18 U.S.C. § 289: False claims for pensions

Summary

You commit a crime if you knowingly and willfully make or submit false papers about a pension claim or any matter handled by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. That includes fake or altered documents like sworn statements, certificates, vouchers, endorsements, or similar writings, backdating a pension voucher, or falsely saying someone appeared and swore to or acknowledged a document. Conviction can bring a federal fine, imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.

Title 18, §289

Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whoever knowingly and willfully makes, or presents any false, fictitious or fraudulent affidavit, declaration, certificate, voucher, endorsement, or paper or writing purporting to be such, concerning any claim for pension or payment thereof, or pertaining to any other matter within the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or knowingly or willfully makes or presents any paper required as a voucher in drawing a pension, which paper bears a date subsequent to that upon which it was actually signed or acknowledged by the pensioner; or Whoever knowingly and falsely certifies that the declarant, affiant, or witness named in such declaration, affidavit, voucher, endorsement, or other paper or writing personally appeared before him and was sworn thereto, or acknowledged the execution thereof— Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on section 81 of title 18, section 126 of title 38, Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans’ Relief, and section 787 of title 43, Public Lands, all of U.S.C., 1940 ed. (R.S. § 4746;

July 7, 1898, ch. 578, 30 Stat. 718; Aug. 17, 1912, ch. 301, § 1, 37 Stat. 312;

July 3, 1930, ch. 863, § 2, 46 Stat. 1016). Reference to persons aiding or assisting or causing or procuring was omitted as unnecessary in view of definition of “principal” in section 2 of this title. Words “or bounty land”, before “prosecution of any claim for pension”, were omitted as obsolete. (See reviser’s note under section 290 of this title.) Upon authority of 1930 enactment words “Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs” were substituted for “Commissioner of Pensions or of the Secretary of the Interior”, which appeared in 1898 enactment. The fine was changed from “$500” for “$10,000” to conform with punishment provision of section 287 of this title. Minor changes in phraseology were also made.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $10,000”. 1991—Pub. L. 102–54 substituted “Secretary of Veterans Affairs” for “Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs”.

§289 False Claims for Pensions