a soldier’s discharge, or in the case of dependents from the date of a soldier’s death rather than the date of an approved application, the Arrears Act created a windfall for veterans and their families. All recipients would receive a check for the “arrears” owed them, and anyone filing for a new pension before July 1880 would also receive a payment covering the period from the date of his discharge. The average first payment including arrears in 1881 was roughly $1,000, at a time when the annual earnings of nonfarm employees were about $400. Between 1879 and 1881, total disbursements for
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