PENSIONS DECLINED

Nelson Evening Mail, 21 September 1916, Page 7

PENSIONS DECLINED

WHAT ARE THE REASONS? A FEW RANDOM CASKS. Tn. the ennoiincement.--, made from time to time of the work of the War Pensions Board, it may be noted that ahvav? a certain number • f applications are declined, says the Dominion. Some people may be interested to know what the reason's are for refusal in these cases. For only two r»asons can a soldier's claim be 'refused—that he is quite well or that he did not contract ids injuries or sickness while on service with _ the forces. One of the applications declined last week was from* a man discharged from camrj suffering from sciatica. Th* hoard was not satisfied that the seiat-ic-■was a new complaint- in this man. or that he had contracted it as n result of his life in camp. Another man, returned from Egvpf beciinsv of hernia (of which he is "now cured), claimed m respect of alleged weak eyes. Tins complaint was r.ot mentioned in his medical papers and the board did not think the one for a pension. Another man accepted for service had a deformed loot He broke down on service, on account of his bad foot. The board held th.it his breakdown was not due to military service.

Dependents applying for pensions are reouirwl to prove that they ate <m- were dependents of the soidier killed or injured One application declined lately was that of a mother. This woman's Hr=t husband, the father of the soldier, was dead, and she had married again Her present husband was in of a regular <=alarv. The evidence was tnat the soldier (since dead )did not live at" home and did not contribute to his mother's support. Another application refused was from the wife of a disabled soldier. This man suffered a. compound tracttire of the lower arm. and he has an un-united fracture which will not heal until another operation is performed. He receives 30s ner week. He was rot disehareed until this month, but in Mav last, after his return from the front, 'he married. The Act provides that if there is an engagement or agreement to marrv hetween the soldier and a young wom"n. and such a couple marry" on the soldier's return, the "wife may draw a pension should the soldier Tie 'wholly or partially disabled. These cases are' not very infrequent now, and the board requires evidence of the en-gas-ement. Usually this is forthcoming. Tetters are produced, or there is proof of the purchase of an engagement ring. In one instance, a "clergyman certified that he knew of the engagement. In this case, in which the application was refused, there was no evidence that the soldier was engaged before he went to the war. to the woman who is now his wife. The board, therefore, has no power to E'ive her a pension. Durinsr last week, the War Pensions Board .sitting in Wellington dealt with 191 new claims. 60 renewals, and four other cases. Of the new claims 142 were soldiers and 49 dependants. To the soldiers six were granted pensions, 116 allowances, four were declined, and two were adjourned. Of the 60 applications for renewal. 34 were continued for a further term (eight of these to be final), four were converted into permanent pensions, 13 are to cease forthwith, two cases were further adjourned, in three cases it was decided to adhere to the previous decision, and four were continued to dependants.