The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-04-16
PENSION POINTERS.
Inquiries Answered and Sugges'
ar =, tons Made.

of Second Lieutenant of Infantry i'll
the war of the rebellion was S4J per
month. The tax on pay and allowances
lin excess of 5000 per annuml, before
July J.. 1864. was 3 per cent. per annum:
after June 30, 1864 the tax was > per
cent.
Subscriber. Buffalo. y. Y.-A paraiytic
shock might be distinguished as tenn
porary paralysis. \ physician can testify
to pension claimants physical condition
without having treated the claimant. If
the conditions claimed are clearly shown
to have existed before the stroke of par
alysiS, it is hardly likely that any question
would arise as to whether the condition of
the claimant is due to the paralysis alone
Dizziness or vertigo being only n symp-
tom of an injured or diseased condition
of the head. would probably not be named
as a pensioned cause.
Lobster. Ararat, Pa.-If you are pen
stoned at SD per month for disability
equivalent in degree to The loss of Il
hand or foot" and the pens:oned cause is
confined to a foot. it is truly difficult to
perceive and impossible to explain why
you are not entitled to the $50 rate en-
creased to $40 by act of March =, 1903,
for total disability of the foot. Per
haps the Pension Bureau in fact has given
4 higher rate than the disability warrants
according to the str.ct terms OF the stat
ute, if it holds that the foot in fact is
not totally disabled. The S24 rate may
have been given as recognition that the
foot is almost entirely useless but not
quite so. The $24 rate is gwen many who
have no disability of the foot. as II step
to the $50 rate for total inability to per-
form any manual labor.
Subscriber. potstlam. n. Y.-If the am
oil.
and the condition of the stump is such
that it is practically impossible to wear
and use an artificial limb, an application
for an increase should be made in the
usual manner. A medical eXamina ton
will then be ordered and the rate of 500
per month made to commence from the
date of the medical examination.
n. DanviIIc. Ill.-If the widow was not
married to the soldier till after June 20,
1890. she has no title to pension either
under the original act of 1880 or under
the act as amended by act of May o.
1900. She can obtain pension only by
ii being satisfactorily shown that the sol
diers death was due entirely TO disabil-
ity originating i'll service and line of duty.
She would not have to show her financial
situation.
d.. Syracuse. Ind.-Degrces of blind
ness and deafness are determined accord
ing to the ability of tie claimant to see or
hear without artificial aids. Severe cases
of partial blindness or deafness are usual
iy exaDinfd by specialists acting under
instructions of the Pension Bureau.
g. w. d., Walton, w. Na.-Withont
as to tie disability for which
you are pensioned it cannot be definitely
stated u4iy your rate was reduced from a
certain date. 1t may he because the rates
for disabilities of that sort were reduced
at that date.
l.. A. ". Grape Creek. n. C.-Unless
it is a.fmatter of official record that the
soldier actually served and was paid from
n certain alleged date TO a certain later
date, it will avail nothing to file afiida-
Wits in the War Department or Pension
Bureau to show that the period of service
was longer than that shown by the official
records IF the remarked widow can sat
isfactoriiy show her right to have her
pension restored for the period of her
widowhood. she can obtain the pension
from the date il was improperly stopped
up to the date of her ren!arriage. If she
was married to the soldier before or dur
ing his term of army service, she can also
obtain the restoration Of the pension from
date of application therefor in accordance
with tile act of March 3, 1901.
Il. G. r.. Warren, GA decision of
the United States Court of Claims holds
in effect that the War Department has
by regulation given to the travel-pay law
a construction not warranted by the terms
of the statute. The Treasury Department
resists the view of the Court of Claims
and the question has been taken up to
the Supreme Court. Officers of yOlun-
teers during the war of the rebellion may
obtain pay for service as commissioned
officer before muster as such, or before
muster in grade to which promoted, under
certain circumstances and conditions set
out by acts of 1887 and 1897.
w. II. II. W., Mantua Station, o.
The act of January II, 1903, increasing
the general law pension rate for total
deafness from $50 to $40 per month, dis
tinctly states that there shall be no in
crease of pension for degrees of deafness
less than total. The total deafness re-
fcrred to is total deafness of both ears.
NJ. S., n. Lyndeboro, n. H.-Applica-
ton for truss for hernia incurred in SER
vice and line of duty should be made TO
the Surgeon. General, U. S. A, WASH
ington, ID. c."
A. ", Wick, W. Va.-The general law
pension rate for loss of Il hand is increased
from $40 TO $40 per month by the act of
one class allowed by this act will be
granted without any application on the
part of the pensioners.
S. L., K!ecknersville. Pa.-If pen
stoned at $40 per month for loss or total
of Il hand, you will be entitled |
10 $40 per month under the new law of |
March =. 1903.
q. ID. b., Zion, n. J.-Without inform
alton as to your present rate of pension
inder the general law, it is impossible to |
say whether or not the appeal in your re-
jected increase claim is Likely to be sue
.essful
+. i. F., Erie. Pa.-Under the general
pension law a degree of disabiement that |
would entitle an enlisted man to IS per
month would entitle an officer pensioned |
as First Lieutenant to SIT per. month
That is the difference.
ii. ii. c.. Rock Elm. Wis.-The new
let of March ., 1908. makes no provision
or those pensioncd at $24 per month for
equivalent in degree to the loss
VI hand or foot
J. AR, Ashland. O.-The statement
rOu quote is correct. The right of legal |
wife to half of her husbands pension if |
he deserts her is not affected by the date
IF marriage. The provision you quote
rom another portion of the act of March
;, 1892 relates to widows pension title,
something quite different from a wife's
title to part pension.
Il. A. H., San Francisco, Cal.-Where
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