Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Xonorable Tom N. Cope
zountg rttornsy &Isa county
Linden, Texas
Opinion No, O-7208 ,/: R4: Conrtruotloa of Artiole;i919a 4s pertaining to World War II Veterans ~auoatlwaw3-BpnerI~8 '.. -.._ 3ear sir: \ '\ l\
Your rsoent r4qu44t ior,,.ed&pIon of th&De*rt- nent reads, In prrt, a8 follOw4Y A ‘1 \ ? '. C' "*Do44 provision tea) in Artlola
1939a, Seotion4 1 and 2, Vbrn6p% Aqpdtated Stet- utes, (Clrll), of..lWas, required in ao-
eluding ~nstrum4nt~~4n~dook4t4 -~our1n~~~~porI4Iona,prwia4din 3luoatIonal prori- 1; a&on4 o? World ‘%s~.II ~eterana Readjustment Law, "~,~knwm an .T.‘.J. BllX-& Rights"'?"
Artlo& 1939a, Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes, as enended‘br ths Aots 1945, 49th Leglrlature, page 587, 1, reads aa followa: ohepter 346,'seotloo
\ *Art1014 1. Any person, hje guardian, or his dependent4 c.r hsIr4 st law mbo ir oliglblo nake 4 claim anainst the Government of the United -s - States of Anerloa as a result ot servIo4
Armed FGo44 ot the United State4 of America, or *2 ::3zor3b13 Tom X. Gape - page ',he Ssrvioea auxiliary thereto, the shall in0luaing
..srItIme Servloe end the lhrchant h:arlae, upon the request theretor by suoh porsoa,’ his ;uurdIsn, or his dapandsats, or hairs at law, 5s furnished without ooat a oertltlsd and authea- tloated oopp or copies of any Instrument, public rsoord or dooument necessary nrovo or establish suoh olalm, which Is in the custody or on tile In the ottioe ot County Clerks, Dlatrlot Clerks and other pub110 ortlolals of thle State, by euah of- ficials. Provided, the iSsulln04 OS such oertlfled copy or oopl4s by suoh oftlolals cr shell not be ooneidsred In determining the maxlmum :se suoh sttlcee.
7’ArtIole 2. The rights oonterred by this Act srsll extend to any person, his guardian or his de- ;3ndents, or heirs-at-law who are ellglbls by rea- son ot service heretofore or hsreatter rendered la the Armed Boroes ot the United States of Amorioa, or the servloea auxiliary thereto, laolurilng ..aritIme Servioe end the Xorohaat Xarlae, when suoh person. his guardian, or his depeadente, or heirs- it-law-are sllglble to K&X olaim against the Cov- -rnmsnt of the United Statesmmerloa osar=it of suoh F%ZTe7 \ ZmphasIs addT
It ~111 be noted that the 0144r end uaequlvoosl In- tention manifested by Leqlslature In ths above Seotloas ot Artlole 1939a Is to reculre the County Clerks and Distrlot Clerks to-iurnlah claim a~yslnst the Government of the United State8 of AmerTca ex-s&vIoemen who are sllglbls to mske a as a rssuit oteervlce in the%= Forces of Kited States ot hmerloa, ~without m, a osrtitloated sad authenticated oopy or ooplss of say instrument neoeasary to Provo suoh olalm.
Zssrlnq this premise In mind, It is evident that answer to ths instant request hinge8 upon the question whether or not an application tor the sduoatlonal benefltn in- nurinq to vstsrsns under tho “Servlcsmen’s P&adjustment Act or 17LL” constitute % olalm against tha Covsrnment OS ths Amerloa, - Z said lanpgs appsars in Arti- Unltsd ztntas cle 19398, 7erfiTjn’s Annotated C:vli %tatUtSS, SUXa.
Yonorable Tom 1:. Cope - page 3
For a oonalderation of thi8 prOQOsitiOa we invite to your clttentlon Seotions 36.Zl3, 36.217, and 36.223 l’itle 38 *Code of FedsmA R.sgulation8w. Said motion8 read, rea9eotivaly aa iollows: .zart,
“Section 36.213. The veteran may file his applloatlon with the Veterans Administration or through the approved eduoatlonal or tmlnlng lnstl- tution whioh he has rsleoted, in rhloh event the institution should promptly forward hlr application to the regloaal ofrloa or faoillty having regional orfloe aotl+ltieta la the trrritory In rhloh tha institution 1s locatad. Applloatlonr for this beae- fit shall be made through the exeoution of Veterana -i\dnlnlstratlon Form u, Veterana’ Applloatlon for a Oourae or 6du~on or Tralalag or Refrsshor or iietrnlnlnq Course under Pert VIII (B 35.018, ante), to and sworn be- properly filled in and subeorlbed fore a person authorized to administer oaths. Any comrnualcatlon from or aotlon by a olalmant his duly authorized reprerentatlva whloh clearly lndl- cates an intent to apply ior benefits under thl8 title nag bs oonsldared an informal agpllcatfon thereunder it px~p:l{ followed by formal applloa- tlon, Form 1950.
“(a) V!lth thla Form 1950 there should be sub- oopy (not an abotraot) or a oer- mitted a osrtlfled tffled Iinotostatlo u g dlsqharae s rei%ise from aotlvk duty, and,
Wf + *tl
*Seotloa 36.217. ‘aen an applloatlon for edu- and the Yeteraa had cation or training is rsoelred less than ninety (90) days 8ervloe wlthln the pur- vfew of Veterana Rsqulation No. 1 (a),, Part VIII (9 35.018, ante), but waa dleoharged dlrabllltp, the vooatloual rehabilitation and eduoatlon dlvlslon will refer the alalm to the adjudloatlon division, field 0rfioe, -oz olalmr division, veterans claims service, central ofrice, for a rormal rating detereice whether suoh dlsoharge was by reason of an aotual senlos-incurred dlsesse injury."
Veotlon 36.223. a * *
36 Honorable Tom N. Cope - 98~s
“(a) A olaln on Form 1950 having been tiled and elIglbI~I~vlng beea determIned, he presents a oartitloate of sliglblllt~ to an IaatItutlon showing his entitlement to a oour’oe of aduoatlon training, or,
“(b) No olalm on Fornr 1950 having been riled with the Veter~dmlnlatratlon, and the reteran eaters into aa laatltutlon under oonditlons satls- Saotory to the lnatltutlon, in whloh oaae it will bo nesosasary that Form 1950 be axeouted and loxwarded to the appropriate ortloe oi Vetsraaa Ailmi~~la- tratlon order that ellglblllt~ JMX ba determined.
The above quoted aeotlona alearly reoogniio and tarsely rerer to veterans’ eduoatlonal benefits as a claim against the Coverment, the assertion of whIoh 1s presented on a prsaorlbed fmm (X0. 1950) and aooompanlea by a oertl- fled copy of the veteran’s dlaoharge or release. Thus It ia the opinion or this Departneat that Veterans Zduoatlonal Benefits oonstltute a olalm againat the Federal Qoverment as oontemplated by Artlole 19398, V. A. C. S., and therefore, a oertlfled and veterans of :vorla Yar 11 are entitled oopy or ooples of any Instrumnt neoeaaary seourlng eald Eduoatlonal Benefits a8 provided In the Yziervloemen~a Readjustment Aot ol 1944.”
Trusting above satlafaotorIly answers your in- quiry, we remain
Yours very truly ATMRNSY OiEWU L cjg TEXAS Asalataat . i six: jt