The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-23
PENSION OFFICE DELAYS.

WASHINGTON, April 22.-Secretary
Noble has received a letter from 0Dm
missioner Raum calling attention to the
vast amount of work imposed upon his
office in connection with the correspond
ence of members of both houses of con
gress concerning pension claims, stating
that the handling of these congressional
call slips in their progress through the
various divisions of the Office occupies the
time of many clerks aad requires the
! drawing Of more than Thousand cases A
! day; to answer all the calls would vir-
| tually stop the adjudication of claims, and
, only about p per cent of them are an
| Swered.
The courtesy extended to members of
! congress, he continues, has been abused by
| certain persons acting as private secreta-
! ries. and the information obtained upon
/ the examination of pension claims Called
! down upon congressional slips has been
! furnished to attorneys and claimants for a
consideration.
! To show to what extent the correspond
! ence in respect to pension claims is carried
! the commissioner states that he has before
! him one case in which the claimant has
addressed more than thirty letters to
members of the senate and house of repre-
sentatives, ali of which have been for
warded to the pension office for immediate
reply, the claimant having been twice ex-
Dl COlH pCIGBb IllCOINal DOdIto anu
no disability discovered.
The commissioner states that there are
now 10000 cases on the completed files
which are being drawn for adjudication in
the order of the date of their completion
and that from 1,500 to 1000 claims per day
are being added to these files as claims are
completed, and that from $4,000. to 80, ,000
certificates per month are issued upon
claims allowed.
In his reply the secretary says the pen
sion bureau should correspond directly
with the claimant or his attorney and
thereby relieve members of congress from
the enormous correspondence, which
causes the same information to be many
times duplicated and rec quiring the services
Of large corps of clerks who should be
occupied with more legitimate duties of
the Office. The secretary further says:
AS there are now pending in your
bureau $50, 600 claims ahd additional
claims being filed every day, two and
half or three years will be required to
adjudicate them. 1t must be evident to
claimants and their attorneys that much
patience is required; that all these claims
cannot be adJudicated at once. Claims are
being considered as rapidly as it is posi-
bic to do. not in the order in which they
are fled for that is impracticable, but IN
the order IN which they are completed.
In view of the great magnitude of the
work pending before your office, and to
insure an impartial enforcement Of the
rules of the department. concerning the
examination of papers, direct that here
after claimants or their attorneys shall be
advised of the status of their claims direct,
as far as the force of your bureau will per-
nit, and that such information will be
given direct to claimants on congressional!
call slips, thereby obviating the necessity
of furnishing the same information many
times.
Il further direct that you cause all
claims pending in your bureau not on the
completed files TO be examined as rapidly
as possible, taking them up in the order in
which they were filed, and whenever Il
claim is found complete ii shall be placed
on the completed files and claimant noti-
fed about when his case Will probably be
reached. Where cases are not complete
shall be notified what fhrther
evidence is necessary to complete their
claims. Claimants will not be satisfied to
be told their claims will be adjudicated
when reached in their order, but will wait
patiently II told their claims are on the !
files and will be reached In six
or sixteen months if assured that claims |
prior to theirs await action !
which will require this time. / recognize !
the fact that your bureau is thoroughly |
and efficiently organized to adjust claims |
pendiug before it.
SIN view of the great number of claims |
now pending it must be evident to all that |
your bureau cannot take up claims for !
increase recently filed without manifest |
to those whose claims were filed |
prior to theirs. The magnitude of the work i
pending before your bureau. caused IN |
part by the act Of June ~, 1890, and that !
which is being accomplished in the grant |
ing of rs, 600 to 81, 900 claims each month. |
can lie better understood when 1t is re- |
that during the last fiscal year |
Of the pension Office but 113, ,f72 claims |
were allowed, of which 5l,s9o were origin
al Claims"