Evening star., 1898-09-03
THE EPENSI0N REPORT
Work Done During the Year by The
Bureau.
OPERATIONS OF VARIOUS LAWS
The Medical Board Criticised by
the Commissioner.
MORE SPACE NTED


tables of pensions and pensioners:
"At the close of the year, Juns 80 1898,
the annual value of the roll was S13o, ,9iS,-
465 June 80, 1897, the annual value of the
roll was $129, T95 42S, showing an Increase
OF 81 ,173,O37 so that the roll is not only in
creasing In numbers, but in values. 1t is
believed that the roll will increase from the
war OF the rebellion, as there are probably
100000 ex-Union soldiers living who have
never had pension. The roll will increase
in amount naturally by reason of increased
disabilities as provided by law.
Attention is called to the growth of the
work in the mail division, it being an index
| of the growth of the work Of the bureau
For the fiscal year 1896 there We're 2,162-
| 5S1 pieces of mail handled, received AMI
sent. For the year 1897 there we're $685.
| I6S; and for the year 1895 there were g.,
o66,961, or 80 per cent increase during the
past year over the preceding year, and
more than 300 per cent over the year 1896
The congressional calls and letters of in
Qu1ry have increased from 109 900 in 1926
| to s41.Ooo in 1897. and 1924 900 in $685.
showing an increase of about 30 per cent
for the last year over the preceding year.
There wers sent out 2,O54, ,O4S letters mot
including cards) during the past year, as
against 1,o42, ,1O1 the preceding year, an in
! crease of about 33 1-3 per cent
1t Is hardly fair to say that there are
10000 original claims pending, awaiting
adjudication. l am confident that there
are not over 5000 Of these Qnvalids and
widows) that are genuine original claims,
as an original claim should be understood.
The other 125,otO are claims Qnvalids ard
/, widows) where the claimants are already
pensioned under the act of June q, 1890,
and have claims pending under the gen.
eral law to establish claim for disability
es being of service origin.
When the disability act of June 81 1890,
passed 1t provided a minimum pension of
Sl2 per month There were at that date
about 10000 pensioners on the rolls draw
ing less than Sc per month. Many of these
were transferred to the new law and re-
ceived the benefits of this law, and the law
did not deprive them of the privilege of
continuing the claim under the general
law. When the pensioners established dis
ability increased, additional disabii-
ity of service origin was proven, until the
ratable disability was established in excess
OF the maximum tate under the act of
June p, 1899, then the pensioner could be
transferred back to the list of pensioners
under the general law. Many claimants
had claims pending that first accepted the
benefits of the act of 1890 i'll the mean
time continuing the prosecution of their
respective claims under the general law.
The Medical boards.
IAN appropriation of 100000 was made
to pay fees for medical examiners through
| out the country for the fiscal year ended
be insufficient and an additional appro-
priaton of s25OOo0 was asked for and made
by Congress.
There are now in the service 1868 medical
examiners (see Exhibit A, 3d. viz, 2G2
boards three surgeons each within the
classified service. 6o6: 1.216 boards three
surgeons each, hot within the classified
service, 3,6h3; single surgeons and special.
lists, 400.
There is much complaint among pension
erS, and lust h,yr
son of the lack of uniformity of ratings for
the same or like disabilities in cases of diff
ferent claimants. This complaint has al
ways existed aid always will with our
present system and established practice
and 1t cannot be remedied without radical
change of system.
The medical examinations form the
basis, the very foundation of our whole
system, as all pensions to soldiers (under
the act of July il, 1862, and the act of
March 3, 1Sl3-the general laws are based
upon disabilities incurred in the service
while those pensioned under the act of
June q. 1890. must show. by medical ex-
animation, that their disabilities mot of
service origfn) are such that they are in
capacitated from making a living by man
ual labor; and, further, having once estab-
lished ratable disability, future increases
depend upon medical examinations.
~ The practice requires that medical eX-
amlnerS Shall make a diagnosis and COM
plete an accurate pen picture of the dis
ability or disabilities of the claimant: and
although the medical examiners may be
learned in medicine and skilled in surgery
they have had no special training for this
particular service, no training in the PEN
sion laws, schedules, ratings and establish
ed practice of the bureau; and very many
or them tthe compensation being smalD
cannot afford to neglect their practice to
familiarize themselves with the laws and
rules governing the actions of the bureau.
They are paid small fee for each exami-
nation and detailed report, and such ex-
animation is very often, no doubt, hurried
and superficial. Therefore, many test ex-
aminations are made.
The Board of Review.
Attention is invited to the statistics of
the board of review.
LAS will be seen. this division handled
during the year 232 .O65 claims OF this
number 51,676 that had been forwarded
from adjudfcating divisions were examined
and finding that they were incomplete were
returned to the several adjudicating di-
visions for calls to be made for additional
evidence. There were 95,760 claims allowed
while there were S5,629 rejected This in
cludes reflections of claims for higher rates,
making total of 1S1 ,3S9 claims adjudicated
by th. board of review during the year an
average of over 600 per day for each work.
ing day.
There were 12057 notices of appeal TAX
en- by the claimants (none by the govern
menD from the decisions of former COM
missioners and those of the present COM
missioner. 1t Will be seen that the bureau
re-examned reconsidered and readudi-
Gated sixty-seven of these on legal grounds.
and fS3 on medical grounds making a total
of 800 cases. The remaining IL 557 on re-
examination could not be reconsidered by
this bureau. and were therefore carried to
the honorable Secretary of the Interior on
appeal.
1T affords me pleasure to say that you
sustained the action of this bureau in 1926
cases acted upon, and only reversed the
action of this bureau in 396 cases and in
these reversals no Drecedents are set to
cnangc the established practice of the bu-
reau. Each case, according to your in
structions, must be considered on its indi-
vidual merits, and in accordance with the
established practice.
1.-THE number Of cases remaining in Your
hands on appeal at the close of the year
Delng 1885. the report of the board of re-
view shows the accuracy of the work per-
formed.
Dropped From the ROLL
I cali your attention to the fact that, in
the perfecting of the established practice
OF the bureau. there Is the lack of a sys-
tenn of registration whsreby the agencies
can secure prompt notice of deaths, remar-
riages etc, of pensioners, hence large