The National tribune., 1900-07-19
disqualification is made absolute by ths


stance where the conditions shown, if still
continuing. bring the applicant within the
| terms Of this section rs amended, you VIII
notify the applicant of that fact, and will
| transmit to her suitable blank appllca-
| ton, simple in its arrangement and easily
understood. upon which she may give the
necessary information as to whether she
| continues to be n widow and without
means of support other than her daily Ia
| Dor and an actual net income not exceed
ing $50 per year When this additional
| information is received it will be conSid-
cred, and if it satisfactorily meets the re-
quirements of section 3 as amended pen.
sion will be allowed accordingly.
Very respectfully.
(Signedy Il. A. HITCHCOCK,
| Secretary.
We are sincerely grateful to the Secre-
tary for many things that he has said in
this. In the first place he takes the
proper view that the Act of May 0, 1900
was not new pension legislation, but mere
y declaratory of the purpose of the Act
of June 81, 1870. This sustains the view
of THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE and of all
friends of the veterans as to both acts,
and estops a number of irritating difficult
ties which were suggested and threatened
after the Act of May 0 became law.
For this we thank him again. We now
90 right along under the Act of June 81,
with its original purpose made more ex-
plicit-and mandatory. All of the claim
ants disabilities must now be taken into
rate with their sum of impairment of his
physical strength. This is what We have
claimed that the law meant was to be
done, and the way that Commissioner
Raum construed it. Commissioner Loch-
rem put another construction upon it.
The Secretary also decides that the
clause i'll regard to widows incomes is
similarly mandatory, and that unless the
Government can show that the widow is
possessed of 4 net income, other than the
proceeds of her daily labor, exceeding
$3.50, pension must be allowed her The
Secretary goes still farther, and directs
the re-eXamination Of the rejected claims
and the allowance of those which have
been rejected because the claimant may
ii
year
We wish that he had a similar explicit
direction in regard to the invalid claims
rejected under the Act of June q, 1890.
Upon receipt of this letter the Commits
sioner issued the following instructions to
the Examining Surgeons:
COMMISSIONERS INSTRUCTIONS
Supplemental instructions to Examining
Surgeons for their guidance in the ex-
animation Of claimants for pension and
increase of pension under section of
the act of June q, 1890, amended by
act of May 8, 1900.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
BUREAU OF PENSIONS,
WASHINGTON. ID. c., June 80, 1900.
Circular.
Section 9 of the act of June 81, 1890,
as amended by the act Of May 0, 1900,
reads as follows:
Here follows the act of May o, 1900
When an order for medical eXamina-
tion under this section is issued by the
Bureau it will 50 state UPON its face
The basis of ratings under this section
is inability to earn a support by manual
labor due to any mental or physical dis
ability or disabilities of n permanent char
aCter not the result Of the claimants own
vicious habits. There are no schedule
rates for incapacity resulting from any
separate or combined disabilities. IL a
pension is allowed under this section, it
will be either for Sc, So, so or S12 per
month. S6 being the minimum and 81 the
maximum.
The act of April 4, 1900, requires that
the report of Examining Surgeons shall
specifically state the rating to which. in
their Judgment, the claimant is entitled.
This will be determined by giving due con-
sideratiOn to each and every infirmity,
and rating the degree or extent to which
all of these infirmitics, whether minor or
serious, when considered together render
the claimant unable to earn a support by
manual labor. The result will be stated
as So, $S. so or S12 per month, and not
as 6-1S, S-1S, 10-1S, etc, nor should there
be separate rating of separate disabili
ties. as heretofore.
When in the judgment of the Examin-
ing Surgeons the aggregate of the dis
abilities disableS the claimant in n de-
gree materially affecting his capacity for
earning Il support by manual labor, the
| minimum rate of So per month will be
stated. and when the claimant is wholly
unable to earn Il support or nearly 50, by
reason of his inlirnitcS, the maximum
rate of So per month will he stated. For
intermediate degrees of disability the rate
Of 50 or $40 per month will be stated
| according to the degree of disability.
Bear IN mind That the maximum rate
of pension under this section is $l2 per
month, and that even If the claimant
! should be 50 disabled aS to require the
regular aid and attendance Of another per
son Il higher rate cannot be allowed, and
should not be recommended.
The age of the claimant is an important
| factor in fixing the rate \ claimant who
has reached the age of - years is allowed
| the maximum rate for senility alone, even
where there are no special pensiOnable dis
| abilities. A claimant who has attained
| the age of GJ years is allowed at least the
minimum rate, unless he appears to have
unusual vigOr and ability for the perform
| ancc of manual labor IN one of that age
| The effect of partial scnility should he
considered with other infirInities, where
| there are such, and the aggregate inca
pacity rated.
| The certificate must state whether the
| several infrmiticS are permanent, and
| whether they are the result of the claim
ants own vicious habits. Only those
| which are Of Il permanent character. and
not the result of the claimants own vi
cious habits, can be c,l,sidered in fixing
| the rate.
The certificate must give a full and ac.
| curate description of each and every dis
ability in accordance with general instruc-
tions issued Feb. IL. 1909.
1t is desirable for the proper adiudica-
ton of the claim that each report of ex-
animation shall contain an exact pen pie
ture of the condition of the claimant and
| n In nd ipg, nIy 4; 8