Special Message to the Congress Upon Signing Bill To Raise the Pay of Certain Employees of the Veterans Administration.

To the Congress of the United States:

I have today approved H.R. 6022, "to increase the rates of compensation of certain employees of the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the Veterans Administration, and for other purposes."

This legislation has been under consideration by the Congress concurrently with other legislation to revise the Classification Act of 1923. The revision of the Classification Act would establish new salary schedules for medical and nursing positions in other Government agencies which are comparable to the positions in the Veterans Administration covered by H.R. 6022.

It is desirable to revise the existing salary schedules for these positions both in the Veterans Administration and in other agencies. However, it now appears that the salaries to be provided for positions of this type under the revision of the Classification Act will be substantially lower, in some instances at least, than the salaries provided for comparable positions in the Veterans Administration under H.R. 6022. It would be most unfortunate if the final action on these related pieces of legislation should result in any such discrepancies. Consequently, I recommend that the Congress, in completing its action on the revision of the Classification Act, make the rates contained in that legislation applicable to the positions covered by H.R. 6022, except for the position of Chief Medical Director of the Office of Medicine and Surgery of the Veterans Administration. This course of action is concurred in by the Administrator of Veterans Affairs and by the Civil Service Commission. I recommend its favorable consideration by the Congress.

HARRY S. TRUMAN