 Initially , Forbes desperately tried to be appointed chairman of the United States Shipping Board , a board that controlled vast amounts of government shipping resources to private shippers . President Harding , however , denied him the position and instead appointed Forbes to the Bureau of War Risk Insurance on April 28 , 1921 . Forbes 's salary at the War Risk Bureau was $ 10 @,@ 000 a year . On August 9 , 1921 Congress passed what was known as the " Sweet Bill " creating the Office of the Veterans ' Bureau . After World War I , thousands of wounded and disabled veterans did not have adequate facilities for proper care and needed job skills . The Veterans ' Bureau was created to remedy this dilemma for the World War I veterans who desperately needed medical attention , hospitals , and employment . Across the country there were fourteen regional offices that were semi @-@ independent from Washington D.C. Bureau . Congress awarded the Veterans ' Bureau millions of dollars in expenditures to take care of the needs of the veterans . In August 1921 , President Harding appointed Forbes the first director of the Veterans ' Bureau . Forbes controlled $ 500 @,@ 000 @,@ 000 ( 5 @.@ 99 billion 2009 ) a year in government expenditures for the World War I veterans . Forbes wife Katherine had direct access to the White House , having been given special privileges under Mrs. Harding 's authority . 
