National Health Insurance Act, 1929

Military deposit contributors.

13.—(1) The balance which was to the credit of the account of a person to whom this section applies in the Deposit Contributors Fund at the date of his enlistment shall be transferred on the passing of this Act to the Reserve Suspense Fund.

(2) A person to whom this section applies shall continue to be treated for the purposes of the Acts and this Act as having ceased to be an insured person as on and from the date of his enlistment until the date of his discharge, but on his discharge he shall be again treated as an insured person and for the purposes of the Acts no account shall be taken of the period of his army service.

(3) If a person to whom this section applies joins an approved society within the prescribed time he shall be treated as if he were a member of such society as from the date of his discharge and the appropriate transfer value in respect of him shall be passed from the Reserve Suspense Fund to such society.

(4) If a person to whom this section applies fails to join an approved society within the time prescribed in relation to the foregoing sub-section, the following provisions shall have effect, that is to say:—

(a) such person shall not be entitled to any benefit unless and until he has become a member of an approved society,

(b) if and when such person becomes a member of an approved society—

(i) he shall not be entitled to the benefits administered by such society to which, if this section had not passed, he might be entitled until the expiration of thirteen weeks from the date of his application for admission to membership of such society, and

(ii) subject as aforesaid he shall be treated as if he were a member of such society as from the date of his discharge, and

(iii) the appropriate transfer value in respect of him shall be passed from the Reserve Suspense Fund to such society.

(5) Upon the death of a person to whom this section applies while such person is a member of the Forces a sum equal to one half of the amount which stood to his credit in the Deposit Contributors Fund at the date of his enlistment shall be paid out of the Reserve Suspense Fund and dealt with as if it were a sum payable to an insured person by way of benefit under Part I. of the Act of 1911 and unpaid at the date of his death.

(6) In this section the word “Forces” means the Defence Forces of Saorstát Eireann but does not include the Reserve established under Part III. of the Defence Forces (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1923 (No. 30 of 1923); the word “enlistment” means becoming by any means a member of the Forces and cognate words shall be construed accordingly; and the word “discharge” means ceasing by any means to be a member of the Forces.

(7) This section applies to a person—

(a) who is at the passing of this Act a member of the Forces holding any rank therein, and

(b) who, at the date of his enlistment, was a deposit contributor, and

(c) who—

(i) if he enlisted before the 26th day of June, 1923, did not before the 27th day of September, 1923, join an approved society in Saorstát Eireann, or

(ii) if he did not enlist until after the 25th day of June, 1923, but enlisted more than three months before the passing of this Act, did not within three months after enlistment join an approved society in Saorstát Eireann, or

(iii) if he did not enlist until after the 25th day of June, 1923, but enlisted not more than three months before the passing of this Act, did not before the passing of this Act join an approved society in Saorstát Eireann.