§ 218 — Pension examining boards

§ 218. Pension examining boards. 1. The chief of staff shall appoint\na pension examining board of three officers, at least one of whom shall\nbe a medical officer, to inquire into the merits of any claim presented\nunder section two hundred seventeen of this chapter and to recommend the\namount or amounts, if any, to be paid or allowed under the provisions of\nsaid section. If no medical officer is available, the medical officer\non such board may be a civilian physician, surgeon or dentist.\n 2. A pension examining board appointed pursuant to this section shall\nhave the same power to take evidence, administer oaths, issue subpoenas\nand compel witnesses to attend and testify and to produce books and\npapers and to punish for failure to do so as is possessed by military\ncourts.\n 3. The finding and recommendations of the pension examining board\nshall be submitted to the chief of staff, who may return the proceedings\nto such board for reconsideration or for taking further testimony and\nwho shall approve or disapprove the claim and fix the amount, if any, to\nbe paid or allowed under section two hundred seventeen of this chapter.\nThe amount so fixed by the chief of staff shall be a charge against and\nbe paid in the manner provided by this chapter, by the county or city in\nwhich such duty was rendered, in every case where a county or city is by\nthis chapter made liable to pay for the performance of military duty.\nIn all other cases, such amount shall be paid by the state in like\nmanner as other military accounts are paid.\n 4. The chief of staff, with the approval of the governor and with the\nconsent of the applicant, may commute any pension or reward by payment\nof a lump sum to be accepted by the applicant in full satisfaction of\nall claims under section two hundred seventeen of this chapter.\n