The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-04-08
HOW TO OBTAIN A PENSION.
Pointers for veterans---Plan 10 Pursue
Under Recent Order.

Washington, April Many inquiries
are coming here from all parts of the
northwest showing a desire on the part
of the veterans of the Civil War to be
advised regarding the course the gov
eminent is to pursue respecting the re-
cent order for change in pension pay
ments to applicants who have attained
to the age of siXty-two or upwards. A
sample inquiry embodies a number OF
questions which afford sample of what
the veterans desire to know, and such
answers as are at this time obtainable
from the bureau of pensions will be Civ
en- herewith for the information of the
soldiers.
The correspondent desires to know
.'the dates of the order; if applicant
must show by examination infirmities or
inability to earn a support by manual
labor by reason of age; if formal appli-
cation must be made for pension; or, if
he is drawing pension, for an increase;
if yes, is fee to be allowed pension at
torneys for the proper presentation and
prosecution of such claims; the amount
of such fee"
The bureau order is dated March 10,
and takes effect on April Is, 1904.
The question of examination has not
vet been decided and the bureau officials
are now engaged in preparing the proper
notices to applicants, which notices will
contain all information regarding the
methods to be pursued by applicants.
The reason the question has not been de-
cided whether there shall be an exami-
nation of applicants who have reached
the ages between 62 and 20, is believed to
be based upon the existing law, which
provides that: Except in cases of per-
manent specific disabilities, no increase
of pension shall be allowed to commence
prior to the date of the examining sur
geon's certificate establishing the same,
made under the pending claim for in
crease, and in this as in all other cases,
the certificate of an examining surgeon,
or of board of examining surgeons,
shall be subject to the approval of the
commissioner of pensions" 1t is mat
ter of doubt whether, in view of this
precise requirement of an examination in
all cases, that the bureau order, which
provides that the stated ages shall be
taken as an evidential fact in ability"
etc., will be effective without examina
ton. In other words, while the bureau
order specifies that stated ages shall be
evidence of half or greater disability in
the applicant, up to the age of seventy,
when a full pension rate of $l2 month
shall be granted, the law requires an ex-
animation in all cases to determine if
such pensionable disability exists. Whe-
Their this examination can be waived, or
must be conducted, has not been de-
cided. Of course, in any stated case
after examination, the bureau can ac
cept the evidence of age as proof or half
or greater disability, as the case may
be, according to the age of the applicant.
While the bureau has not yet complet-
ed its circulars of information to APP
plicants, it is stated by the officials that
in all cases, probably formal application
must be made for the increase to which
the applicant finds himself entitled by
reason of reaching the age prescribed in
the bureau order.
The question of fee to pension attor-
neys has not been settled. But the bureau
officials assert that unless a pension at
torney has been employed, who would be
entitled to fee upon increase of the pen
sion allowance to the claimant, it will
not be necessary to employ such attor
ney in making an original application
under the new order. The age proof will
be the effective evidence in proving half
or greater disability. Where a pension
attorney is entitled to fee it is presum-
ed that the regular fee of So will be al
lowed.
The recent order by the bureau is
based upon the idea that old age is an in
trinity and evidence of certain degree
of Densionable disability.