WAR PENSIONS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 299, 12 September 1921, Page 9

WAR PENSIONS

PAYMENTS TO DISABLED SOLDIERS R.S.A. DEMANDS (Contributed by R.S.A.) "The pensions paid to disabled soldiers are divisible into three groups—(l) The maximum for permanently totally disabled; '(2) pensions according to sched’ule for the major partially disabled; and (3) pensions for the minor partially disabled, which are assessed by the War Pensions Board. The following table shows the maximum pension paid to the various grades for total disablement:—

Children, pert week, w •. Wife, each . Per per (under week. week. 16).

At the end of 1920 Parliament voted £50,000 extra to be spent on pensions. The allocation of the money was left to the Pensions Board, who decided to allot the following increases, inter alia: — (a) To totally blind soldiers, 10s. a week. (b) soldiers who have lost two limbs, 10s. a week.

(o) To soldiers in hospital receiving full pensions. 10s. a week. (d) To all soldiers totally incapacitated in receipt of temporary pensions, 10s. a week. J© This inoreasePof 10s. a vreek is granted to all grades of officers under the above categories. Thus the maximum pensions paid to a soldier and Jiis family are:— Soldier £2 10s. a week, wife £1 a week, each child 10s. a week.

In addition, to the prescribed pensions for specific injuries, the Pensions Board has power to award a supplementary pension up to £1 a week. Tins pension is an economic one, and acts as a compensator between the pre-war and present standards of living of the soldier and his family. Naturally, there must,be a limit to the payment of this pension, and that limit is reached when all pensions payable in respect to a soldier’s disablement is £5 weekly or more.'*’ Then the supplementary pension stops. This pension is also declined when the man’s disability does not, in the op.inion of the board, prevent him from maintaining his family in pre-war state of comfort. Let us put this in other words, as the working of this pension is not clearly understood. A man. or a man and wife, or a man, wife, and one child, or a. man, wifo, and two children, if eligible, could draw £1 supplementary pension, because the sum total of all their pensions, supplementary included, is not greater than £5. The supplementary pension payable to a man, wife, and three children is 10s., so as to make the total £5. A soldier with more than three of a family does not receive any supplementary pension because the sum total of their pension is greater than £5. • Let us take a pensioner with a wife and three children. The total pensjon receivable every week will be: —Soldier, £2; wife, £1; three children, £1 10s.; supplementary, 10s.; total, £5. This pension, which is at the rate of £260 a year, appears at the first glance to be a modererate one; but let us look at it in another light Taking tho purchasing power of a sovereign in 1914 at be 1000, it is-' now calculated to be about 676. Thus the pension of £260 a year at present would have been worth/ about £175 15s. How, many would have essayed the task of rearing a family of three on this amount in 1914 with a crippled husband? Partially disabled soldiers suffering from, major injuries receive pension according to' the percentage of disability denoted by the schedule. Thus, a soldier who is totally deaf through war injuries receives 70 per cent, of £2 a‘week, or £1 Ss., and one who, has lost his left hand receives 60 per cent, of £2, or £1 4s. a vteek. And "So on. After a careful consideration of tho schedule it must be conceded that- a soldier suffering with a disability between 70 per cent, and 100 per cent, is badly handicapped because his earning capacity is judged to be worth something. But how many disabled soldiers with injuries with a percentage greater than 70 earn anything? . The pensions for the minor partially disabled, -e.g., men suffering from rheumatism, neurasthenia, are assessed by tho War Pensions Board. If any pensioner is dissatisfied' with his pension he may lodge an appeal with the War Pensions Appeal' Board to have his pension revised. This War Pensions Appeal Board has recently been set up, hut unfortunately appeals on physical grounds only are allowed. Pensions for minor injuries are reviewed from time to time, and as ,the pensioner’s injuries become better the pension becomes less, and ultimately stops when the injury disappears.

In the past, the N.Z.R.S.A. had advocated an increase of 75 per cent, on all pensions in order to neutralise the increase in the cost of living. For the year ending March 31, 1921, the amount paid out in pensions was £1,886)953; ’if the 75 per cent, increase all round were granted by the Government, a further sum of £1,415,200 would 'be necessary. In view of the financial condition of this .country at present, the N.Z.R.S.A". does not intend at present to press for a 75 per cent, increase on all pensions, but to strongly urge- the Government to increase by 75 per cent, all pensions resulting from ■ a,, disability greater than 50 per cent. ; ’ The greatest number of pensioners’ have injuries assessed at 5O per cent., so that if this increase is granted as suggested, the total amount involved will not approach anything like £1,400,000, and the benefit will be bestowed in the right quarter-the badly injured. If this 75 pft cent.. increase is granted tho maximum pension will be £3 10s. a week, and the percentages for disabilities over 50 per cent, would Ise calculated as a fraction of this amount. The following injuries will carry a weekly pension of .£3 10s. instead of £2 at present, if the increase is granted:— Loss of two limbs, loss of limb and eye, loss of all fingers and thumbs, less of -both fest, loss of'hand and foot, lose of sight, total paralysis, lunacy, permanently bed-ridden, wounds or injuries to head or other organ involving total permanent disabling effects, advanced incurable disease, and very serious facial disfigurement. Of course, in addition to the £3 10s. as mentioned above, moat men suffering from any of the above injuries would receive 10s.' a week extra (ont of the £50,000 granted by Parliament) if their disability was one of those specified by the Pensions Board, together with £1 supplementary pension. Thus the maximum penrton payable for total disability would be (if 75 per cent, increase is granted): i Per week.

It is hoped that every fair-minded reader of this article -will agree that (1) £3 10s. a week is insufficient at the present time to maintain a permanent cripple, and (2) that £5 a week at present is not excessive. . . The pensions for the following injuries would be 595. 6d. a week instead of 345. :— Amputation of right arm through shoulder joint, and amputation of leg through hip joint. The pensions for the following would be increased from 325. a week to 565. a week: — Loss of speech, severe facial disfigurement, amputation of left arm through shoulder joint, amputation of right arm at or above elbow, and amputation of leg through- knee joint or thigh. The pensions for the following injuries would he increased from 30s. a week to 525. 6d. :— Anfputation of left arm at or above 'elbow, amputation of right armritelow elbow, and amputation of leg below knee. For total deafness,, and amputation of left arm below elbow shoulder the pension would be increased from 28s. a week to 495. a week. The pension for amputation of a right hand vise from 265. a week to 455. 6a’., whilst that for the amputation of a left hand would increase from 245. a week to 425. All pensions for disablement of 50 per cent, and less would remain as at present, provided that the grading of these injuries remains as at present. | Tho pension for disease incurred on active service is assessed by the Pensions Beard, the exceptions being any advanced incurable disease and lunacy, both of which are assessed at the maxi-, mum pension of £2 a week. Of the diseases incurred on active service, the "most common is tuberculosis, which is, of course, rated at the maximum, while the soldier is an inmate ot a sanatorium, and for one 'year at east after his discharge from the sanatorium. If a soldier, cairiprove that he received an injury, or contracted a disease while in camp, either in New abroad; the Pensions Board would assess such a disability or disease for although *he soldier might never havo actually seen any active service. The N Z R.S.A. intends to ask the Government'to increase the maximum pension from £2 a week to £3 10s. a week, consequently men suffering from disablhties greater than 50 per cefit. total in jury will receive' a corresponding inSe according 'to the of disability. Ths reason for this is based on tho increased cost o 6 living since the pension of £2 par total disablement was granted. 1M» maximum pension of little enough whon granted in 1915,, but it L a certainty, that it is insufficient by far at present to maintain a permanent cripple. , . . But the N.Z.R.S.A- desires to bo just. It agrees that, if the increase for now is granted a reduction in ye - sions should take place the of living appreciably decrease. The max mum pension, it maintains,. however, should never be less than it is at present. viz., £2 a week, with the other disability pensions pro rata. The following tables show what the Government has to spend on behalf of disabled soldiers;—

From the above total it can be seen that the temporarily disabled at Massines and Passchendaela (year 1917-18) fared rather well, viz., an average of £63 or 235. a week, in comparison with their permanently disabled comrades, who did not average £1 per week during the same pension year. It is jjoodl to so© that th® average pension for the permanently disabled is gradually increasing.

JI B. . d. £ 8. d. 8. AU soldiers untier commiasioned rank 2 0 0 1 0 0 10 Lieutenant 2 2 6 1 1 3 10 Captain 2 S 0 1 2 6 10 Major ' 2 12 0 . 1 6 0 10 Lieut.-Colonel ... 3 1 0 1 10 6 10 Brig.-General and Major-General 3 5 0 1 12 6 10

£ 8. d. 3 10 0 Supplementary .10 0 If eligible (share of .£50,000) 0 10 0 Total 5 0 0 At present a totally disabled oeived: man re« Per wetsh. £ s. d. 2 0 0 Supplementary If eligible (share of .£50,000) 1 0 0 0 10 0 Total 3 10 0

Permanently Disabled. Number. Amount. Average. £ £ 1916-17 845 '43.992 52 1917-18 900 43,703 48 1918-19 1316 69,669 52 1919-20 2130 126,510 59 Temporarily Disabled, Number. Amount. Average. £ 1916-17 ... 2,083 115,030 55 1917-18 ... 8,405 572,023 68 1918-1x ... 18,329 1,097.303 59 1919-20 ... 23,141 1,223,342 53