WAR PENSIONS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2550, 26 August 1915, Page 3

WAR PENSIONS

THE FORM OF PROCEDURE ; . BOARD READY FOR WORK : The regulations under the Military Pensions. Act have been framed and will;be gazetted immediately. Tlie Act •will then become fully operative, and the Pensions Board, which was sets up a few days ago, will be ready to receive applications for pensions from disabled ■soldiers and tho dependents of men who have been reported killed. The-Hon. A. M. Myers, Minister in Charge of the Pensions system, informed' a Dominion reporter.yesterdaythat the organisation of the -Pensions Department was going to be used in connection with the payment of the military pensions; The Commissioner of Pensions at .Wellington had been appointed secretary to the War Pensions Board, and the services of the various Registrars of Pensions, throughout the Dominion would be available to applicants. There were seventy-two of these officers located in the principal centres of the Dominion. "There will be _ two separate forms of application," said the Minister. "One for mwiil'be for disabled members of. the forces, and the other for dependents. Applications must be lodged with the, local Registrars, who. will forward 1 them to ;the Commissioner in Wellington for submission to the board. • The board's decision; on being approved by the Minister, will be filed by the Commissioner, who is required to inform the applicant what has been done. When a pension, has been granted, a. pension certificate setting forth the amount payable and the place and date of payment will be issued. Payment will bo made by monthly instalments at a,ny post office liamed by the pensioner, on production of the pension l certificate. Provision is made for payment to an agent on behalf of the pensioner when good cause, such as age or infirmity, is shown. • 7 "In the matter of pensions payable 'to dependents, provision is made in the regulations for the review of the . pension, -the hoard 'being authorised, to in-' . ercaso the,amount or decrease it as occasion demands. The records of the Defence Department are made available to the Pensions Board, in connection with disabled members of the forces. Where it is deemed necessary, the board 1 may / -require, the production of a medical ce'r- . t-ificate setting forth ,tlid nature and extent of the disablement iThe form. of 'application in the . case:'of dependents - requires' particulars 'of . income and pro- - perty to be supplied in full."' "' v The Minister-added that it was probi able' that forms of;application woiud' be available on the following day, and that, tho Registrars .would -be in a position to receive applications by the end of the .*cek.