Public Law 74–482

That section 3 of the Act entitled “An Act making appropriations for the payment of invalid and other pensions of the United States for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and thirteen, and for other purposes”, approved August 17, 1912 (37 Stat. 312; 38 U. S. C., sec. 50), is hereby amended to read as follows:

“Sec. 3.

Pensions, compensation, insurance, or other allowances or benefits provided for by laws administered by the Veterans’ Administration shall be paid by checks drawn, pursuant to certification by the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs, by the Division of Disbursement of the Treasury Department in such form as to protect the United States against loss, without separate vouchers or receipts, and payable by the Treasurer of the United States, except in any case in which the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs may consider

Transmittal by mail to payee’s last known address.

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, and the envelope or cover thereof may bear an appropriate notice, of the prohibition hereafter set forth in this section.

Delivery of, where addressee has died or removed, prohibited.

“Postmasters, delivery clerks, letter carriers, and all other postal employees are prohibited from delivering any mail addressed by the United States bearing such notice and containing any such check

Exception.

(except that in the case of checks in payment of allowances and benefits other than pensions, compensation, or insurance, the prohibition shall apply only insofar as the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs deems it necessary to protect the United States against loss), to any person whomsoever, if the addressee has died or

Widow remarrying.

removed, or in the case of a widow believed by the postal employee intrusted with the delivery of such mail to have remarried (unless such mail is addressed by the United States in the name which the

Return of mail with statement.

widow shall have acquired by remarriage); 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,

Cancelation of returned checks.

the date thereof, if known. Checks returned as herein provided on account of death or remarriage shall be canceled.”

#

Sec. 2.

Section 4 of the Adjusted Compensation Payment Act, 1936, is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the following paragraphs:

Issuance of bonds.

Designation of postal employees as fiscal agents.

“At the request of the Secretary of the Treasury, the Postmaster General, under such regulations as he may prescribe, shall designate postmasters and other employees of the Post Office Department and of the Postal Service to perform, without extra compensation, such fiscal-agency services as may be desirable and practicable in connection with the redemption and payment of the bonds issued under this section; and the Postmaster General may require each such

Bonding employees.

employee to furnish such bond as he may determine for the faithful performance of such fiscal-agency duties.

“The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to advance, from

Transfer of sums to Post Office Department, authorized.

time to time, to the Postmaster General, from the appropriation contained in the Supplemental Appropriation Act, fiscal year 1936, approved February 11, 1936, for ‘Administrative expenses, Adjusted

Ante, p. 1125.

Compensation Payment Act, 1936, Treasury Department, 1936 and 1937’, such sums as are certified by the Postmaster General to be required for the expenses of the Post Office Department in connection with the handling of the bonds issued hereunder. Such bonds, when

Regulations to be prescribed for handling of bonds.

received by postmasters for purposes of redemption and payment, shall be handled by the postmasters under such special regulations as may be promulgated by the Postmaster General. They shall be transmitted between post offices or from any post office to the Treasury Department, or fiscal agent thereof, without advance payment of any required postage. The Secretary of the Treasury shall

Reimbursement for postage, etc., fees.

reimburse the Postmaster General, from the aforesaid appropriation contained in said Supplemental Appropriation Act, for such postage and registry fees as may be required in connection with such transmittal. Whenever it is proved to the Secretary of the Treasury,

Duplicates for lost, etc., bonds.

by clear and satisfactory evidence, that any such bond is lost, stolen, or destroyed while being so transmitted, the Secretary of the Treasury may, in accordance with such rules and regulations as he may prescribe, issue a duplicate thereof without requiring the furnishing of an indemnity bond.”