NEW SCALE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 55, 28 November 1917, Page 4

NEW SCALE

DECISIONS OF THE BOARS 1

IMPORTANT POINTS

After the beginning of January thd increased pension rates authorised by the War Pensions Act of last session will be payable to soldiers and their, dependants, and tho board has been, considering how it will proceed to bring the new scale into operation aB applying to those persons already in receipt of pensions under the old scale. ' , The Pensions Hoard lias decided w increase automatically, -without application by the pensioner, with the first, instalment falling duo after January 1,. 1918, all pensions in force on that date which are payable to a totally disabled soldier, or to widows of deceased' soldiers, and also those pensions payable to widowed mothers, as prescribed by a special* section of tho Act. Undet? this section widowed mothers, if thev have proved partial dependence on a. deceased soldier, are entitled to a pension equal to half the amount that might be_ drawn by a widow of tha soldier without children. Pensioners* who wish to tako advantage of the pro-- 1 visions of tho Act by which allowances.; may bo mado to soldiers or to widows! who can show to the board that their pensions aro not sufficient-to maintain; them in their accustomed standard of comfort must make application to the board, and their cases will be considered.

It has probably been assumed by pensioncrs in receipt of less than the fulll pension of their rank that in view of:' the fact that the pensions for total disablement have been raised, pensions for partial disablement may be raised in' a proportionate degree. This may not always be the case. In actual practice* the board has been granting to thesa' partially disabled men rather more liberal amounts than those to which they would have" been entitled under tin* scale. Men entitled to a quarter pension have been granted 10s. a week,, half-pension men hate been regularly given £1 a week, and three-quarter-pension men SOs. a week, and these are the rates to which they will be entitled 1 under the now scale when it comes into operation. It is therefore improbable*, that there will be any general raising! of the rates of pension to partially disabled men. They will all be free to make application to tho hoard for extra, pension if they aro in a position to show that with pension and earnings, they aro unable to make as much money as thev were able to earn before they .were disabled. This application will involve a rehearing of their applications and if they aro under hardship the board will have an opportunity of correcting any previous injustice, should such he found to exist.