Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-10-18
TALKS Of THE ERRORS
IN PENSION RECORDS
Head of Bureau Says Representative
Plat Misunderstands the
Situation.
Explains Why Sums Are Being De-
Quoted From Allowances to
War Veterans.

That the pension bureau was placed IN
false light in the speech recently
made by Representative Edmund Platt
of New York, relative to an alleged in
Justice to the civil war pensioner. is
the opinion of Commissioner of. Pen
sions q. NJ. Saltzgaber
Representative Plat, in his address,
said in effect that errors made in the
bureau of pensions many years ago are
now being corrected in lump sum- so
that former soldiers in some instances
will be deprived of four months pension
at the outset of winter.
What Mr.. Plat had to say relative to
recoveries made from pensioners un-
doubtedly grew out of his misconcep-
tfon OF law and facts, declared Com
missioner Saltzgaber yesterday.
Some OF these recoveries grow out
of instances in which later statements
made by the pensioner disclose that he
rendered service subsequent to the
service originally alleged by him. over
the period of which he received pen
sion in addition to his pay as a soldier.
Quotes the Statutes.
Section 4724 of the revised statutes"
continued the commissioner Specific
ally prohibits the payment of pension
as an invalid and the pay of his rank
covering the same period of time. I'm
der the law pensions paid on account
of fraud on the part of the pensioner,
mistake of fact purely clerical
error. should be recovered by the bu-
reau reimbursing itself on subsequent
issues.
a large majority of these recovery
cases result from misstatement of age
made by claimants for pension under
the act of February s. 1907. when the
rate OF pension was determined by the
age of the soldier. In subsequent decla-
rations under the act of May IL 1912
in which provision for increase of pen
sion was made on account of increased
age and length of service, a statement
of age was made by the claimant,
which. when considered with his prior
statements, showed upon investigation
that the age accepted in the allowance
made in the former claim was erron-
eous and excessive. and that the claim
ant was younger than he represented
himself to be at the time of the former
adjudication.
Duty of Pension Bureau.
where these excessive payments
were made as a result of erroneous
statements of age made by the claim
ant. the pension bureau is required by
law to make recovery of the excessive
payments by reimbursing itself
CnOer a former administration the
commissioner of pensions attempted to
effect these recoveries by making pro
rata monthly deductions from the al
1owance made to the pensioner, which
plan was not permitted by a former
Secretary because it was without war
rant of law.
Is Aware of Conditions.
The present administration of the
bureau Is fully aware" Commissioner
SaltZgaber concluded, of the hard
ships which the present practice of
making recoveries works in many in
stances. and is in full sympathy with
some of the suggestions made by Mr.
Platt looking to the remedying of that
PRACTICE by legislative enactment.
But until Congress has taken proper
action and given authority to the bu-
reau for a change of practice, 1 am I'M
able to act otherwise than 1 am doing"