The National tribune., 1900-05-31
PENSION POINTERS.
Inquiries Answered and Sugges.
tions Made.

y. N. f., HGlUOrG, Cut.-s ne dcScptdlISS
Of PENSION under the act OF June %, 1880,
does not prevent your prosecuting any
prior claim made for increase or readJust-
nent of your general law pension. In
deed, while drawing act Of 1890 pension
you could by claim for increase see If you
can get back under the general law at as
high or higher rate than the act Ct 1880
allows you.
j. j. C.-Order No. 164 of the Com
missioner of Pensions, dated Oct. IS, 1890,
provided that for like degrees Ct disability
the rates of invalid pension under the act
of June %, 1880. should be the same as
under the general law, except that unless
the disability was such as to entitle to Sc,
no pension should be allowed under the act
of 1880. and 10 higher rate than S12 should
belallowed, as provided by the act:
r j. NJ. FarRdm, :Neb.-The Pension
Bureau would not transfer pensioner
from one law to another unless Of benefit
to him. If the rates allowed were the same
under both laws, the -pensioner would be
permitted to choose. OF course penSloner
Is not obliged TO accept any different pen
sion than what he wants.
San Jcsc.-The soldier s homestead
law has not as yet been extended to the
Spanish or Philippine wars soldiers or
their widows. The bill before Congress
has not us yet become law The law as
yet applies only TO soldiers and sailors OF
the war of 1S6I-5, their widows mot re
marriedl and minor children. A 3o-yearS
service retired soldier of the Regular Army
would be entitled to the soldiers home
stead privilege if he had at least 80 days
service in the war of 1S61-5 and was honor
ably discharged therefrom. lie would have
to reside upon improve and cultivate his
homestead for at least one year after COM
mencng his improvements, and would
have TO make his entry and commence his
settlement and Improvement within SIX
months after locating the homestead and
filing his declaratory statement.
j. II. j., Saline. Mo.-There seems to
be no law providing for reimbursement or.
conversation for loss Of time in cases of
discharged Regulars not at once furnished
with transportation 10 the States from the
insuar possessions. The act of March
3, 1899, provides extra pay for Regulars
enlisted with the understanding that upon
application they would be discharged when
the war was over, no matter how short
time they had served.
p r., Camden, N. You were not
entitled to the S100 original bounty, as
you were discharged before two years
service backing 24 days. for reasons other
than injury incurred in line OF duty or the
close Of the war. Claim for additional
bounty under the act Of July 2S, 1866,
should have been fled before July l, 1890.
Possibly you could be mustered under
your commission as Lieutenant, under
the act of Feb. "a, 1897. 1t is not apparent
why you were. paid only as private at
discharge, unless your transfer before
discharge rendered you Supernumerary
Sergeant.
j. T., National Military Home, Va
The issue under the act Of 1890 beng
styled a renewal would indicate that
though pensioned under the general law
when last applying under the act of 1890,
he had at some time previous been pension
ed under the act of 1890.
Fl. II. W., Athens. O.-There were two
provisions enacted March 3, 1899, for
reimbursement for transportation and
burial CT remains of Spanish war soldiers
and sailors. One, in the general defici-
In all cases where an officer or an enlisted
man in either the Army, Navy, or Marine
Corps of the United States, or contract
surgeon or trained nurse in the employ or
the Government has died while on duty
away from home since the first day of
January, 1898, and the remains have been
taken home and buried at the expense of
the family or friends of the deceased, the
parties who paid the cost of transportation
and bnrying such remains shall be repaid
at the expense of the United Staes by the
Secretary Of the Treasury, not to exceed
what It would have cost the United States
to transport the remains to their homes"
The other, in the Army appropriation bill,
Is as follows: THAT in all cases where
they would have been lawful claims against
the Government, reimbursement may be
made of expenses heretofore or hereafter
incurred by individuals Of burial and
transportation remains of officers, includ-
ing Acting Assistant Surgeons, not TO ex-
ceed what is now allowed in the cases Of
officers, and for the reimbursement in the
cases of enlisted men of what is now allowed
in their cases, may be paid out of the proper
funds appropriated by this act, and that
the disbursing officers shall be credited
with such reimbursement heretofore made"