The National tribune., 1902-01-02
PENSION POINTERS.
Inquiries Answered and Sugges-
tiOnS Made.

obtained the SD rate provided by the ac
of Jan. >, 1888, recent decision of tn
Secretary Of the Interior makes ii poSsih
TO obtain some back pension on the 81:
rate, as that rate, in most eases in whIcl
it was allowed, was not made To com
mence as early as it should under the law
as now construed.
G. j. L., Markley, Tex.-Thc act ol
June ~. 1890 was Il pension law, anC
has no reference tc bounty money. Vol
unteers enlisted for one year after July
IL, 1864. were entitled to 500 bounty il
they served the full term or We're dis
charged before the expiration thereof be
cause of wound or injury incurred in SER.
vice and line of duty. The bounty was
payable in three installmentS: One-tnird al
enlistment, one-third at the expiration OF
one-half the term, and Onc-third at the
expiration of the term. Only the accrued
installments We're paid if discharge oc-
Cured before the expiration of the term
because of the end of the war or because
Of services being no longer required.
NJ. A. F., Elisa, n. Dak.-Pcnsion
granted under the act of June 20, 1890,
commences only from date of the appli-
cation on which the pension was granted.
The only way Il widow could obtain pen
sion dating back to her former applica-
ton under the act of June ~. 1890, filed
before the amending act of May 8, 1900.
would be by furnishing satisfactory evil
dencc that her income and property at the
time of her first application were not in
fact such as to debar her from pension
under the act of 1890 as then construed.
J. Il. o., Bloomfield. Ind.-Thcre is no
law authorizing the pensioninG of help
less children of invalid pensioners still
surviving. Under the act of June ~,
1890, such children of a deceased soldier
of the war of the rebellion can obtain
pension, provided they are under 16 at
the date of the fathers death and under
16 at date of filing application. \ widow
pensiOner drawing or who has drawn the
81 allowance on account OF a helpless
child of the soldier, can have the al
lowance continued after the child
becomes 16, by making application
therefor after the. child has reached IL.
The extension of the 81 monthly allowance
would be made to commence from the date
of filing such application.
S. W. p, Mt. Carmel, Ind.-Some-
times the difficulty in getting higher rate
of Invalid pension under the general pen
sion law is due to the fact that the pen
sioner's disabled condition is held TO be
partially due to disabilities not proven as
of service origin. If the pensoner is salts
fed that the rejection of his increase claim
is unjust, he should apply again. The
only way TO get an increase is TO keep at
it. The recent decision of the Secretary
of the Interior under which certain Mexi-
can war pensioners can obtain some back
pension, would not benefit you, as your
father, who was a Mexican war soldier.
died before the Mexican war service-pen-
sion law of 1887 was enacted. The de-
cision applies only to cases under that
law.
G. W., Soldiers Home. Mich-No law
has been enacted benefiting the soldiers of |
the war of the rebellion who are now held |
to be barred from pension under the act |
OF June y, 1880, because of q Confederate
service record.
g. G.-If an applicant for invalid pen
sion under the general law finds there is |
no official record of any sort of his dis |
ability IN the service, and can obtain no !
medical evidence Of its existence in the |
service or at discharge, and he can find |!
no comrades who can recall the circrm- |
stances sufficiently to warrant them In |
giving testimony, there is probably nothing |
for him to do but TO let his claim go.
IL. w. r., Defiance, Ohio.-An invalid |
pensioner dying and leaving no widow or |
minor child (under 16) surviving, and in |
sufficient assets to cover the expenses of |
last illness and burial, the person paying |
or responsible for such expenses may OBJ
tain reimbursement to the extent of the
accrued pension. The County could not
present a claim for reimbursement, but
could perhaps share in the accrued pen
sion pro rata by presenting bill to the
reimbursement claimant
j. A. f., Troy, n. Y.-Unless a de-
ceased invalid pensioner had more than
one quarters pension due him, the only
fnnd from which reimbursement could be
unpaid pension for the last quarter.
ID. A. L., Smicksburg Pa.-Notwith
standing that the Secretary of the Inter
lor mas confirmed on appeal the adverse
action of the Pension Bureau, the claim
ant SUI has the right to file additional evi-
dence in the Pension Bureau If then the
Pension Bureau considers that the eyi
oence warrants re-opening of the case.
1t will so recommend to the Secretary of
the Interior. If the Pension Bureau does
not reopen the case on the additional evi- J.
dence, the claimant may file motion for /
reconsideration with the Secretary of the
Interior, based on the additional evidence
or any other points in the case Or. he /
may flle motion for reconsideration with
out hing additional evidence in the Pen
sion Bureau, If he considers that the do
csion In the case is not based upon fuIl /
copsideratlon Of all the facts and all the
evidence. '' '-e
Il. H, Bangor, Mich.-The acceptance
oil pension by special act of Congress does
not debar the prosecution of a claim rIIder
the general law before the Pension Blu
reau: All evidence filed in support of
pension claim is preserved very carefullv,
regardless Of what action is taken in the
claim.
II: L., Ellicott City, Md.-A private
pension bill itself is a formal paper SET
ting out the terms of the proposed speciaI
act. Your Congressman can Drenarn If
for you, unless you prefer TO have an ar I
torney 20 do it and TO aid and advise Won
II would probably be well to file with tbn
Pension Committee medical and other owl
denee to show your present condition. Yor
would also better file your affidavit settinr
out the facts in your case and refer. hy |
number, TO your pension claim on file in I
the Pension Bureau. -
j. a. b, Goshen, n. Y.-Neither tbe {
general pension law nor the act of limo
Y, 1880, makes provision for pensioninp {
civilian employees in the Commissarv or
Quartermaster's Department during tba I
war of the rebellion.
ID. Il. j., Boise, Idaho.-Under decisions :
OF the Secretary of the Interior. dated i
June u and Aug. 13, 1893, il is held that 4
general law pension may be obtained for
dlsaDlHty incurred in service from which !
the soldier received q discharge, nofwitb-
standing that he deserted from n snbsc-
queht service and never returned and has |
obtained no discharge therefrom.
j. Al- b., keaton, OhiO.-The decision '
in the pension claim of Thomas IT
Strange was rendered by Assistant Secrr. /
iary Reynolds, Sept. 81, 1893, and is pub-
iishcd in Vol. Of Pension Decisions. Tha
substance of the decision is expressed NV I
the syllabus, as follows: "Whenevcr. in y
claim for increase Of pension under The ]
general law, an applicant, after long and
silence. alleges a new dis i
ability of which fbaro i, ,o;tI,I,, -, ,