The National tribune., 1894-03-08
OUR CORRESPONDENTS.

Correspondents should write each question on
a separate sheet of paper give full name and adj
dress and mark it Observation-Disclosures CoumnD No
attention will be paid to communications not
companied with name and address of writer. 1t is
requested that a stamp be inclOsed for reply by
letter. Postal cards will be replied to by mail
only. Replies by mail will ordinarily be made
within week. and II in this colnmn within three
weekS.l
Veteran. Ligonier. Pal. pensoner applied for
increase under the old law more than three years
ago. and the claim is still hanging Now, let US
suppose that the Commissioner orders another ex-
animation claimant having been examined and
received a good rating by the Board more than
three years ago.. the question is, from which
examination would the increase date if allowed?
q Does the Pension Bureau seem TO be working on
any of those side track ed claims that were ready
for allowance under Gen. Raum? 3. Are claims
for increase and reratng run together sepa-
rately? 4. Does that kind of claim take more
time than a straight increase? 5. Has there been
any reratings allowed under Commissioner Loch-
rem? 6. WIZ any more pension bills pass during
this session of Congress? z. What has become of
certain sections of the bill of Dec. 90 which don't
seem to have passed? Anss0er. /. Without exami-
nation OF the papers we cannot answer such
question If the first examination aud the certifi-
cate rendered are considered by the Pension Bureau
as satisfactory they may govern the date of COM
meneement. aud then again the second examina-
ton may reveal that the report of the first was
error. q Yes; we hear from them occasionally.
3. Separate. f. A rerating claim is not usually
considered at all 5. We have not heard of any. 6.
We do not know. T. We do not know what bill
You refer to.
II. s., CoU;ngton. Ky-If a soldier lost an arm
above the elbow in the war; and Is now drawing
$50 per month. aud should by accident lose the
other arm so that he would be helpless, and require
an attendant 90 feed and walt on him, would he
thgn receive any more pension? AnSUer. No.
W. III. C., San An9eIo. Tel. After case has
been rejected what time Is allowed to give evil
dehce before the case is Ultimately dispensed with?
z. And what becomes of ali the documents file
afterwards? Ansoer l. There is specified time
In which testimony must be filed in rejected claim
Testimony bearing upon the cause of rejection can
be filed at any time. and will, doubt, be con-
sidered when case Is reached In it's turn. e. All the
papers In n case are preserved and kept together,
so that the jacket or wrapper of case contains
every paper that was ever filed in 1t.
f. s., Fairpon. ". I'll. A comrade applied for a
pension III 1882 1885, and when the new law
passed was advised by agent to apply under it, as
it would not Interfere with his old law claim. old
law claim had been rejected and reopened again.
Claim under new law allowed, think, in October.
1890. 2. Applied for increase under new law about
three years ago; was examined by Board a year
ago last October May last had to furnish affidavits
of witnesses that disability WAS not caused by
vicious habits, and being unable to "a support.
Pension being allowed for the same disability ask ed
for under old law, now, if allowed increase, would
old law claim be settled the same time? How long
before he should hear from II? Ans,oer. /. Yes,
if anything was pending. q We cannot say, be-
cause no two claims alike.
s. C. d., Cheno,vith, Wdsh.-1. What year was the
Great Eastern steamer built? 2. What was 1t built
for? 8. Was 1t a side wheeler? 4. What is the
size of the Atlantic Cable? AnsUer. ]. 1t was be-
gun in 1854, and finished in 1852 2. For the same
purpose as other steamers; viz, ocean traffic 8.
1t was both a sde-wheeler and a screw propeller.
4. About as large az a ive-cent nickel.
j. C. e., I0nid, Wch.-Ifa soldier enlists I'm 1861,
and is out eight or ten months; Is discharged for
disability; enlists again in 1864 and Is discharged
at the close of the war, can the soldier claim pen
sion on his first discharge for the disability
that he got In first enlistment? Ans,Cer, Yes; but
lie might have some difficulty in proving that the
disability contracted in his first service wed him
all through his second service; however there are
thousands OF such cases on the rolls.
j. s. d., National Military Home. LearentUorth,
II ufnI ~
but so many men rushed to indianapolis that
Indiana's quota was more than full. and the State
organized two regiments for State service for one
year. and fell to one of these organiZations but
about the 23d of July, 1861, were transferred to
the United States service for the unexpired term;
was discharged May 10. 1862. l enlisted re-
cru Sept. 2, 1852 for three years during the war;
and joined n three years regiment that had been
about 10 months in the service Was promoted
Captain Feb. Is, 1865; mustered out Sept IA 1865.
Am entitled TO the nstallments of veteran bounty
that accrued up to the time was commissioned?
Anst0er. Yes, apparently.
Old Soldier Athens, OIio.-1. How long Is 1t till
a claim for increase is taken up by the Bureau
after the soldiers examination. and the Examining
Boards statement Is sent in. and all the evidence
file with the claim, under old law? 2 If a
claim had been previously rejected. and the Board
had given a rating of disability and the Bureau
rejected it, and stated that the evidence on file did
not show any increase of disability, and at the
same time the Board did give soldier "A rating why
the claim rejected? Do they go by the testi-
mony or by the examination; and. if soldier APP
plies again, will the Bureau examine the examine
GOnS ana tue testimony OF DOln the claims In con-
sderng the last one? g. Is it likely that the
Bureau will reject claim for increase under the
old law twice, when the examination shows an
increase OF disability in both cases? 4. Does a
claim for increase, when the testimony of two
doctors and two neiglborS is filed with claim
stating that total disability from manual labor
with periodical attention two-thirds of the time
go before the Review Board? s. Is the Bureau
acting increase claims under the old law fast
they did under the Republican Administration;
they slow, they holding old law claims
for increase off? g. How long is 1t now for a claim
to be settled for increase under old law, after all
testimony and the examination i'll all complete?
AnsUer. ]. We have many times stated that |
neither we nor any human being can foreeli when |
final action will be taken in n single claim, that 1t
would seem that every one of readers ought |
fore the allowance rejection of one. the date
when it is acted upon, is no indication whatever |
as to what will be done with the other case, or |
when IL will be finally settled. IL will be taken
up" in its turn. 2. Because the Pension Bureau |
did not accept the report of the Examining Board |
conclusive. Both certificates of Examining Sur |
geons and testimony filed in support of claim |
considered. but they not always taken Mt |
their face value. 8. IL may be so, aud it would not
be the first time. L. Yes. s. The Pension Bureau |
must be judged by its work compared with the |
previous administration 1t occurs TO that If |
Commissioner Raum could issue 900 certificates |
a day, and lie did Issue that number daily, Com
missioner Loohren could do likewise We are not |
personally knowing to any claims being held of /
purposely delayed but that there are unrea-
sonable, and what seem to be unnecessary delays |
cannot say 1t is something like the day of judg-
ment-indefnte.
/
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