The National tribune., 1902-11-13
PENSION POINTERS.
Inquiries Answered and Sugges'
tons Made.

G.. W. K, Muscatine, Iowa.-The gen.
eral law rate of pension for total deaf
ness os $50 per month, for both officers and
enlisted men.
c. W., Blair, Neb.-An appeal filed
with the Secretary of the Interior in re-
jected pension claim may be withdrawn
Mt any time before it is considered. 1t
would not be necessary to withdraw the
appeal in order to have bill for pen
sion by special act of Congress consid-
cred, though the committee in Congress
to which the bill is referred might delay
action thereon pending the decision OF the
Secretary of the Interior. This. however,
would doubtless depend somewhat upon
the circumstances of the case and the pos
sibilities of q favorable decision on the
appeal.
ID. S. W., Waupaca, Wis.-Invalid PEN
sioners in whose favor an allowance is
made under another law, but at the same
rate they are already receiving, are not
Obliged to accept such allowance unless
they choose to do SO. 1t depends great
deal upon the disability for which. the
pensioner is penSioned or has the right to
pension under the general law, whether
it is to his interest to change from one
law to the other law. Where the gem
eral law disability is fora wound or in
materially changed for some years past
and is not likely to materially change here
after, and the rate is less than ST., it is
usually desirable to change to the new
law, under which disablement from age
and from disabilities not due to the ser
vice can be taken into consideration IN
determining the pension. rate hereunder.
Yet it is to be remembered that under the
rulings under the act of 1890, which have
been more or less consistently maintained
since 1893 over twice the amount - OF
actual disablement for manual labor IS
necessary to- obtain the S12 rating under
the act of 1890 that is necessary TO OBJ
tain such rating under the general law.
To obtain the SD rating under the act of
1890 the soldier must be practically
wholly disqualified for the performance of
manual labor, a degree of disablement for
which $50 is allowed under the general
law.
&c. A. R., Chicago.-The widow of a
war of the rebellion soldier, married to
him after June %, 1890, would not be
entitled to any pension except under the
general law, which requires that satisfac-
tory evidence be produced to show that
the soldiers death was due to disability
incurred in service and line of duty. Of
course, if he was pensicned under the
general law and his death was due dl-
rectly or indirectly to pensioned disablli-
ty, the matter would be comparatively
easy.
- J. W.sP., Manchester, Ohio.-Under the
act of June 81, 1890, as amended by the
act of May 8, 1900, the widow is allowed
an "actual net income" not exceeding 500
per annum, from sources other than the
earnings from her daily labor. OF course,
the usual and necessary charges against
property from which the widow derives
an income are to be deducted to arrive
at the '.actual net income" therefrom.
j. B., National Military Home, Ind
The fact that an invalid pensioner is an
inmate of a State Home or one Of the
several branches of the National Military
Home entities his wife to one-hah his
pension, if she be in necessitous circum-
stances and a person of good moral char
acter. If as matter of fact the wife
had deserted the soldier before he entered
the Home it is possible that the law, act
of March 3. 1899, would not be held opera
tive in such a case.
a. L. P.-The widow having remarked
is barred from making application under
the act of June 81, $780, as there would
I be mo pensionable period for her under
said act The child being over 16 is also
barred for lac. of a pensionable period.
Pensions under the act of June -, 1890,
commence only from date of fling appli-
cation. Unless the rejection of the widow S
XSneEal law pension CHILLI Tall pc ONeI-
come, of s'rrse no pension can be OBJ
tanned under the general law for any
period.
]. G., Wellsville, n. I.,-Until the act
of March 3, 1863, under which the U. s.
Government took direct charge of recruit
ing and drafting of troops for the volun-
teer service, the enlistment and nrgani2a-
ton of volunteers in the States l.as con-
Quoted by the State authorities. and the
men enlisted were not really in 5. ser
vice until they were actually mustered into
u. S. service. The muster-in roll became
the only roll of men enlisted and accepted
into the command. This was great in
justice to many volunteers who, as in your
case, became sick or were injured before
muster in, and were sent home, and whose
names therefore were not put on tie mus
term roll. In such cases a special act
of Congress is the only means of getting
the soldiers name on the roll of his com.
mand and giving him pensionable status
and emitting him to pay for period OF
actual service
H. z. W., Grove City, Pa.-The only
authorized way to hnd out what report
and recommendation was sent in by EX.
amining Surgeons is by examination OF
the report itself at the Pension Bureau.
Examining Surgeons are prohibited from
informing claimants as to the character
of the report made, but the prohibition is
often disregarded.. Ii the report was fav.
orable, it is possible that it would not be
difficult to obtain from member of the
board little information on the subject
f. A. H., Lisbon, ad.-There has beer
no law passed increasing the rates of in
valid pension under the act of June q
1890.