The National tribune., 1903-12-03
PENSION POINTERS.
Inquiries Answered and Sugges.
tiOns Made.

lIUIlS NlduGs
L. NJ. T., Deckerville, Mich.-When {
Grand Army Post bears the expense of ;
comrades last illness and burial, the Post
through the Commander, can collect rem
hursement from the comrades pension TIL
same as an individual could.
A. f. r., Utica, Ohio.-f a widow
pensioner dies leaving no child under III
the accrued pension due to the date o.
= her death can be paid only in the even
that she left insufficient assets to GOV
er the reasonable and proper expenses o.
last illness and burial. In that case pay
ment would be made to the person defray
ing or responsible for the payment of SAT-
expenses. If the widow has been bed
fast for some time before her demise, Il
is quite likely that the Treasury Depart
ment would allow a claim of her relativ,
for nursing. That is to say. the relativ,
could put in bill for nursing as part OF
the reasonable expenses of last illness.
z. c. H., KutztOwn, Pa.-Dependeni
parents of soldiers and sailors who have
served in recent years are entitled to pen,
sion under the general law on the same
basis as soldiers and sailors of the war OF
the rebellion.
A NJ A, Pullman, Wash.-The ac..
crued pension of soldier is not part of
the widows pension. The widow may col.
lect the accrued pension regardless OF
what she may be entitled to as pension
as widow.
F. NJ, WilliamspOrt, Pa.-lf as a mat
ter of fact there were no permanent medl-
cal records made in your regiment until
after the latter part of 1868, that fact
should be evident from the records Oh file
in the War Department
L. /. c.. St Cloud, Minn.-If an invalid
pensioner by his conduct drives his wife
away, he is regarded as having in effect
deserted her. and the Pension Bureau
holds her entitled TO half his pension in
accordance with the provisions of the act
of March 3, 1899.
ID. F.. Cedar Rapids. Iowa.-As you
are Mexican war Neutrality-suspicious.
and are not drawing under the Mexican
war service-pension act, you can not OBJ
tain the benefits of the increased rate al
lowed Mexican war service-pensloner
without first applying for and obtaining
service-pension under the act of Jan. %,
1889.
nj. G.. B.. Ligonier, Pa.-Grade ratings,
so called. under the general law are de-
termiued from the pensioners condition
as a whole. considering only such disablli-
ties as have been accepted as of service
origin. Thus, a pensiOner wholly unable
to perform any manual labor in c0nse-
auence of disabilities of accepted service
origin, is regarded as entitled to $50 per
month, or second grade"
]. L. NJ. No. Topeka, Kan.-The addi-
tional bounty law of July %, 1866. ex-
pired by limitation on July /, 1880. Dur
ing the period when the checks in pay
ment of claims were indiscriminately sent
to the attorney of record, it was possible,
of course. for the attorney to forge the
signature of the claimant and thus cash
the check for his own benefit.
0. v, Martins Ferry, Ohio.-Thc Sol
diers' Home at Washington. ID. c., is for
the use only of honorably-discharged sol
diers of the Regular Army. Address the
Governor" of the Soldiers Home, this
city.
j. NJ. NJ, Pittsburg. Pa.--Children are
pensionable under the act of June q.
1890, regardless of the cause of death OF
the soldier As you are over 16 now. it
is too late for you to apply under that
act, there being no pensionable period.
The pensionable period ceases at 16 and
you are past 16. Unless it can be shown
to the satisfaction of the Pension Bureau
that your father died of disability incurred
in service and line of duty, you can not
obtain any pension. Evidently the widow
1880, and did not apply for any allow
ance ON account of the children because
they were all past 16 when she applied.
NJ. S. T., Chicago.-The act of March
8, 1903, provided an increase of pension
only for Mexican war survivors, drawing
under tie Mexican war seryice-pensiOn
acts. 1t did not increase the Mexican war
widows pensions.
w. Z. S., Pigeon Cove. Mass.-The
general law rate of pension for nearly
total deafness of both ears is $27 per
month.
A. c.. Athens. Ohio.-Unless the di-
yorce OF the soldier from his wife can be
set aside. the wife can have no status
as widow under the pension laws. IL t
should appear on the face of the pro-
ceedings that the divorce was Illegally
ably ignore the divorce and recognize the
wife as the soldiers widow. You will
probably need to consult n lawyer prac-
ticing before the local courts. to ascertain
il the divorce can be annulled.
A. r.. Mesick, Micli.-The widow can
not obtain widows pension and draw
same while continuing to draw pension as
dependent mother on account of her son.
l.. T.. Jenny Lind. Ark.-If the soldier
enlisted and served three years in the
Union army. he was entitled to and doubt
less received United States bounty. If
any bounty remains unpaid, his sister.
if his nearest surviving relative, can col
lect whatever is due him.
l.. L. NJ, Linden. \. Y.-If the sol
dier's wife was married to him before
June q. 1890, she would in the event of
his death he entitled to a pension of So
per month under the act of June q, 1890.
regardless of the cause of his death. If
married TO him since June 26 1890, she
would moi he entitled to any pension ex-
eept under the general law. which re-
quires evidence that the soldiers death
was due 10 his service and the line of
duty Under the general law she would
be entitled tc SO per month. unless she
was married to him after March is, 1856.
in which case the rate would be only So.
Under both laws an additional allowance
of 50 per month is made for each child
under 16 years.
]. W. L.. Tularosa, \. Mex.-See reply
TO L. l.. NJ. above. As the parties were
married after June &C. 1890. the widow
could obtain pension only by establishing
title under the general law. 1t does not
matter what law the soldier was pen
stoned under.
DEPARTMENT NEWS.