Citation: Stat. - Mich. Comp. Laws § 35.926

Veterans' Military Pay Act (Refs & Annos)

35.926. Payment procedure; claims not assignable; rejection of claim, notice, appeal, time limit; certification of record; review of claims

Sec. 6. Upon submission to him of satisfactory proof that the applicant is entitled to payment under this act, the adjutant general shall compute the amount of payment due the applicant, make a record thereof, and transmit the claim for payment in accordance with the accounting laws of the state. Payment shall be made from the veterans' military pay fund, hereby appropriated for such purpose, except that after June 30, 1957, payments authorized by sections 4 and 4a of this act [FN1] shall be paid from the state general fund. The amount necessary is hereby appropriated from any unappropriated balance in the state general fund: Provided, That no claim for payment under this act shall be assignable, or subject to garnishment, attachment, or levy of execution.

Whenever the proof as to eligibility for payment submitted by an applicant either with or as a part of his initial application, or pursuant to request of the adjutant general thereafter, is not satisfactory to the adjutant general he shall reject said claim.

Upon rejection of any such claim the adjutant general shall cause to be mailed to each claimant whose claim has been thus rejected, a notice of such rejection and said notice shall inform such claimant of his right to file with the adjutant general a request for appeal to the court of claims of the state of Michigan within 6 months after the mailing of such notice by the adjutant general.

Such notice shall also inform such claimant that a failure to file a request for appeal to the Michigan court of claims within the stipulated time shall render the determination of the adjutant general final without any further right of claimant to appeal from same.

The claimant shall have 6 months from the mailing by the adjutant general of a notice of rejection of such claim in which to appeal to the court of claims from such rejection, and upon failure by the claimant to file with the adjutant general a request for appeal to the court of claims within such 6 months' period the determination by the adjutant general in such claim shall be final.

Upon the filing of any such request for appeal to the Michigan court of claims, and in such event only, the adjutant general shall forthwith certify the entire record of such claim to the court of claims and shall furnish to said court any additional information in or which may thereafter come into his possession or which may be requested by said court.

This amendatory act shall not affect any claims in which the court of claims pursuant to Act No. 47 [FN2] and Act No. 48 [FN3] of the Public Acts of the First Extra Session of 1948, shall have sent the registered mail notice to claimant as provided in section 23a of Act No. 47 of the Public Acts of the First Extra Session of 1948, but such claims shall be carried to final conclusion by the court of claims as provided in said Act No. 47 and Act No. 48 of the Public Acts of the First Extra Session of 1948.

Such claims as may have been certified to the court of claims prior to the effective date of this act, and in which no registered mail notice has been sent by the court of claims to the claimant shall be returned to the adjutant general for processing in accordance with the provisions of this amendatory act.

Upon receipt of an order by the court of claims that a claimant whose claim has been so certified is entitled to payment and upon said order becoming final the claim shall be paid in the same manner as provided herein.

All expenses of the court of claims accruing by reason of this section and section 23a of Act No. 135 of the Public Acts of 1939, as amended, being section 691.123a of the Compiled Laws of 1948, shall be paid as expenses of administration under section 8 of this act. [FN4]

In each case in which the court of claims shall enter its order allowing or denying such claim, and upon such order becoming final, the files and records therein shall be returned by the court of claims to the adjutant general to be retained by him as permanent records.

Wherever the court of claims has denied the claimant's right to military pay prior to the effective date of this amendatory act, and such claimant may be entitled to military pay under the provisions of amendments to section 2 of Act No. 12 of the Public Acts of 1947, [FN5] said claimant shall be entitled to re-apply to the adjutant general by March 19, 1950.

The adjutant general shall review all cases denied by the court of claims prior to the effective date of this amendatory act and shall notify all claimants affected by the amendments to section 2 of Act No. 12 of the Public Acts of 1947 of their right to re-apply.