County Agents Get Coverage In Case of Work-Related Illness or Injury, Sept. 30, 1924

For some reason, the blog wouldn’t let me add this story yesterday.

Agents Will Get Compensation for Hurts or Disease. . . Department Employes. . . Protection of Federal Employes Against Such Diseases and Accidents as Received Because of Their Work Will be Given According to Announcement Just Made

Raleigh, Sept. 29—County home and farm agents and others employed directly by the United States Department of Agriculture will receive compensation for occupational diseases or accidents occurring to them while on duty, it was announced here today by I.O. Schaub, director of extension. Dr. Schaub is notifying all federal employes in the extension decision of the new ruling and instructing them to notify the supervising agent immediately upon having an accident or becoming sick and diseased as a result of official duty performance.

Director Schaub is in receipt of a letter from Mrs. Bessie P. Brueggeman, chairman of the United States Employers’ Compensation Commission, in which she states that protection of Federal employes against such diseases and accidents was given by the commission for six years until the Comptroller General ruled that the law did not cover such cases. By an amendment to the Employes’ Compensation Act which was recently approved by the President, this protection, she explains, has been returned to the employe beyond all doubt.

The mere fact that the disease develops after the person enters the employment of the Government is not sufficient for a claim, the chairman points out. Such diseases as pneumonia, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and rheumatism are usually due to an outside cause, she says, so claims must all be well established. For this reason the law requires that all claims must be filed within a year after the occurrence of the accident or disease, she added, but urged that the claimants not wait but file application immediately.

“There are quite a good number of Federal employes in the State of North Carolina co-operating with the various branches of the State Department of Agriculture, many of whom are doing such work that is liable to subject them to the dangers of an accident or disease at times,” said Mr. Schaub. “They are all faithful workers and do not let the possibility of such dangers, when they do occur, stop them from doing their work to the fullest. I am sure that the congress felt that it was doing its duty when they perfected the amendment, and I am glad that the workers have gotten their rights.”

From the front page of the Wilson Times, Sept. 30, 1924

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073953/1924-09-30/ed-1/seq-1/#words=September+30%2C+1924