The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-02-26
PEyySIoN POINTERS.
Inquiries Answered and Sugges'
il i,,l lions Made.

| I'M uVhS NAoOSs
W. a. j., lIazelwood, visa decision
rendered April q, 1895, holds that e man
nal lalitn. in the pension law does no
mean Kfbor with the hands merely, bu
labor performed with bodily eXcrtion %
muscular effort" \ $50 rate is allowed
where the pensioncr requires regular az
of another person, but not constant at
| tendance: that is, requires assistance on.
III, certain thirrs. as. dressing ana undrcss
| ing. etc. The 81 rate is not necessarily al
| lowed in all cases of insanity. In man!
| cases of insanity this rate is denied. be
Cause the mental arrangement is of :: mi!'
! form and docs not prevent tie pcnsione
from doing some kinds of work. Their
are special rates for the loss of hands o
| feet: loss of both hands $1GO. and loss o
both feet. S12-but not under the "tota!
iy helpless provision.
G. +. L., Irvana, Pa.-Sec reply TO w
a. j.. above. Manual labor would prop
erly include all sorts of physical worl
requiring bodily excr.ion or muscular Of
fort. If n, Hcnsioner approaches TIL
wreck stage. he may he entitled TO more
than $50 ger month. II a person can no
do any effective physical work. he woul'
probably be regarded as totally disa blct
itT Hi;tiitiit fiDtT.
J. NJ. w. Reading. Aiicii.-Your claim
for additional bounty undo. the act O
1866 was decided iii accordance with thu
law. Having received more than StG(
bounty under former laws, you did Nc
come within the terms Of the additional
bounty law.
L. II. W.. Burlington. Vt.-203 80 wouli
be Il form of expressing the general law
pension rate for total deafness of one cal
ard slight of the other. $50.
ii. W., Hanover, Il.-As the soldier.
son did not become afflicted. as you say
until after lie became 16. he would moi
in any event come under the permanent!
helpless children provision of cxistin.
law.
H. G.. Pearl. HIT is almos
impossible to secure the allowance
of q general law war of the rebellion pen
sion claim filed of recent years, unless
there is record of the disability in the ser
vice. or unimpeaciiable evidence OF Il metii
cal officer as TO its existence therein. Oh
course. the rigidity of this rule depends
somewhat upon the character of the dis.
ability. In Il case of deafness there would
have to be a quantity of very strong evil
dence III the absence of Il record. The
Board of Pension Appeals of the interior
department appears 10 he about two years
IN arrears with its wOrl; as whole.
s. NJ. Monterey. Tenn-As between
the Government and the wife of the pen
sioHer claiming half of his pension under
the act of March 3. 1890 the fact that
previous to the pensioner leaving his wife
it had beer agreed between them that
his pension money should he for his sole
use. could not bc interpOsed Ly the pen
siOner ase an objection to the awarding
to her of ybalf of his pension
I'niontown. pa.-If the disabilities for
which you are pensioned at ST. under the
act of 1880 can be satisfactorily shown
TO be duesto the service and line OF duty.
you might be able to secure under the
general INV q greater rate than $40 per
month. Read reply to ii. c., above
n. A. r.. Morristown. AIinn.-The fact
that tile widow has remarked does not
tiebar her from prosecuting the claim of
her Deceased husband and receiving the
accrued pension thereon.
s. b., Prospect. Ohio.-The recent new
law INCREASING the rate of general law in
valid pension for total deafness does not
benefit those pensioned for degrees of
deafness less than total
Soldiers Widow, Jacksonville, Me-
There is no immediate prospect of Il SER
vice pension law. As the soldiers dea: III
was not due to disability incurred in ser
vice and line, of duty, you can not obtain
moro than $S per month under any exist
ing law.
Subscriber, Cairo. W. va.-If the COM
pletc imbecility can be satisfactorily
shown to be due TO the service and line
of duty, the rate of pension would prob
ably be 81 per month. Otherwise the
rate would be only 81 per month.
X. j.. NJ. CloverpOrt, Ky.-Under ex-
listing law the accrued pension of a sol
dicr can not be paid save to the widow
or his child or children under 1G at his
death. If in the case you refer to the
widow had received and executed the
voucher for the soldiers accrued pension
before her death, her heirs could have
collected the proceeds OF the check is
sued in her favor. As she died without
executing the voucher, no payment can
be made, except for necessary reimburse
ment of some person who betrayed ex-
penses of the soldiers last illness and
burial.
j. ". Winchester, Va.-See reply to
4. f., above.
II. s., Mansion, visa claimant or
his attorney may examine the papers in
his pension case at the Pension Bureau.
There are certain papers, however, that
are withheld from such examination, on
the ground that they are Confidential"
his includes information relative to crcdi-
biiity of witnesses, and also reports from
the War Department. Members of Con-
sress are not restricted in the number of
cases they may examine in day at the
Pension Bureau. A new increase claim
may be filed Immediately after rejection
or allowance of former claim, but the
claim will not he settled until SIX months
have elapsed since date Of former settle
ment. An order for medical examination
is supposed to ISSUE in due course under
the rules, regardless of how soon the ap-
plicatiOn is filed after former settle
ment
n. II. p, a1ainsburg, PA divorced
wife is not entitled to widows pension
nor to half of the soldiers pension during
his lifetime. There is no new law upon
The subject.
Subscriber, Clio. Ky.-Unless a mem
Der OF Congress looks after the private
pension bills he introduces for his CON
they are not likely to be taken
up and considered by the committees TO
which they are referred for consideration
md report, and hence will never be acted
upon by Congress. Members of Congress
are practically the only persons that can
urge action on a private pension bill, as
Congress mas passed law prohibiting the
of attorneys for this purpose,
On thei assumption that each member CT
Congress will do all that any one can do
Dr should do in the matter. All private
pension bills that have not already passed
Ine OFT the other OF the branches of Con
sress Will doubtless fail to be considered
Turing stlG present session, and will have
% be relntrOduced in the next Congress.
Land warrants" have never been granted
% SOLDIERS OF the war Of the rebellion. If