The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1922-08-03
SOLDIERS SHOULD APPLY
FOR INJURY CERTIFICATES

There are a large number Of vet
Grams throughout the country, prob
ably thousands Of them, who have
neglected to apply for a certificate
Of injury. The failure to obtain this
certificate viii initiate against the
veterans in making application for
compensation under the veterans
bureau, in the event that the dis
ability failed to manifest itself within
one year from date Of discharge.
Therefore the director Of the bureau,
Col. Charles R. Forbess, is urging
veterans organizations to advise their
members Of the necessity of securing
such a certificate.
The certificate of injury must be
obtained prior to August 8, 1892, as
provided in section 306 of the war
risk insurance act as amended Aug
ust 8, 1921. This section of the act
covers the limitations Of the right of
an ex-soldier to obtain compensation
for disability resulting from a dis
ease or injury Of service origin, unless
the disease or injury has resulted in
disability within one year from
date of discharge, or unless the dis
charged soldier or sailor in question
can obtain from the director of the
United States Veterans Bureau GER
tlficate of injury within one year from
the date Of separation from the ser,
vice or prior to August Q, 1922. The
director of the veterans bureau de
sires to inform the persons who may
have sustained such an injury or dis
ease in the service likely to result in
death or disability, as to their right
to certificate of injury and also to the
limitations of the statute which made
it imperative that they have such a
certificate if compensation should be
payable for disability resulting from
such injury.
1t is not necessary to file a claim
for compensation or to take any for
NAL action other than the writing of
letter to the director United States
Veterans Bureau, Washington, D. c.,
giving the full name, rank, organiza-
tion, army serial number, date Of en-
listment and discharge and stating
the circumstances, date and place I'M
der which the disease or injury in
question was incurred.
Heretofore not very much empha-
sis has been placed on section 800 of
the act, the reason being that the five
years mentioned therein has not run
for many of the discharged service
men who desire to claim their rights
under this act rather than under the
pension law. Those who were dis
charged between April 6, 1917, and
October, 1917 have an optional right,
that is, they can either apply to the
pension bureau or to the veterans
bureau if they apply within the stat
utory period, namely, within five
years. Persons discharged after Oc-
tober 6, 1917, will have no right what
ever unless they make claim to the
veterans bureau within five years
from date Of their discharge. An ex-
ample of that is: "a man discharged
from the navy on a surgeons certifi-
cate of disability December /, 1917,
files claim with the veterans bureau
at any one of the district offices on
December Is, 1922. His claim must
necessarily be disallowed because he
had not applied for compensation
within the five-year period, unless he
has certificate Of injury, which, as
stated above. he must obtain before
August 8, 1922" The above state.
ment also relates to application for
compensation because Of service con-
nected deaths. Parents who are not
receiving compensation must show
within five years after the
death of the person on account of
whose service claim is made. This
provision of the act is found in Sec
ton 301, subdivision G..
1t might be we'll to mention in this
connection section 315 of the act.
This section, of course, only covers
those who are enlisted after Febru-
airy 8, 1922. Should a claim be filed
by a discharged man who enlisted
after February 8, 1922, regardless Of
the date of discharge, at the present
time he is without protection. Sew
eral acts are pending in Congress to
cover such class of claimants, but as
the statutes now stand there is no act
to protect them, neither the veterans
bureau nor the pension office has any
jurisdiction over them.
These facts are called to the atten-
ton of the ex-service men in order
that they may not lose in right or
privileges under the war risk insur
anea apt