DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS FEBRUARY 16, 2010. THE CLOCK IS TICKING!
BEWARE OF CLAIMS FIXERS. THE APPLICATION FORM IS FREE AND THERE IS NO PROCESSING FEE.
The President of the United States signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 17, 2009, authorizing the release of a one-time, lump-sum payment to eligible World War II (WWII) Philippine veterans. These payments are to be made through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from a $198 million appropriation established for this purpose. Applying for this benefit will not affect other existing Veterans benefits.
Q: Who is eligible for the new benefit, a one-time payment authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009?
* Persons who served before July 1, 1946, in the organized military forces of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, while such forces were in the service of the Armed Forces of the United States;
* Members of the organized guerrilla forces under commanders appointed, designated, or subsequently recognized by the Commander in Chief, Southwest Pacific Area, or other competent authority in the Army of the United States;
* Persons who served in the Philippine Scouts under Section 14 of the Armed Forces Voluntary Recruitment Act of 1945.
* To be eligible for the new benefit, service members in each of the three categories above must have been discharged or released from service under conditions other than dishonorable.
Q: How do I apply for this benefit?
* Veterans do not need to appear in-person. VA is now accepting claims from Filipino WWII veterans and will continue to be accept claims until February 16, 2010. The claim form, VA Form 21-4138 Statement in Support of Claim (Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund) can be obtained by calling or visiting your nearest VA Regional Office. In the Philippines, the VA Regional Office is located at the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
* If mailing completed form from the United States, send it with required supporting documents to:
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Manila Regional Office
PSC 501
FPO AP 96515-1100
* Application forms from Filipino WWII veterans filing their claim can be mailed from within the Philippines with required supporting documents, and should be sent to:
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
1131 Roxas Blvd.
0930 Manila, Philippines
* Claims from spouses, widows and children of Filipino WWII veterans cannot be accepted.
Q: What information or evidence do I need to submit with my application?
* Filipino WW II veterans wishing to submit a claim for this benefit should provide the following items to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (if applicable):
o Two forms of identification such as a driver’s license, birth certificate, Senior Citizen ID, Bureau of Post ID, Voter ID Card;
o Copies of any military discharge documents showing service in one of the three qualifying types of service mentioned in Q #1 above.
o Your Philippines Veterans Affairs Office claim number;
o Your Philippines Veterans Affairs bank account number;
o Your U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs claim number; and
o U.S. citizens should bring your U.S. passport if appearing in person.
Q: Where do I apply for this benefit?
* Veterans can submit a claim by mail or in-person to any VA Regional Office. All claims will be processed at the Manila VA Regional Office.
* Veterans can also mail the application directly to the Manila VA Regional Office at:
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
1131 Roxas Blvd.
0930 Manila, Philippines
* Additionally, veterans may make an appointment to visit the Manila VA Regional Office by dialing (632) 528-2500 within metro Manila or by dialing toll free 1-800-1888-5252 from outside Metro Manila but within the Philippines.
Q: How long do I have to file a claim?
* The United States Department of Veterans Affairs must receive all claims no later than February 16, 2010, which is one year from the date of enactment of the legislation, which is February 17, 2009.
Q: How much will I receive?
* Eligible veterans who are not United States citizens will receive a one-time payment of $9,000.
* Eligible veterans who are United States citizens will receive a one-time payment of $15,000.
Q: I am a U.S. citizen, but reside in the Philippines. Will that affect the amount of my payment?
* No. The amount of the payment you are eligible to receive is determined by your citizenship, not by your residence.
Q: My late husband was a veteran who served during WWII. May I receive this benefit as his widow?
* Once an eligible veteran files a claim before February 17, 2010, a surviving spouse can claim the benefit if the veteran passes away before the benefit is paid.
Q: My husband was a U.S. citizen who filed a claim for this benefit but died before receiving payment. I am not a U.S. citizen. Will I receive the $15,000 he was eligible to receive?
Yes. The amount of the payment is determined by the citizenship of the eligible veteran, not by the citizenship of the surviving spouse.
Q: Will receipt of this benefit impact or reduce any other U.S. Government assistance or benefits I receive?
No. This is an additional benefit for those eligible and qualified WWII veterans. It will not change or affect benefits an individual may be receiving under any other Federal or federally assisted program.
Q: May I apply for or continue to receive other U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits?
Yes. This is an additional benefit for those eligible and qualified Filipino WWII veterans.
Q: When will I receive the payment?
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is working actively to implement this new public law to ensure all eligible veterans receive their rightful benefits as soon as possible. Claims are now being accepted, and information regarding the actual release of payments will be provided as it becomes available.
BEWARE OF CLAIMS FIXERS. THE APPLICATION FORM IS FREE AND THERE IS NO PROCESSING FEE.
In recognition of WWII role: Filipinos fought for America, but only now get U.S. benefits
By Peter Rowe,
San Diego Union Tribune
2:00 a.m. March 15, 2009
BALBOA PARK — Rey Roque's ballad “Memories of Bataan Death March” – sad but defiant, unpolished yet heartfelt – provided an apt theme for an event yesterday honoring Filipino veterans of World War II.
“It's a mir-a-cle, how some survived,” sang Roque, 92. “I survived!”
The 150 people gathered at the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center in Balboa Park celebrated the culmination of a 63-year fight for recognition. Denied benefits after World War II, these survivors now are being offered one-time payments.
“This is a serious amount of money to say we're sorry we took this long,” said Rep. Bob Filner, D-San Diego, who had advocated the veterans' cause for 17 years.
Filipino veterans who are U.S. citizens are eligible for $15,000; non-citizens, $9,000.
In 1941, when the Philippines was an American commonwealth, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered its armed forces placed under U.S. command. When Japanese forces attacked the Philippines hours after Pearl Harbor was bombed, Filipinos fought side by side with the Americans. In 1946, Congress denied Filipinos the same status as American service members. Limited medical coverage and the GI Bill were preserved, but the 400,000 Filipinos who served in the war were denied about $3 billion in benefits. Efforts to reverse the situation foundered for decades. Last year, Congress budgeted $198 million for one-time payments to Filipino veterans, but legislation authorizing those payments was blocked.
Last month, the authorization was slipped into the economic stimulus package as one of the much-maligned 9,000 earmarks. “A very important earmark,” said Fred Gallardo, executive vice president of the Council of Philippine American Organizations of San Diego County, sponsor of yesterday's event.
Led by Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., opponents argued that this was the wrong time to send money abroad, especially when programs for American veterans were not fully funded.
Filner said the payments will help retire a long-standing debt of honor. “People don't understand the Filipino veterans' contribution,” Filner said when asked why it took so long to settle this account. “And there was some racism. Every time this came up before, there was some reason not to do it.”
As it stands, some of the Filipino veterans argue that the money is too little, too late, and for too few. Claims cannot be filed by deceased veterans' surviving family members. “It's only a limited benefit,” said Manuel Cannu, 86, who fought the Japanese in Luzon. “We are going to continue to fight for the widows of these men.”
Filner held out little hope for such efforts: “I don't think there's going to be anything beyond this.”
It is unclear how many of the veterans will receive payments. Mary Jo Bernardo-Aragon, the Philippine consul general in Los Angeles, said she believes that of about 18,000 surviving veterans, 6,000 live in California. Bernardo-Aragon said that is a rough estimate. “Many of our World War II Filipino veterans are bedridden or in hospitals,” Bernardo-Aragon said. “We don't hear from them.”
The veterans at yesterday's ceremony walked with canes, peered though thick glasses and fiddled with their hearing aids. Their powers aren't what they once were, but they could still muster enough energy to celebrate. And sing:
“We must remember the Filipino Veterans of World War II/ “They fought side-by-side American soldiers/ “Against the Japanese invaders . .
