33
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,
eluding ~nstrum4nt~~4n~dook4t4 required in ao-
-~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,
ohepter 346,'seotloo 1, reads aa followa:
\
*Art1014 1. Any person, hje guardian, or
his dependent4 c.r hsIr4 st law mbo ir oliglblo to
nake --
4 claim anainst -the Government -s
of the United
States of Anerloa as a result ot servIo4 In the
Armed FGo44 ot the United State4 of America, or
::3zor3b13Tom X. Gape - page 2
',he Ssrvioea auxiliary thereto, in0luaing the
..srItIme Servloe end the lhrchant h:arlae, shall
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 to 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
cr authentloated copy or oopl4s by suoh oftlolals
shell not be ooneidsred In determining the maxlmum
:se or 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 the
..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 the Leqlslature In ths above Seotloas ot
Artlole 1939a Is to reculre the County Clerks and Distrlot
Clerks to-iurnlah ex-s&vIoemen who are sllglbls to mske a
claim a~yslnst the Government of the United State8 of AmerTca
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
the answer to ths instant request hinge8 upon the question of
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
Unltsd ztntas or - Z
Amerloa, said lanpgs appsars in Arti-
cle 19398, 7erfiTjn’s Annotated C:vli %tatUtSS, SUXa.
35
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 of
l’itle 38 *Code of FedsmA R.sgulation8w. Said motion8 read,
in .zart, rea9eotivaly aa iollows:
“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),
properly filled in and subeorlbed to and sworn be-
fore a person authorized to administer oaths. Any
comrnualcatlon from or aotlon by a olalmant or 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-
mitted a osrtlfled oopy (not an abotraot) or a oer-
tffled Iinotostatlo u g dlsqharae s rei%ise from
aotlvk duty, and,
Wf + *tl
*Seotloa 36.217. ‘aen an applloatlon for edu-
cation or training is rsoelred and the Yeteraa had
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 for 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 to
detereice whether suoh dlsoharge was by reason of
an aotual senlos-incurred dlsesse or injury."
Veotlon 36.223. a * *
36
Honorable Tom N. Cope - 98~s 4
“(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
or 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 the Vetsraaa Ailmi~~la-
tratlon In 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,
veterans of :vorla Yar 11 are entitled to a oertlfled and
authentloated oopy or ooples of any Instrumnt neoeaaary in
seourlng eald Eduoatlonal Benefits a8 provided for In the
Yziervloemen~a Readjustment Aot ol 1944.”
Trusting the above satlafaotorIly answers your in-
quiry, we remain
Yours very truly
ATMRNSY OiEWUL cjg TEXAS
Asalataat
. i
six: jt