Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1916 — NEW INTERPRETATION OF LAW [ARTICLE]

NEW INTERPRETATION OF LAW

To Secure Pensions Widows Must Observe Regulations. The following interpretation of the provisions of the new pension law’ enacted by congress recently has been prepared by H. L. Williams of Indianapolis, special pension examiner: “The new pension law, approved September 8, 1916, does not grant an increase to all Civil war- widow’s, but only to those who are 70 years old, except W’hen the widow was married to the soldier before he was discharged from the service, In which case the pension is increased to S2O a month regardless of age. “The second section of the act gives pension to those who were widows of Civil war soldiers and who lost their title because of remarriage, but who are again widows or divorced from their last husbands »n their own applications and without fault on their part. “The third section of the act allows pensions to all widows of solserved as long as ninety days during the Civil war and were honorably discharged regardless of the cause of soldier's death, provided the marriage to the soldier took place prior to June 27. 1905. t Prior to this law, this date was June 2, 14190).

“The divorced wife of a soldier, on the death of the latter, is not entitled to a pension under any law. “To sum up briefly, a Civil war widow is entitled to S2O a month when she reaches the age of 70. If she married a soldier before his discharge. she is entitled to said ra|e regard less of her age. “All widows of Civil war soldiers who served ninety days, etc., are entitled to pensions if they were married prior to June 27, 1905, the rate to be determined by the age of the widow. '■ “In order to secure the increase allowed by the law, a widow pensioner should (if she has not already done so) write a letter to ‘The Commissioner of Pensions, Washington. D. C..’ giving the number of her pension certificate, the name of the soldier, hig company and regiment, the date and place of her birth and her present pqst office address. “Her pension certificate should not be sent.”