Chap. 379.—An ACT to require proper proof of disability in order to
obtain aid as a disabled soldier or marine.

Approved May 23, 1887.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
any citizen of this State may hereafter furnish a certificate
from the court of his county or corporation showing—

First. That he is at the date of such certificate a citizen of
this State.

Second. That he was during the late war a citizen of this
State.

Third. That he was during the war engaged as a soldier,
sailor, or marine in the military service of the State.

Fourth. That while engaged in such service he lost a limb
or eye in battle, or that at the date of such certificate he is
as much and as permanently disabled by reason of wounds
received in battle or surgical operations rendered necessary
thereby, as if he had actually lost a limb.

Fifth. That he is dependent on his physical labor for the
means of subsistence.

Sixth. That he has not at any time received an artificial
limb or eye or commutation money within five years from
this State.

2. Before tbe court shall give such certificate, it shall re-
quire the applicant therefor to state in his written applica-
tion under oath, in what command he was serving when
wounded; when, where, and how wounded, and the extent of
the disability of the applicant at the time. The court shall
further require a board of competent physicians, consisting
of three, to be appointed by the board of supervisors of the
county in which the applicant resides, to certify in writing
and under oath, the full nature of the applicant’s injuries, and
the extent and proximate cause of his disabilities at that date,
and that the applicant has lost an eye ora limb, or is as much
and as permanently disabled by reason of wounds received
in battle or surgical operations rendered necessary thereby,
as if he bad actually lost a limb§ and the court sball require
such other evidence of the matters above required to be cer-
tified, as to fully satisfy the court of the propriety of grant-
ing the certificate above referred to. The certificate of
the board of physicians, together with the other evidence in
support of the application given before the court, shall be
reduced to writing, and certified and returned by the clerk
with the application, to the auditor of public accounts, to-
gether with the cortificate of the court: provided that no
attorney-at-law or physician shail receive any fee from such
applicant for services rendered in proving said claims.

3. The auditor shall examine carefully each application
and the certificates and evidence therewith filed, and when a
proper case for public aid to the applicant is in his judgment
made out, he shail list in the order of the receipt of the ap-
plications, the names of applicants entitled to relief, and re-
port the same to the next regular session of the general as-
sembly: provided that in any case where the application and
certificates accompanying it do not enable the auditor to
decide upon the merits of the claim, he shall return the same
to the applicant with instructions to renew the same in ac-
cordance with the provisions of this act, and the renewed
application when filed within ninety days from the date of
the return of the former application, shall have the same
relative position on the list of applications as the one returned
for renewal.

4, The act approved February twenty-fifth, eighteen hun-
dred and eighty-four, entitled an act to give aid to the citizens
of Virginia wounded and maimed during the late war while
serving as soldiers and marines, and all acts amendatory
thereof, are hereby repealed.

5. This act shall be in force after the first day of July,
eighteen hundred and eighty-seven.