tions shall have precedence over previous examinations, whether special or biennial; but when injustice is alleged to have been done by an examination so ordered, the Commissioner of Pensions may, at his discretion, select a. board of three duly appointed examining surgeons, who shall meet at a place to be designated by him, and shall review such cases as may be ordered before them on appeal from any special examination, and the decision of such board shall be final on the question so submitted thereto, provided the Commissioner approve the same. The compensation of each of such surgeons shall be three dollars, and shall be paid out of any appropriations made for the payment of pensions, in the same manner as the ordinary fees of appointed surgeons are or may be authorized to be paid.

BIENNIAL EXAMINATIONS ABOLISHED.

ACT JUNE 21, 1879 (21 STAT. L., 30).

SEC. 3. That sections forty-seven hundred and seventy-one, fortyseven hundred and seventy-two, and forty-seven hundred and seventythree of the Revised Statutes of the United States, providing for biennial examinations of pensioners, are hereby repealed: Provided, That the Commissioner of Pensions shall have the same power as heretofore to order special examinations, whenever, in his judgment, the same may be necessary, and to increase or reduce the pension according to right and justice; but in no case shall a pension be withdrawn or reduced except upon notice to the pensioner and a hearing upon sworn testimony, except as to the certificate of the examining surgeon.

BOARDS OF EXAMINING SURGEONS.

ACT JULY 25, 1882 (22 STAT. L., 175).

SEC. 4. That the Commissioner of Pensions is hereby authorized to appoint surgeons who, under his control and direction shall make such examination of pensioners and claimants for pension or increased pension as he shall require; and he shall organize boards of surgeons, to consist of three members each, at such points in each State as he shall deem necessary, and all examinations, so far as practicable, shall be made by the boards, and no examination shall be made by one surgeon excepting under such circumstances as make it impracticable for a claimant to present himself before a board: Provided, That the Commissioner may, when in his opinion the exigencies of the service require it, organize a board of three surgeons who, under his direction, shall review the work of any regularly-appointed board or surgeon: Provided further, That all examinations shall be thorough and searching, and the certificate contain a full description of the physical condition of the claimant at the time, which shall include all the physical and rational signs and a statement of all structural changes.

The fee for each examination, and satisfactory certificate thereof, shall be two dollars to each member when made by a board, and two dollars when made by one surgeon: Provided, That when the claimant is so disabled as not to be able to present himself to a board of surgeons for examination, the Commissioner may order a surgeon to make the examination at the claimant's residence; and the fee for

such examination shall be two dollars, in addition to the payment of the actual traveling expenses of the surgeon: Provided further, That no fee shall be allowed or paid to any member of such board of examining surgeons who does not actually participate in such examination and sign the certificate thereof.

The Commissioner may, when in his judgment the degree of disability cannot be determined truthfully or satisfactorily excepting by expert examination, employ an expert, not a regularly appointed surgeon, to make the examination; and the fee for such examination shall be five dollars: Provided, That the fee for an expert examination shall not be paid to any regularly-appointed examining surgeon. The fee for the examination of claimants who reside out of the United States shall not exceed ten dollars, which shall be paid, upon the presentation of satisfactory vouchers, out of the appropriation for the payment of the examining surgeons, and through the United States consulate nearest to the claimant's place of residence.1

EXAMINING SURGEONS' REPORTS OPEN TO INSPECTION.

ACT JULY 18, 1894 (28 STAT. L., 113).

Provided, That the report of such examining surgeons when filed in the Pension Office shall be open to the examination and inspection of the claimant or his attorney, under such reasonable rules and regulations as the Secretary of the Interior may provide.

FEES OF EXAMINING SURGEONS.

ACT MAY 28, 1908 (35 STAT. L., 419.)

And hereafter each member of each examining board shall receive the sum of three dollars for the examination of each applicant whenever five or a less number shall be examined on any one day and one dollar for the examination of each additional applicant on such day: Provided, That if twenty or more applicants appear on one day no fewer than twenty shall, if practicable, be examined on said day, and that if fewer examinations be then made, twenty or more having appeared, then there shall be paid for the first examinations made on the next examination day the fee of one dollar only until twenty examinations shall have been made, and the fee shall be three dollars when the examination is made by one surgeon, and the fee for each examination at the claimant's residence provided his residence is outside of the corporate limits of the place of the regular meeting of the examining board or of the place of residence of the surgeon, making the examination shall be five dollars in addition to the payment of the actual traveling expenses of the surgeon: Provided further, That no fee shall be paid to any member of an examining board unless personally present and assisting in the examination of applicant: And provided further, That the report of such examining surgeons shall specifically state the rating which in their judgment the applicant is entitled to, and the report of such examining surgeons shall specifically and accurately set forth the physical condition of the applicant, each and every existing disability being fully and carefully described.

* * *

Supersedes sec. 4774, R. S.

2

SECTION 1. * For salary of one disbursing clerk for the payment of pensions, to be selected and appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, at the rate of four thousand dollars per annum, during the last five months of the fiscal year nineteen hundred and thirteen, one thousand six hundred and sixty-six dollars and sixty-seven cents; and from and after the thirty-first day of January, nineteen hundred and thirteen, there shall be one disbursing clerk in the Bureau of Pensions to be appointed as aforesaid and who shall receive a salary at the rate of four thousand dollars per annum; and section forty-seven hundred and seventy-eight of the Revised Statutes of the United States authorizing the appointment of agents for the payment of pensions, and section forty-seven hundred and eighty of the Revised Statutes of the United States, authorizing the establishment of agencies by the President of the United States are hereby repealed to take effect from and after the thirty-first day of January, nineteen hundred and thirteen, and the existing pension agencies are abolished from and after said date.

*

SEC. 2. That the Secretary of the Interior is authorized in the payment of pensions to arrange the pensioners in three groups as he may think proper, and may from time to time change any pensioner or class of pensioners from one group to another as he may deem convenient for the transaction of the public business.

The pensioners in the first group shall be paid their quarterly pensions on January fourth, April fourth, July fourth, and October fourth of each year; the pensioners in the second group shall be paid their quarterly pensions on February fourth, May fourth, August fourth, and November fourth of each year; the pensioners in the third group shall be paid their quarterly pensions on March fourth, June fourth, September fourth, and December fourth of each year.

The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to cause payments of pension to be made for the fractional parts of a quarter which may be made necessary by the transfer of a pensioner from one group to another.

SEC. 3. That not later than January first, nineteen hundred and thirteen, pensions shall be paid by checks drawn, under the direction.

1 Whenever reference is made to agents for the payment of pensions, it should be considered as being modified by the act of Aug. 17, 1912 (37 Stat. L., 311), which abolished pension agencies and established a new method for the payment of pensions.

By act Mar. 4, 1913 (37 Stat. L., 774), a Deputy Disbursing Clerk, who shall act as Chief Clerk, was provided for.

of the Secretary of the Interior, in such form as to protect the United States against loss, without separate vouchers or receipts, and payable by the proper assistant treasurer or designated depositary, except in the case of any pensioner in which the law authorizes the pension to be paid to some person other than the pensioner, or in which the Secretary of the Interior may consider a voucher necessary for the protection of the Government. Such checks shall be transmitted by mail to the payee thereof at his last known address.

That postmasters, delivery clerks, letter carriers, and all other postal employees are prohibited from delivering any such mail to any person whomsoever, if the addressee has died or removed, or in the case of a widow believed by the postal employee intrusted with the delivery of such mail to have remarried; and the postmaster in every such case shall forthwith return such mail with a statement of the reasons for so doing, and if because of death or remarriage, the date thereof, if known. Checks returned as herein provided on account of the death or remarriage of the pensioner shall be canceled.1

SEC. 5. That in case of sickness or unavoidable absence of the disbursing clerk for the payment of pensions from his office, the Commissioner of Pensions may, with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, authorize the chief clerk of his office or some other clerk employed therein to temporarily act as such disbursing clerk for payment of pensions.

With the approval of the Commissioner of Pensions and the Secretary of the Interior, the disbursing clerk for the payment of pensions may designate and authorize the necessary number of clerks to sign the name of the disbursing clerk for the payment of pensions to official checks.

The disbursing clerk shall give bond with good and sufficient surety for such amount and in such form as the Secretary of the Interior may approve, and such bond shall be held to cover and apply to the acts of the persons authorized to act in his place.

SEC. 6. That nothing in this Act shall be construed as amending or repealing that portion of the sundry civil appropriation Act for the fiscal year eighteen hundred and eighty-three (Statutes at Large, volume twenty-two, page three hundred and twenty-two) concerning the payment of pensions due inmates of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.

PREPARATION OF QUARTERLY VOUCHERS.

SEC. 4764, REVISED STATUTES.

Within fifteen days immediately preceding the fourth day of March, June, September, and December in each year, the several agents for the payment of pensions shall prepare a quarterly voucher for every person whose pension is payable at his agency, and transmit the same by mail, directed to the address of the pensioner named in such voucher, who, on or after the fourth day of March, June, September, and December next succeeding the date of such voucher, may execute and return the same to the agency at which it was prepared, and at which the pension of such person is due and payable.2

1 Sec. 4 relates to forgery of endorsement on pension check, etc. (See p. 128.)

2 Amended by act Mar. 3, 1891 (26 Stat. L., 1082), as to dates of payment. Said act superseded by act Aug. 17, 1912 (37 Stat. L., 313). (See p. 83.)

BLANK VOUCHERS.

SEC. 4767, REVISED STATUTES.

The Secretary of the Interior shall cause suitable blanks for the vouchers mentioned in section forty-seven hundred and sixty-four to be printed and distributed to the agents for the payment of pensions, upon which he shall cause a note to be printed informing pensioners of the fact that hereafter no pensions will be paid except upon the vouchers issued as herein directed.1

OATHS TO PENSION VOUCHERS.

ACT MARCH 1, 1889 (25 STAT. L., 782).

And provided further, That hereafter all United States officers now authorized to administer oaths are hereby required and directed to administer any and all oaths required to be made by pensioners and their witnesses in the execution of their vouchers for their pensions free of charge.

OATHS BEFORE FOURTH-CLASS POSTMASTERS.

ACT AUGUST 23, 1894 (28 STAT. L., 499).

That hereafter, in addition to the officers now authorized to administer oaths in such cases, fourth-class postmasters of the United States are hereby required, empowered, and authorized to administer any and all oaths required to be made by pensioners and their witnesses in the execution of their vouchers with like effect and force as officers having a seal; and such postmaster shall affix the stamp of his office to his signature to such vouchers, and he is authorized to charge and receive for each voucher not exceeding twenty-five cents, to be paid by the pensioner.

OATHS BEFORE RURAL-DELIVERY CARRIERS.

ACT JUNE 25, 1910 (36 STAT. L., 843).

SEC. 2. That hereafter, in addition to the officers now authorized to administer oaths in such cases, rural free delivery carriers of the United States are hereby required, empowered, and authorized to administer any and all oaths required to be made by pensioners and their witnesses in the execution of their vouchers, with like effect and force as officers having a seal, and they are authorized to charge and receive for each voucher not exceeding twenty-five cents, to be paid by pensioner.

FRANKED ENVELOPES FOR PENSION VOUCHERS.

ACT MARCH 4, 1909 (35 STAT. L., 1058).

That the Secretary of the Interior shall hereafter furnish free to all pensioners franked or penalty envelopes, properly addressed, to be used by said pensioners only for the return of their pension vouchers.

1 Modified by act Aug. 17, 1912 (37 Stat. L., 313). (See p. 83.)