CLINTON PUTS 51,000 BACK TO WORK.(MAIN)

Byline: PAUL RICHTER Los Angeles Times -

WASHINGTON President Clinton on Thursday ordered thousands of furloughed government employees back to work next week to limit the disruption caused by the partial federal shutdown, even as he vowed to veto GOP-sponsored legislation that would provide stopgap funds to resume all suspended government operations.

As the federal closure stretched through an unprecedented three work days, Clinton ordered back some 50,000 Social Security workers, 1,700 Department of Veteran's Affairs employees, and 100 Medicare employees to resume processing claims filed by older people and veterans.

Noting on an average day that 28,000 Americans apply for Social Security benefits, 10,000 for Medicare and 7,500 for veteran's assistance, Clinton said in an Oval Office appearance that ``without …