National Republican., 1880-10-09
DELAYED PENSIONS.
Commissioner Bentlcy Points Out some OF
tho Reasons Therefor--An Enormous Cor
respondenoe-Defeots In tho Methods-Ro-
forms Must Come from Congress

forms Must Como from Congress.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
PENSION OFFICE, October /, 1880.
Commissioner Bentley has sent to claimants
Of pensions the following letter, explanatory
Of the delays experienced by them in the set
tlement of their caimsi
The accumulation Of cases in the office,
which could not for one or another reason be
settled promptly, has for many years caused a
greater or less number Of complain 5 at the
delays which have attended their conaidera.
tion and adjustment; but previous to the pas
sage Of the net of January 25 1879, commonly
known as the arrears act" these complaints
were comparatively few, although at that date
there wero more than 100000 original claims
which were unsettled. Since the passage OF
that act tho DELAYS have increased as the
claims have increased, and complaints have
rapidly multiplied.
In view of the great delay which the claim.
ants IN general have already experienced, and
which will grow more aud more burdcnsome
until somo legislative relief shall be furnished
by congress, the following statement of the
condition Of the affairs in the pension Office is
made for your information in part explanation
of the delays which You have experienced in
the settlement of your claim.
Tho act granting pension for disability and
on account of death incurred In the war of the
rebellion was passed on the l4th of July, 1862;
between the dates July 1, 1861, aud July 1,
1850, 603, $50 claims for original pensions were
presented, not counting those for service in the
war of 1872
The claims for pension on account Of service
In the war of 1912, for increase of pension, for
arrears and for bounty land warrants which
have been presented during the same period,
number altogether 457, 1iS, making total
Of claims of all classes, 1,l51,007.
OF the original claims 1862, $50 were placed
oil the pension rolls previous TO July l last,
and Of the other claims all had been disposed
OF except about 1900.
In the course of the transaction Of this busi-
ness the pension office has made not less than
100000 decisions, or little less than an
average of 100000 per annum; the excess over
the number of cases which have finally been
disposed of Is made up of reviews and recon-
sideratons which have been made at the re-
quest Of the claimants.
At the time of the passage of tho arrears
act" there were about 100000 unsettled claims
which were regarded as alive and pending;
besides these, there were not less tllun $4,000
In the files which had been rejected for one
or another reason. Among these claims which
were in tho files and had not been admitted
were about $4,000 which were counted as dead
claims-the claimants having abandoned their
prosecution, or died leaving them unsettled.
The arrears act" not only brought in new
original claims at the rate Of IL, 300 per month
for the whole period of seventeen months from
February !, 1879, 10 June 80 1SS0-while the
average from July l, 1878, to February l,
1879 was only 1887 per mouth-but it re-
vived from 10000 to 10000 old cases which
were in the rejected files.
Although under the er pdrte system of pre-
senting the evidence great deal of time is
consumed in procuring tho paro testimony,
and often great delay in obtaining the record
from the war department, because that depart
mont is not always able to furnish prom pity
tho records called for, yet at the time of the
passage of the arrears act," and for many
months previously, the Office work was well
up, aud but short time interviewed between
the date of receipt and answer of important
letters in the cases, and but few weeks elapsed
after the claimant had filed all the evidence
in his case before it was taken up and settled
The delays, such as they were, were in the
main chargeable to the inability of the war
department to furnish the records as rapidly
us they were called for, or to tho failure OF tho
claimant to promptly supply the evidence
which the Office required.
Since the passage of the arrears act" there
is "a considerable sum accrued in the cases, and
the desire to obtain this has spurred the
settlement, and greatly increased CORE
spondence has been the result, the claimants
often writing several letters of inquiry before
the first one has been answered.
The letters, additional evidence, and other
mail matter amounted, during the last year
to nearly 900,0 900 pieces, while for the year end
ing June 30, 1876, there were only 300 SO pieces
The inquiries by members of congress alone
during tho last year were nearly 10000, while
for the year 1876 they were about 5000.
The pensions remaining unsettled and let
ters lying several months unanswered, til,
claimauts unacquainted as they are with tlIt
situation in the office, have very naturally
complained ut what appeared to them an uu
reasonable delay, but which was, In fact, in
eyitable delay attending the sudden influx oi
such an immensely increased business, which
it was impossible to dispatch promptly MS il
came in for lack of proper system for obtain
ing tho evidence, and for the want of Other
proper office facilities which could not be an
tieipated and provided in advance.
Since the business cannot all be dispatched
promptly, and all letters answered at once
each claimant is compelled to await his turn
In order that there be no partiality shown
among tho claimants.
BY filing the letters of inquiry with the
papers in the case to which tIey respectively
rotate, and giving them attention when the
case was taken up, the Office has, during the
last year, allowed 1857 original pensions
mot including those for the war of 1879, a
greater number than have been allowed ia
any year since 1871, in spite Of the vast
amount Of other work with which it has been
crowded An attempt to have answered the
letters promptly rs received would have pre-
vented great many of these settlements, be-
cause it would have left little time which
could have been devoted to the work of SET
tling the cases.
There are about 100000 original claims re
naming unsettled, and new claims continue
to corne IN. There are also several thousand
claims for increase.
The pension office, as you will sec by the
statistics given, is doing MI it can with the
system which it is compelled to employ, and
the facilities which are available to settle the
cases and relieve the delays aud the commits
sioncr of pensions, with the approval OF the
secretary Of the interior, has recommended
changes in the laws which IL is believed will
enable the claimants to obtain an carly settle
ment of their cases, but which recommends
tious have not yet been acted upon by con
gress Very respectfully yours,
j. a. BENTLEY,
Comm, 'c.inuar nF Pensions