Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-10-09
PENSION REPORT.
Green B. Raum's
Annua: Report Issued.
STATISTICS OF The BUREAU.
The File Clerk System Improved-Deiays
Not So Many-Catching Up With the
work-specIaI Efforts and Rec
concentrations.

Green 3. Raum, of the PEN
sion Bureau shows that there were ar the
end of the last fiscal year 5S7,9i4 pensioners
borne upon the rolls, classified as fouoWs;
Army inva id pensioners, Ss2,8O9; army
widows. minor children and dependent rel
atfyes. 1O4.456: navy invalid pensioners,
3 PA: navy widows, minor children and de-
pendent relatives, 2460; survivors OF the
war of 1872, Alb; widows of soldiers OF the
war of 1912, s,6l0; survivors OF the mexican
war. H. SIS; widows of soldiers OF the Me4l-
can war, 6,764 Total, 527,94L
There were 65,637 original claims allowed
during the year, being 14.716 more than were
allowed during the fiscal 1889 and 6,8S5 more
than we're allowed during the fiscal year
1858 The first payment in these t6,6S1 orig
Inal cases amounted to s32 ,Es,Oi1, being sIL'-
O36, 1872 more than the first payments on the
original claims allowed during the nscal
wear in 1889, and $40, l75,225 more than the
first payments on the original claims al
lowed during the fiscal year 1883. Inc
average value of the first payments on
the original claims for 1890 was siS0.IL
The average annual value of each pension
at the close of the fiscal year was SlSS9A AT
the close of the fiscal year there were 70 oSe
pensioners urpaid who were entitled 10 re-
ceive 81, ,S57, ,347, which has since been pald
from the appropriations for pensions for the
fiscal year 1891.
OF the system of completed files" organ
lied by him the Commissioner says: "The
completed files or trial docket Is OF great
Importance in securing the prompt ad1udl-
cation of completed cases upon the motion
of the claimant or his attorney. Prior 10
the establishment of this system the COM
plaint was almo It universal that thousands
of claims were pending in the office, the con-
sid ration of which had been neglected for
years and that the claimants were power
less TO secure their consideration. A soldier
had a right to file an application for pen
sion and to present all the evidence neces-
sary to prove his claim, but he had no power
to bring that claim before an adjudicating
division by an action on his part,
the withdrawing of his claim from
the files for that purpose being
in the discretion of a fl @ clerk. Under the
systems of the completed files the claimant
has a right upon a proper certifcation that
his claim is complete to have it timmedla ately
placed upon the completed files and taken
up in its order for adjud cation Claims
placed upon the completed fl es are taken
up within a week for action, and ii found
complete are Immediately allowed. II
proofs are lacking a call is Immediately
made upon the claimant to supply the de-
ficlency, and upon the receipt of
the required evidence the claim is
again taken up for consideration. The SOL
dier who is entitlei to n pension and
promptly furni hes the required evil
dence to establish his claim should
have his case disposed Of without de-
lay. He should have the right to notify
the Cf1ce that he is ready for trial, and not
be compelled TO await the action of a iile
clerk in drawing his claim; for, however
diligent the file clerk may be, it is impossi-
bic for them. when there are a million
claims pen ing as i, now tn case, to have
such know ledge of their conditiC II as 10 en-
able them daily TO select the cases which
should hav,. pr, ceGence i'll adjudict tion be-
cause of their priority of completion.
''The completed files system is an entirely
just method of procedure. 1t gives the
claimant the right, upon completing his
case, to give notice ana have it adjudicated.
To June 80, 1889, 75I claims were placed upon
the comp eted files upon requests made
upon beha t Of claimants This system has
had the effect of enabling many thousand
claimants whose claims have been pending
from five to twenty years to bring their
claims to the attention of the bureau for ad-
judication and allowance and the delay has
been reduced to a minimum. This system
has proved to be more satisfactory than the
old system of leaving the selection of claims
for adjud icatior to the discretion of the file
clerks. As a result OF these changes in the
business methods of the eli ;e, more work
has been accomplishe in given time than
was ever performed b. fore. On October 2I
work of adjudicating claims and issuing
certificates had during the period from
July ], 1883, fallen far behind the same
period for the previous fiscal year.
while from Octob'r 20 1889, to June 80
1899, there was an in rcase in the adjudica-
tion of claims and the Issuing of certific ates
greatly in excess of the same period of the
preceding fiscal year. This is shown by he
following statement Of work done: Total
number of certificates issued year ended
June 80 1890 lJl G5S; total number of certifi-
Gates issued year ended June 80, 1883, I45, 292: :
Increase in 1s9J over 1889, 1866; total of orig
inal certificates 5 issued YER ended June 30
1890, 65,637; total of original certificates is.
sued year ended June 30, 1883, 81, ,s96; Increase
in 1899 ever 1888, l4,74i. This great amount
of work was accomplished fy distributing
the clerks who composed the board of re-
view among other divi5ioas and calling in
forty special examiners from the field thus
adding eighty persons to the force engaged
in the adjudication OF claims, and par. leu
larly by concentrating the work of the
Office for five days in the week upon the
adjudication of claims as provided for in
order No. 1i9, creating the system of COM
pleted files. The number of claims which
had been ordered for special examination
was so great that it seemed to me important
to make a special effort to have the work of
the division brought into reasonable
DOuuuS uISSu upO-A inc OAdIllneFS great
diligence in the performance of their
duties, and in June last de-
tailed 116 persons as an additional
force for this work. ms king in all 33s on
duty in the field. am glad to be able to re.
port as a result of these efforts that the num-
Der of cases now in the hands of the special
examination div sion has been reduced from
Il, ,225 to 1924 OF these only about 5000 are
In the hands of special examiners the others
being in transit to and from the office
81 respectfully invite your attention to the
great difference in amount between the rate
of $50 per month granted by the act of March
3, 1883, to pensioners who are 50 disabled as
to be incapacitated for performing any man
ual labor and the rate of S72 per month
granted by the act of March 4, 1890, to PEN
sioners who require the regular aid
and attendance of another person.
There are many claimants who are
entirely incapacitated for perform
ing manual labor, and who period ical I.
ly require the aid and attendance of other
persons but who are unable to establish
the fact of the requirement. of constant aid
and attendance. 1t occurs to me that It
would be just provision to create higher
rate than $50 per month for cases ofsthis de-
scription, and I respectfully recommend
that rate OF $50 per month be created for
them.
There have been received in the Pension
Office 4eO, ,2s2 claims to September 30, 1890, un-
der the Dis ;bility Pension act of June "a,
1890. 1t will be readily understood that the
care of such an enr rm 1rs number of claims
proved in so shot a time necessarily taxed
the resources If the office to its fullest
extent. The work of the mail
division ran up to more than s2,-
COO piec Of mail per day to be
openei, clcssa3 and properly dis
posed Z. st L Is W 'tiny October u the
div .cz a handling l0,00i claims a day.
have arTan-e the VOL X of the Office SO that
claims under tho cid laws shall be adiudi-
Gated al rapidly as they are completed
clsims under the new law If upon the as
sembling of Congress in December it Is
found that the present force Is insufiic,e ent