The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-11
PENSIONS AND THEIR COST.
Commissioner Black Presents Start
ling Array of Facts and Figures.
Net Total Cost of the Arrears Act, Now in
Force and Under Consideration, Nearly
Five Hundred Million Dollars.
Washington Special to Chicago Tribune.

1
mittee is to be the vehicle for his labor of love-
A fortnight ago he had Commissioner Black pre-
pare statement showing what the cost of the
proposed pension legislation would be. Itwould
have beer very telling document but for a
grave blunder by which $50, 900. 900 was included
IN the estimate. when it had no business there.
Inc pension members soon found this out and
the Criticisms they showered on Black raised
serious doubts about the accuracy of all his
| figures. Randall had been doing some calculat
ing himself, and he thought the Pension Office
ought to make statistical report which would
| still uphold his proposition. So he addressed
another letter to General Black The answer is
| revised estimate on the whole subject of pen
sions. Some of the old ground is gone over. but
| as the whole report is to form the text of much
discussion in the House hereafter, it is given in
| full.
| The Hon. Samuel j. Randall. Chairman of the Com
atives
Sir Your favor of Feb 3, 1886, is at hand.
ana in reply thereto submit the following state
Dent. the date of July l, 1885, affording the last
ascertalnable positive data within the reach of
the office. Your first interrogatory is:
what has been the amount paid by the gov
eminent to date as arrears of pensions under the
operation of the acts of Jan. IS and March 81,
1877" The total amount paid to June 30, 1885.
was $179, 405, S72
Second-"What amount will probably be paid
under said acts upon claims filed prior to June
30. 1850 not yet adjudicated?" In answer
$50, 46S. 100
Third-"What amount would probably have
to be paid arrears upon claims now pending,
filed since June 80, 1880, and upon claims already
adJudlcated that filed since that date.
should the limitation of the existing laws be re-
peaedf Since June 30, 1880, there have been
allowed 46 S67 invalid pensions and 1858 wild
0ws and other PENSIONS in which, by reason of
the Limitation referred to, no arrears have been
granted, and which will require SIS. 46S, 800 to
pay the invalid arrears, and So 600 600 to pay the
TO- 600 lestimated) cases out of the 49, 558 widows
and otner pensioners who would become entitled
thereto under the proposed repeal Of the limita-
ton act. This would make total of 1884, 468, 300
required to pay the pensioners on the rolls
whose claims hava been allowed since June 30,
1851, and In which arrears have not been allowed
under existing laws. There are now pending
in this office, as stated in said letter. III, 4O2
invallds and GIL, 582 widows and other applca-
tions and which assuming that 60 per cent. will
receive favorable consideration, and that eight
cen years will be the average arrears period in
invalid cases, and nine years in widows and
other cases. the annual rate averaging 800 in
each class will require to pay said arrears $2l8,
1861, 900 Add to this sum the $84, 468, 300 above
shown, and the grand total is 1902 1876 200. To
ascertain the net auQltlonnl cost 10 the govern
ment by the proposed repeal Of the limitation
acts of 1879 we must subtract from the $500, 1885,,
200 the $50, 1853, 100 above shown as arrears in
eases filed prior to July 1880. already allowed.
and in which said amount will be paid regardless
of any change in the limitation acts leaving
1922 1868. 100 the net additional cost to the gov
eminent which the proposed repeal Of the imita
ton acts of 1879 will entail.
Fourth-"Should the limitation of the arrears
of pcussta act be repealed, what portion of the
1aG L \
Indicated with reference to arrears without ad
ditlonal evidence. and approximately what pQg-
ton of such cases requiring additional evidence
can be adJudlcated annually in the ordinary
course of business of your office with its present
forces' So far as the Office is concerned, prob
ably 20 per cent of the filed and al
lowed since June 30, 1880, can be adjudi-
Gated with reference to arrears without
additional evidence, or the evidence
already filed, for the reason that in all cases al
lowed it has been required to show continuance
of disability and the same is true as to the cases
now pending and awaiting additional evidence
under existing law. But in great number of
cases the claimants themselves, having been in
formed that under existing law arrears could
not be granted, confined their proof of disability
to the period subsequent to the filing of their
claims; and hence, in nearly all the cases filed
since July /, 1880, whether pending or allowed
the claimants would demand the right to file ad-
ditional testimony, showing the degree of the
disability more clearly than already shown, for
the period between discharge and the date Of fl
ing the claims: and from the experience of the
Office it is safe to suggest that not more than so
per cent of the claims filed since June 30, $780,
can or will be adjusted without the consideration
Of additional evidence.
Fifth-"With the limitation Of the arrears Of
pension act repealed what will be the total an
nual expenditure for pensions, with the present
capacity of your Office for the adjudication of
pension claims9' In the estimate which have
ma * / hQu cko d fnr tha oil
of 1915, 900, 900, believing that that would be
sufficient to pay the pensions to be allowed dur
ing that year under the existing law. In making
this estimate for appropriations calculated and
intended that the Office would be worked to its
utmost capacity, and do not see how wisely
and economically anything more can be done by
the present force. If more work is to be done q
greater force must be allowed
Sixth-"Should Congress repeal the limitation
imposed by the acts OF Jan. 25 1879 and Of
March 8, 1879, what additional clerical force
would be requisite to the bureau in order to pay
during the fiscal year of 1887. the claims Of pen
sioners now on tina rolsW In answering this
question l proceed upon the theory that the
Congress of the United States, in repeating the
limitation imposed by existing statutes will
otherwise leave the laws as they are now found
upon the statute books, creating arbitrary rate
in any given case, but leaving the rate to be ad-
justed by the evidence on file or hereafter to be
obtained.
l. 1t is probable that 95 per cent. of the cases
which have been both filed and admitted since
the LIST day of July 1880. could be adjusted as to
arrears without additional evidence.
2 AS to the cases adjudicated by rejection
since the LIST day of July, $780, the presumption is
that no arrears, except in a very small number of
cases. Will be either claimed or established.
3. AS to the cases still pending and unadju-
dieated, have written at length in answer to the
fourth interrogatory.
In view of the preceding statements, it is my
opinion that 300 competent clerks must be added
to the clerical force of this Office in order to pay
during the fiscal year of 1857, arrears to pension
ers now on the rolls. should the limitation be re-
moved.
In making this estimate take into considera-
ton the enormous and immediate increase in the
correspondence of the Office which would occur
upon the passage of an act repeating the lmta-
ton as to arrears and which must be handled
and disposed of before lust Judgment could be