Evening star., 1949-08-19
Veterans
Guide

Leading today's @. and A. COL
umn is question from veteran
H. E. A., Bonson, Tex: Il am 67
per cent disabled. 68 years old. I
get a check covering my disability
compensation each month. Am I
entitled to the $72 a month pen
sion given veterans upon reaching
their 65th birthday"
You might be if your annual in
come is less than $1,000 a year
(or $4,000, if you have a depend
ent)-and if you are totally and
permanently disabled. But why
think about that? Your compensa-
ton is more than $72 month any,
way. And if you were found en-
titled to the pension you'd have to
drop the compensation before &C
cepting it. You cannot draw both
al the same time.
AS long as you're rated ST per
cent disabled, serVice-connected,
forget about any non-service-con-
nected disability pension.
A few W.WI veterans draw
compensation based on precise per-
centage disability ratings. like 68
per cent or II per cent. etc. But
most of them and all W.W.II vet
Grams, draw their compensation
based on an even-ten disability
rating, like 10 per cent, 20 per cent,
80 per cent, etc.
F'rem Mrs. F. T. r., Oklahoma
City, Okla: MY husband, W.W.1
veteran who is totally and perma-
nently disabled from non-service-
connected causes, is getting $50
month from the VA. He can't
work. and that's all the money he
has to support himself, his wife
and his child.
Please tell me how he can go
about increasing that pension"
I can only tell you there is no
way he can increase his pension
until he becomes IS years old or
until he has drawn the pension for
10 straight years. in either OF
which cases the pension will go
up TO $72.
From Mrs. M. c., Albany, N. Y:
Il am the holder of my sons in
surance policy (NSLD and would
like to know if it possible to borrow
some money on it for business
proposition. Could -"
Not from the Government. you
couldn't. If thee policy has been
converted from term to perma-
nent form an has been in -force as
a converted policy for least one
year, then your son may borrow up
to "a per cent of the cash value at
per cent interest. But you can't
borrow a,nickle on it, from the
Government.
From Mrs. M. G. G., Lawrence,
Mass: MY husband died of
service connected disability in
1887. The check I get from the
Government every month says
Compensation" on it. Why doesn't
it say Pension" as it should?"
Because it isn't pension you are
getting, but compensation. If your
husband had died of non-service-
connected disability and YOU were
entitled to a monthly payment
from the government, 1t then would
be pension" But any payment
for any service-connected disabil-
ity or death is called "compensa-
ton" A special act of Congress
makes the distinction.
From Mrs. F. W., Spokane.
Wash: please answer this queS-
ton for a lot of war widows
(W.W.D who are receiving pen
sions from the Government. We
know that If we remarry we will
lose our pension. But what hap
pens If we marry another W.W.1
veteran and he dies before we do?
Will we then be entitled to the
$42 a month pension again."
| You would be. assuming you
meet the normal qualifications,
and provided the marriage lasts
at least 10 years. If the second
husband died within 10 years of
marriage then you would not get
the pension under any circum-
stances. That's true of any mar
riage to W.W.I veteran that took
place after Dec. IA, 1914.
you may 1Urite Maj. Nal in
care of this newspaper in con-
nection 1Uith your otUn SerUice-
connected problem. IncloSe
seU-addreSSed, stamped en-
velope.J