Dear Vice President Johnson,

6 Oct. 1963

Your helper, Mr. Ivan Sinclair sent me notice from Mr. Cyrill F. Brickfield, Chief Benefits Director, Central VA office. The attitude of VA , as reflected by Mr. Brickfield,

Remains unchanged after almost 20 years. VA badly needs to be forcibly divested of its arbitrary presumption of ownership of what it was given to administer. This would establish a healthy trend in government.

It takes just about an act of congress to force VA to administer is responsibilities properly. It is incredible that veterans must force every consideration form VA. This is a wholly arbitrary attitude of VA must be changed.

My position is this; I earned my VA benefits with blood, my blood. VA doesn't have a cent to give me nor any other veteran. The American people with their infinite goodness are paying for everything, including that fat salary Mr. Brickfield is getting. He and the rest of VA are well paid to do their jobs. Let them to their jobs or get out! Or be kicked out!

I am just one measly combat disabled veteran, but I am symbolic of our appr. 35,000,000 veterans. He who strikes me strikes all veterans he who helps me helps all veterans.

Mr. Brickfield has promised something VA has never done before, to my knowledge, send me the law pertinent to my case. Doing business with VA is like rolling the dice under a hat, and never being allowed to see the dice TEXAS STYLE I am told. VA will make an arbitrary decision but never reveal the law.  Furthermore veterans can only be represented by counsel that VA approves which is an insurmountable handicap for veterans.

I did get help by VFW with filing my claim in 1962. But VFW has not helped me since. VFW advised me to seek better counsel. VA pays no attention to such representatives. VA wrote its laws and VA is the sole and final arbiter of its laws. Not too long ago VA professed ignorance of my condition. It is this incredible attitude that I am fighting. VA has an army of caseworkers social workers, and access to any others needed. But I doubt if VA is really aware of the condition of a dozen of our roughly 35,000,000 vets. This must change. VA ought to know the status of every veteran. I would like to be the administrator of VA for just 24 hours. Nobody knows VA as well as I do. Hitler's Gestapo was a credit to VA and I can prove it if anyone cares to listen. Thank you for helping me with my appeal as you promised. Who is the counsel assigned to my case. I need to talk to counsel.

Your Friend, Eddie H. Livingston

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