Courses of rehabilitation and reeducation may be provided by the United States. If the following of such a course prevents the injured person from earning a living he must (under penalty of suspension of compensation during refusal) enlist in the service, in which case he receives full pay and his family receives allowances and allotments as above provided, in lieu of compensation while the course continues. (Sec. 304.) The bureau has continuing jurisdiction over compensation cases. (Sec. 305.) CONDITIONS GOVERNING COMPENSATION. Death or disability, to be compensable, must occur while in the service or within one year after discharge or resignation. Except that, if the injured person, within one year after leaving the service, shall undergo a medical examination and obtain a certificate that he is suffering from an injury likely to cause death or disability, compensation shall be payable whenever death or disability resulting from such injury occurs. (Sec. 306.) Compensation shall not be payable for death in the course of the service until the death be officially recorded in the department under which the person may be serving. No compensation shall be payable for a period in which the man has been reported missing and a family allowance has been paid for him. (Sec. 307.) Death inflicted as a punishment for a crime or military offense is not compensable unless it is inflicted by the enemy. Dishonorable discharge is a bar to any compensation. (Sec. 308.) Compensation is not assignable and is exempt from attachment, execution, and from all taxation. (Sec. 311.) Compensation shall not be paid while the person is in receipt of service or retirement pay. Except as rights have heretofore accrued, existing laws providing payments in the event of death in the service and existing pension laws shall not be applicable to persons now or hereafter in the service. Compensation to members of the Army Nurse Corps or of the Navy Nurse Corps is in lieu of compensation under the act of September 7, 1916. (Sec. 312.) WHEN CLAIM MUST BE FILED. In case of disability, claim must be filed within five years after discharge or resignation from the service; or, if the disability occur after leaving the service, within five years after the beginning of disability. In case of death during the service, the claim must be filed within five years after the death is officially recorded in the department in which the person is serving. In case of death after discharge or resignation from the service, the claim must be filed within five years after death. (Sec. 309.) No compensation shall be payable for any period more than two years prior to the date of claim. (Sec. 310.) INSURANCE. Insurance against death or total permanent disability is provided by the United States and made available to every officer and enlisted man and to members of the Army Nurse Corps and Navy Nurse Corps when employed in active service under the War and Navy Departments. Insurance must be in multiples of $500 and not less than $1,000 or more than $10,000. Insurance must be granted upon application to, and payment of premium to, the bureau. Insurance must be granted without medical examination. (Sec. 400.) Insurance must be applied for within 120 days after enlistment and before discharge or resignation from the service. Persons who are in active service at the time of the publication of terms and conditions may apply at any time within 120 days thereafter, while in service. (This period expires February 12, 1918.) AUTOMATIC INSURANCE. Any person in active service on or after the 6th of April, 1917, is insured automatically until February 12, 1918, unless he has applied for insurance to take effect at an earlier date. The protection thus given is against death and against total permanent disability occurring, while in active service, from April 6, 1917, to February 12, 1918, inclusive. If the insured person die, without having become so disabled, during the period stated, monthly installments of $25 each will be paid his wife, child, or widowed mother. These installments are payable to the wife during her widowhood or to the child or widowed mother while they survive him, but not more than 240 installments shall be so paid. If the insured person becomes totally and permanently disabled during the period stated he will receive an income payable in monthly installments of $25 each during disability. If he die, like installments are payable to the wife during her widowhood or to the child or widowed mother while they survive him, but not more than 240 installments less the number of installments that may have been paid to the insured while disabled shall be so paid. (Sec. 401.) INSURANCE DETAILS. Insurance shall not be assignable or subject to claims of creditors of the insured or of the beneficiaries. Insurance shall be payable only to a wife or husband, child, grandchild, parent, brother, or sister of the injured or to himself. (Automatic insurance is payable only to a wife, child, or widowed mother.) Insurance shall be payable in 240 monthly installments, except that in the case of total permanent disability monthly installments will be continued throughout the duration of disability. Provisions for endowment, continuous installments, surrender values, dividends, etc., as may be reasonable, may be provided by regulation. The insured has the right to change the beneficiary without consent, but only within the permitted class. If no beneficiary within the permitted class be designated by the insured, either in his lifetime or by his last will and testament, or if the designated beneficiary does not survive the insured, the insurance (or if any beneficiary survives the insured but does not receive all the installments, then the remaining installments) shall be payable to such person or persons, within the permitted class of beneficiaries, as would under the laws of the State of the residence of the insured be entitled to his personal property in case of intestacy. If no such person survive the insured, then there shall be paid to the estate of the insured an amount equal to the reserve value, if any, of the insurance at the time of his death. (Sec. 402.) The United States shall bear the expense of administration and the excess mortality and disability cost resulting from hazards of war. Premium rates shall be net rates, based upon the American Experience Table of Mortality, and 31 per cent interest. Such rates do not include any provision for expenses. (Sec. 403.) During the period of the war and for five years thereafter, unless sooner converted, the insurance shall be term insurance for successive terms of one year each. For five years after the termination of the war the insured shall have the right to convert this term insurance into any of the usual forms of insurance at the net premium rate for such forms of insurance. No medical examination can be required as a condition of converting the insurance. Unless the privilege of conversion is exercised the insurance can not be continued after the expiration of the five-year period. To carry out the privilege of conversion, ordinary life insurance, 20-payment life insurance, endowment maturing at age 62, and other usual forms of insurance shall be provided. Premiums shall not be required for more than one month in advance and may be deducted from the pay or deposit of the insured. |