On This Day, 6 June 1917

Birmingham Daily Post

Wednesday 6 June 1917

DISCHARGED SERVICE MEN’S INSURANCE.

SOCIETIES’ PAYMENTS TO BE RECOUPED BY THE STATE.

The National Health Insurance Commissioners state that the Government have decided to relieve approved societies of the burden imposed on their funds by the payment of sickness and disablement benefits to sailors and soldiers discharged during the war on account of wounds and illness, so far as it is estimated to be attributable to war service. It is impracticable for societies to analyse all benefit payments to discharged men and distinguish those due to war service from those due to ordinary causes, and it is therefore proposed to assess the proportion of the total payments to invalided men which is to be regarded as due to war service.

The assessment will be made after an actuarial investigation into the sickness claims of a large sample of discharged men of all ages and occupations spread over all parts of the United Kingdom. The assessment, when determined, will be applied to all societies. The first assessment will apply to the period from the beginning of the war to December 31, 1916; a fresh assessment will be made for 1917, and for each year thereafter until December 31, 1920, when the whole position will be reviewed. Every society and branch must make arrangements for recording separately in future the amounts of sickness and disablement benefit paid to invalided men discharged during the war.