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Insurance benefits in the strict sense are only part of the benefits provided for soldiers and sailors and intended to safeguard the welfare and morale of the army and navy by the act of October 6, 1917, which created the Military and Naval Division of the Bureau of War Risk Insurance. It provides for three new, effective and far-reaching services of the federal government, namely: (1) Allotment of pay and family allowance; (2) compensation and indemnity for death or disability; (3) insurance against death or total and permanent disability. (4)

I. Allotments of Pay (Compulsory and Voluntary) and Family Allowances

Congress had already prior to October, 1917, laid the right foundation for this part of the War Risk Insurance Law by raising the pay of the enlisted men in the army and navy, making the minimum pay for nearly all in the service $30 a month, or double what it was before in most cases, and higher than that of any other army in the world. This was a just measure to protect the highest standards of living in any country at a time when so many citizens were to be called upon to forsake their usual peaceful occupations. But this was not enough to equalize the sacrifices which all citizens must make in time of war. No rate of pay for the army and navy could be made high enough to do that. So Congress proceeded to supplement the regular pay upon the theory that since the call to arms does not annul the moral and legal obligations of every man to support his family and those who have a blood-tie claim upon his earnings, it is the plain duty of the whole country which he serves to aid him financially to do this without undue lowering of his standard of living, and without requiring a disproportionate sacrifice on the part of his dependents.

This is sound doctrine, however, only when the enlisted man first does his part and contributes from his own resources all he can reasonably spare. Therefore we begin with the allotment which must precede a request for an allowance. Allotments and family allowances are not provided for commissioned officers or for members of the army or navy nurse corps (female). The allotment is compulsory for every enlisted man who has a wife, or child under 18 years of age or of any age if the child is insane or permanently helpless, or a divorced wife to whom alimony has been decreed by a court, and who has not remarried. These persons constitute what is known as "Class A" dependents. A common-law wife is entitled to the same consideration as a legal wife and the claims of a legal wife and of all children take precedence of those of a divorced wife. Every enlisted man is required to file with the War Risk Bureau a statement, for which an allotment and allowance blank is furnished, showing whether or not he has any dependents, and if so how many, and what are their blood or marriage relationships to him.

More than half of the men in the army and navy claim that they have no dependents for whom allotment of pay is compulsory or for whom they wish to make a voluntary allotment. Some of these no doubt will be found to have a wife or child for whom they seek to evade responsibility, and such wife or child or someone on their behalf should make application direct to the bureau if they do not receive the allotment and the man will be brought to account. If an allotment is made for any beneficiary and through inadvertence or otherwise no request has been made for a family allowance, the wife, child or beneficiary, or someone on their behalf, should apply to this bureau for the family allowance. Some will later want to make voluntary allotments for Class B dependents when perhaps they find it more convenient to do so. Class B dependents for whom the allotment is voluntary include parents, brothers, sisters and grandchildren. Parents include fathers and mothers through adoption as well as natural parents, and grandparents and step-parents either of the person in the service or of the spouse. Brothers and sisters include those of the half blood and step-brothers and step-sisters and brothers and sisters through adoption. Even if Class B dependents are in want, an enlisted man is not compelled to make an allotment for their support, but he must do so before the government will pay any family allowance to them.

The allowance in all cases both for Class A and Class B dependents is granted only when applied for, after the required allotment of pay has been made. The monthly compulsory allotment is $15 for class A dependents where such exist whether a family allowance is applied for or not.

Where a man has Class A dependents, but no Class B dependents and has allotted $15 per month, the government grants on application a family allowance according to the following schedule: For a wife but no child, $15; a wife and one child, $25 ; a wife and two children, $32.50, with $5 per month additional for each additional child up to a total of $50, which is the maximum government allowance to the dependents (Classes A and B) of any one man under all circumstances; no wife but one child, $5; two children, $12.50; three children, $20; four children, $30, and $5 for each additional child. These allowances to Class A dependents are made without reference to dependency or need except that they may be waived by a wife who gives evidence of sufficient means for her own support, but may not be waived by a child, and a man may be exempted in certain exceptional circumstances from making a compulsory allotment.