Georgia Official and Statistical Register 1983-84 - the Digital Library ...

The Veterans Service Board consists of seven membersappointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by theSenate, to serve seven year terms. It is the duty of the board topromulgate all rules and regulations necessary to accomplish itsobjectives. The Commissioner and all members of the Boardmust be veterans of some war or armed conflict in which theUnited States has engaged.Veterans Service BoardB.L. Hawkins, Chairman ....................GainesvilleR.D. Smith, Jr., Vice-Chairman ................. ToccoaEmmett W. Gore, Jr., Secretary .................. MaconTommy Clack ............................... DecaturHugh H. Howell ............................. AtlantaAnnie R. Aaron ............................... MaconJere N. Moore ........................... MilledgevilleThe Department is administered by a Commissioner ofVeterans Service and a Veterans Service Board. The Commissioner is appointed by the Board and serves as executive officerof the Department. It is his duty to administer and enforce allrules and regulations made by the Board.Authority and responsibilities of the Department of Veterans Service are enumerated in OCGA 38-4.HISTORY. Georgia©s concern for her veterans may betraced to the post-Revolutionary War period, long before theformal establishment of a Department of Veterans Service.Through various legislative acts, the state provided veterans ofthe American Revolution and the Civil War with certain, specified benefits. In response to the needs of Spanish AmericanWar and World War I veterans, a Service Bureau was established in 1923 to assist ex-service men and women in securingbenefits provided by federal legislation. The ReorganizationAct of 1931 abolished the Service Bureau and the GeorgiaSoldiers Roster Commission and transferred all functions tothe newly established Veterans Service Office. In 1937 thefunctions and responsibilities that related to Confederate veterans and their dependents were transferred to the StateDepartment of Public Welfare; two years later these functionswere transferred to the State Division of Confederate Pensionsand Boards. Responsibility for non-Civil War veterans affairsremained with the Veterans Service Office until 1945 when theDepartment of Veterans Service was established (Ga. L. 1945,p. 319). The Department became a constitutional entity underthe 1945 Constitution. In 1955 the Georgia State War VeteransHome was established and responsibility for it was vested withthe Veterans Home Commission. In 1960 the Commission wasabolished and responsibility for the home was transferred to theDepartment of Veterans Service. Also in 1960, the Division ofConfederate Pension and Records was abolished; its powerswere transferred to the Department of Veterans Service and itsrecords to the Department of Archives and History. In 1983 thetitle of Director of Veterans Service was changed to Commissioner of Veterans Service (Ga. L. 1983, p. 1401).Peter Wheeler, Crawford. Commissioner. Dept, of Veterans Servce.June 26, 1954-date. Born Oct.19, 1922 in Dougherty Co., Ga.Graduated, U. of Ga.; John Marshall Law School; Atlanta LawSchool; Augusta Law School.Kappa Sigma, Sigma Delta Kappa.Attorney. Gridiron, AmericanLegion, DAV, AMVETS. USArmy Infantry, 1942-46. Ga. NatlGuard, retired as Brigadier General 1978. Director, EducationDiv., Dept. of Veterans Service, 1949-51. Asst. Director, ibid.,1951-54. Wife, former Geraldine Odenweller; 3 children.Bruce B. Diggs. Assistant CommissionerHenry G. Chapman. Assistant Commissioner. AdministrationRobert C. Morris, Supervisor, Claims DivisionJames J. Doyle. Supervisor, Education DivisionPreston Charles, Supervisor, Information DivisionSTATE BOARD OF WORKERS' COMPENSATIONThe State Board of Workers© Compensation enforces theprovisions of the Workers© Compensation Act. It receivesclaims for compensation, assigns claims to administrative lawjudges, and reviews and amends awards. The Board has authority to appoint deputies, reporters and all other necessary personnel, as well as to employ physicians or surgeons to examineparties claiming compensation.The Board of Workers©Compensation is composed of threemembers: a Director who represents labor, a Director whorepresents management and a Chairman who represents theinterests of the public. The terms of office are four years each.The members are appointed by the Governor with the adviceand consent of the Senate.Authority and responsibilities of the State Board of Workers©Compensation are enumerated in OCGA 34-9.HISTORY. The Act of March 25. !937(Ga. L. 1937, p. 230)placed within the Department of Labor, an Industrial Boardwhich succeeded to all the powers and duties of the formerDepartment of Industrial Relations, particularly administration of the Workmen©s Compensation Act of August 17, 1920(Ga. L. 1920, p. 167). The Act of February© 8- !943(Ga. L. 1943,p. 167) replaced the Industrial Board with the Board of Workmen©s Compensation. The Act of January 26, 1950 (Ga. L.1950, p. 9) specified that the Commissioner of Labor shouldhave only advisory power with regard to the Board. The Executive Reorganization Act of April 6, 1972 (Ga. L. 1972, p. 1015)created a Director of Administration for the Board. The Act ofApril 10. 1978 (Ga. L. 1978, p. 2220) changed the name to theBoard of Workers© Compensation.Herbert T. Greenholtz, Jr., Woodstock.Chairman, State Board ofWorkers' Compensation. Nov. 1,1981-date. Born May 5, 1934 inCarrollCo.. Ga. Attended EasternCollege; U. of Baltimore. JD, 1956.Attorney. Democrat. Lutheran. USArmy, 1956-59. Instructor, Albany©r College. Administrative LawJudge, State Board of Workers©Compensation, 1975-81. Wife,former Judith C. Ledbetter; 2 children.Don L. Knowles, Stockbridge.Director, State Board of Workers'Compensation, Mav 2, 1972-date.Born Jan. 12, 1930 in Fulton Co.,Ga. Graduated Woodrow WilsonCollege of Law, 1958. Sigma DeltaKappa. Attorney. Democrat. Baptist. Mason. Shriner. Lions Club,Moose. Mbr., House of Rep.1969-70; 1971-72. Wife, formerFaye Cochran; 4 children.59