Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-08-16
The Pension Act.
An Act Supplementary to an act entitled can act t.
grant pensions" approved July fourteenth
eighteen hundredfand sixt.two.

An Act Supplementary to an act entitled can act to
eighten hundrodIand sixt.two.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United States
of America in Congress assembled, That
the biennial examination of pensioners
required by an act approved March three,
eighteen hundred and fifty-nine, may be
made by one surgeon only, provided he
is a surgeon of the army or navy, or an
examining surgeon duly appointed by
the Commissioner of Pensions; nor shall
the biennial certificate of two unappoint-
ed civil surgeons be accepted in any case,
except upon satisfactory evidence that an
examination by commissioned or duly
appointed surgeon is impracticable.
Sec. 2 Be it further enacted, That all
fees paid to examining Surgeons for bien-
NAL examinations, or examinations spe-
cially ordered, as provided by the eighth
section of the act to grant pensions, apS
proved July fourteenth, eighteen huns
dred and sixty two, shall be refunded by
the agent paying pensions in the district
within which the pensioner or claimant
resides, out of any money appropriated for
the payment of pensions, under such reg
ulations as the Commissioner of Pensions
may prescribe.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That
declarations of pension claimants shall be
made before a court of record, or before
some officer thereof, having custody Ofits
seal, said officer being hereby authorized
and empowered to administer and certify
any oath or affirmation relating to any
pension or application thereof Provided,
That the Commissioner of Pensions may
designate, in localities more than twenty
five miles distance from any place at
which such court is holden, persons
duly qualified to administer oaths, before
whom declarations may be made and test
imony taken.
Sec. T. And be it further enacted, That
section twelve of the act to grant pen
sions, approved July fourteen, eighteen
hundred and sixty-two, is hereby repeal
ed, and the Commissioner of Pensions is
authorized and empowered to detail from
time to time, clerks in his Office to in
vestigate suspected attempts at fraud on
the Government through the Pension
Office, and to aid in prosecuting any per-
sons so offending, with such additional
compensation as is customary in cases of
special service.
Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That
all persons now by law entitled to a less
pension than hereafter specified, who
shall have lost both feet in the military
service of the United States, and In the
line of duty, shall be entitled to apension
of twenty dollars per month; and those
who, under the same conditions, have lost
both hands or both eyes, shall be entiS
tied to pension twenty-five dollars per
month.
Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That
no pension claim now on file unless prOsz
ecuted to a successful issue within three
years from the passage of this act, and
no claim hereafter filed, not thus prose-
cuted to a successful issue within five
years from the date of such filing, shall
be admitted without satisfactory record
evidence from the War Department to es-
tablish the same; and in every case In
which a claim for pension may have been
filed more than three years after the dis
charge or disease of the party on whose
account the claim is made, the pension,
if allowed, shall commence from the date
filing the last paper in said case by the
party prosecuting the same.
Sec 7. And be it further enacted, That
on the re-marriage of any widow receiv"
ing pension, such pension shall termin-
ate, and shall not be renewed should she
again become WHOM
Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That
examining surgeons, duly appointed by
the Commissioner of Pensions, shall be
required by him from time to time, as he
shall deem for the interests of the Gov
ernment, to make special examinations of
of pensioners on the rolls of their respect
i've districts, and such examinations shall
have precedence over previous examines
tions, whether special or biennial; but
when injustice is alleged to have been
done by any examination so ordered, the
Commissioner of Pensions may, at his dis
cretion, select board of three duly apN
pointed examining surgeons, who shall
meet at place to be designated by him,
| and shall review such cases as may be
ordered before them on appeal from any
special examination as aforesaid, and the
decision of such board shall be final on
the question so submitted thereto. The
| compensation of all such surgeons shall
not exceed that which has been customa-
rily allowed in such cases.. and shall be
paid out of any appropriations made for
the payment of pensions in the same
manner as the ordinary fees ofRppointed
surgeons are or may be iauthorized to be
paid.
SEQ. 8. And be It further enacted, That
those persons, not enlisted soldiers in the
army, who volunteered for the time being