The National tribune., 1893-10-05

of June 27 $780, to perform manual labor was
no longer even considered In adjudicating his
claim but that his disabilities were rated up to
$12 per month as IL his claim had been made
under prior laws for like disabilities of service
origin.
1t is perfectly clear that under this Order
1874, in granting pensions under this act of June
81, 1890, the act itself was set aside and disre-
garded, with the result of granting pensions
not authorized by any law. This was shown
| in the Bennett case which called your atten-
tion to this order, and to the practice under it.
There the claimant. applying under this act of
june q, 1890, was pensioned at $12 per month
| for slight Deafness not of service origin. This
| slight deafness could not interfere with his
| capacity to perform manual labor. And such a
| pension has no warrant to sustain it in any law
1t is absolutely void. The statement of the
| Medical Referee aforementioned made it ap-
| pear probable that under Order 164 many PEN
sions were illegally granted, and, pursuant to
| your order of May 81, 1S93 Board of Revs-
| ion was formed. of the ablest and most expert
enced men of the Bureau, to examine the cases
| allowed under that act, and Gull ont such as
| had no legal basis to rest upon, but with in
| structions to disturb no case where by the most
! liberal construction of the evidence the right
! to the pension could be sustained under any
| law. In cases where il was believed that PEN
sion could not be sustained. and another medical
examination was thought necessary, the pay
ment of the pension was ordered to be suspend
ed pending investigation, according to the
practice of the Bureau from the beginning;
and at the proper time the usual 60-day notice
was given to the pensioner, within which he
could ask for medical examination or supply
further evidence of his right to his pension. This
practice of the Bureau, always followed, is the
correct practice. 1t is not the withdrawal or
taking away of pension, but the temporary
Withholding of its payment where itappears to
be unlawful, pending proper inquiry. Upon
your suggestion that even this temporary with
holding N ght work hardships where, upon the
face of the papers, it appears that the pensioner
is entitled to at least some less rating, the
practice has been modified and changed as to
the cases under this act so far that suspensions
of payment pending the so days only or
dered when on the face Of the papers 1T ap-
pears prima face that the pensioDer is not
entitled to any pension 1t is certain that there
are many cases like the Bennett case. where
persons not entitled to any pension will be re-
moved from the rolls, but the work has not yet
proceeded far enough to enable me to forecast
the result. Undoubtedly under the system of
adjudication which followed the promulgation
of Order 164 many persons perfectly able to
perform manual labor, under the persuasion of
claim agents familiar with the effect of that
order applied for and received pensions for spe-
cifc disabilities not of service origin, and not
properly pensionabe under the act of June 81,
1890 This also accounts for the large proper
tiOn of late claims under that act, comprising
the aftermath in the work of claim agents,
which are now being properly rejected.
WORK OF THE BUREAU.
Precedence is no longer given to cases under
the act of June 81 1890, but claims for pension
under the prior laws, for disabilities of service
origin, are now adjudicated in their order,
where the evidence is complete. So far from
hnl harty nf rlai / hoy
should have precedence as being older and
more meritOrious.
The Completed Files System" which had
been in use for some time has been discon-
tinued. 1t was found that claim agents fire.
quently reported cases as completed aud ready
for adjudication where they had failed to fur
nish necessary evidence that had been called
for, entailing much additional work in hand
ling files and retarding rather than accelerat-
ing the work of the Bureau. One of two things
had to be dOne-ether sdjudicate all cases
finally when the claim agents announced them
complete, and reject the claim when the evil
deuce was lacking, as would be done in law
case which the attorney called for trial, or
abolish the system altogether. The latter
course has been adopted as more favorable to
claimants
l will not enlarge this report by including in
it the separate reports of Chiefs of Divisions
showing the work of the Bureau in detail |
efficient and the clerks orderly aud diligeut
The work progresses rapidly as is consistent
with proper care and attention to the real
merits of the claims which are to be examined
and adj Indicated.
But have considered it useful to append
the reports of the Chiefs of the Law Division
and of the Special Examination Division cover
ing as they do matters outside of the routine
work of the Bureau and of character desery-
ing special attention.
SPECIAL EXAMINATION DIVISION.
An intelligent corps of Special Examiners is
OF the highest importance not only in the dis |
covcry and prevention of frauds, in which they
annually save TO the Government many times
the amount of the expense incurred, but they
often discover and bring to light evidence
which aids honest and deserving claimants in
establishing their claims. Their sole duty and |
aim is to get at the real facts of every case ex-
amined. And all examinations of witnesses |
relative TO particular claims made after
notice to the claimants who may participate
therein, and may themselves procure witnesses
for examination.
Norfolk. Va, in New Mexico, and in Iowa, |
referred to in these two appended reports. were
brought TO light by intelligent Special Exam
liners. In the two instances first mentioned |
hundreds of fraudulent pension claims had
been allowed by the Bureau on testimony |
manufacturer aud IOTRe0 Dy the claim agents; 1
and other hundreds of like claims from the |
same claim agents. were pending in the Bureau. |
Although the principal culprits have upon
prosecution pleaded guilty and are undergoing
punishment, the Special Examiners are still |
engaged in ascertaining the extent of the |
frauds and the particular cases included in |
them. In the Iowa case the claim agent had |
secured control of several local Medical Boards |
usually by insdio1s methods, as by having the |
claimant, brief time before examination, come |
10 member Of the Board for prescription and |
treatment, paying his fee therefor. After re-
peating this SO often that the Surgeon could |
not fail TO understand that he was really get |
ting extra pay from the claimants, the claim |
agent was able to procure from him copies Of |
the Surgeons reports TO this Bureau, and nota- |
bly, high ratings for his clients. / at once |
dismissed the Examining Boards that were so |
implicated, and suspended the claim agent |
from practice. He is now being prosecuted, |
as is also one of the Examining Surgeons. The |
result of the claim agents practices was the |
allowance of pensions, at high rates, TO nearly |
all his clients in the vicinity: bringing into |
that community steady influx of money in |
considerable amount, going into all the chan |
nels of business So cOrrupting was this infu- |
ence that strong disposition was manifested |
to mob the Special Examiner when it was |
found that by his tact and address he had |
obtained from the possession of the claim agent |