Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-01-02
CAMPFIRE STORIES.
FoR PENSION CLAIMANTS.
How the Issue OF Certificates Can Be
fastened and Much Trouble Saved.

Inc JOuTud1 w dSn1HS GOu
correspondent was speaking to Repre-
sentative Cheadle, the other day, in
reference to the work of the Pension
Office, when he said:
81 wish you would take down few
suggestions and print them for the ben
eft of pension claimants and the Pen
sion Office. There are now pending in
the Office 469,O 900 unadjudicated claims.
The law authorizes the employment of
1,542 persons in that Office. This num-
Der includes special examiners in the
field and employees here. Never before
in the history of the department has the
work been expedited like it is now.
Nearly 5000 claims are allowed weekly,
and an effort is being made to reach
900 day. To secure the best results is
the earnest wish of the Commissioner,
and claimants and pension attorneys can
materially aid the Office if they will.
To illustrate: suppose some claimant re-
quests Senator Voorhees, to call up his
claim and ascertain its status, and then
asks Senator Turpie, Congressman
Brown and myself to do the same thing,
and we each send in call, what is the
result? 1t is found by experience that
clerk can, on on average, examine
eight cases in day and report their
status. Thus by asking four members,
instead of one, to learn the status, the
claimant has taken the labor of one
clerk one-half day instead OF one
eighth of day, or he has kept three
others from learning the status of their
claims. No soldier can, therefore, af-
ford to ask more than one Senator or one
member to call up his claim. To ask
more than one to do this is an imposition
upon claimants, and upon the Pension
Office.
''A certain number of claims are as
signed to each examiner, and as each
claim is examined, if the evidence is
complete, the claim is either admitted
or rejected, and it then goes to the board
of review. medical board and board of
re-review for final adjudication. If the
claim is not made out the claimant is
notified, or the attorney ascertains what
evidence is required to complete the
claim. When notice is so given, until
the evidence called for is furnished, the
and over again do the examiners look
into and make reports upon all pending
cases. l should say, at rough guess,
that once in four months case is reach
ed for consideration in the ordinary
course of business. If, therefore, a
claimant has learned the status of his
claim, say on December 1, he ought not
to ask the department for its status
again inside of ninety days. 1t is true
that when claim is submitted to the
board of review it may be allowed in
less than that time; yet it is best not to
expect it in much less time.
Every claimant and attorney should
therefore adopt the rule of not calling
for the status of their claim oftener
than once in three months, and then
never, under the circumstances, ask
more than one person to do it. If the
comrades knew just how much they
could expedite business by adopting
this rule, there would not be another
one asked oftener than once in ninety
days.
''To make claim special requires an
affidavit setting forth the fact that the
claimant is near unto death, is very old
and feeble, or is in destitute circum-
stances and stands in absolute need of
assistance. 1t is idle to ask for any
claim to be made special, except upon
sworn statement of facts which will au-
thorize immediate action"
Mr.. Cheadle stated further that, in his
opinion, soldiers who had not been pen
stoned at all should have the preference
in having their claims considered, in
order, if possible, to enable all who are
entitled under the laws to receive PEN
siOns to have at least partial relief af-
forded them. Mr.. Cheadle informed
the correspondent that he has called up
as many as forty-six claims in one day.
This will give an idea of the amount of
labor involved in obtaining the status
of claims, and the absolute necessity of
not making any unnecessary calls upon
the department.