared for in hospitals, and this applies particularly to contract hospitals, whose necessity for remaining in hospital was not based upon sound medical reason, and in many instances upon no real medical indication at all. A number of factors were responsible for this situation,—the rapid growth and development of the District offices required the personnel therein to work at high pressure at all times; it has been a continuous struggle to keep abreast of the volume of incoming correspondence, with requests for hospitalization, application for compensation, claimants crowding the doors, and a thousand and one other subjects. It has been a struggle on the part of the District personnel to keep from being swamped by the tremendous and ever increasing daily load. Hospitalization was authorized and carried out both in contract and Government institutions in cases of all character for treatment where the indications for such were great and immediate, or were slight or nil, for ailments, objective and subjective, imaginary and real, for physical examination and report, for determination of compensability, and for information concerning the connection with military service of a claimants disability. The list grew so rapidly that patients were lost sight of. Many claimants were hospitalized for examination and treatment, and overlooked after examination and treatment had been completed.