Daily AncestorInvalid pension
An invalid pension, also called a disability pension, was paid to a veteran disabled by wounds, injury or disease incurred in the line of duty.
Disability pensions are the oldest kind: in 1776 the Continental Congress promised half pay to men disabled in service. For Revolutionary veterans until 1818, and for Union veterans until 1890, a federal pension normally required a disability or death tied to service.
Under the 1862 law, Civil War invalid pensioners had to be examined by a government-appointed doctor every two years. The surgeons' certificates in the file describe wounds and illnesses in detail, and a later exam could raise, cut or end the pension.
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Daily Ancestor. "Invalid pension." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/military/invalid-pension. Last checked 2026-10-03.