VA provides new, additional benefits for certain Filipino World War II veterans
On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the stimulus bill, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which authorizes payment of $198 million compensation to eligible Filipino World War II veterans: $15,000.00 each for U.S. citizens, $9,000.00 for non-U.S. citizens, both of which are one-time lump sum payments. Entitlement and eventual receipt of any money will not change or affect other benefits an individual may be currently receiving.
Within the one-year period, from February 17, 2009, the date the President signed the ARRA, until February 16, 2010, eligible veterans must submit to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs a claim for benefits. It is estimated that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is reaching out to about 12,000 Filipino WWII veterans living in the Philippines, and roughly 3,000 living in the United States.
Among the many provisions of the ARRA, additional benefits may be afforded to eligible Filipino World War II (WWII) veterans. The ARRA formally recognizes the service of Filipino WWII veterans who served with the U.S. military in defending freedom as active military service in the U.S. Armed Forces.
If an eligible person who has filed a claim for benefits during the one-year time period dies before payment is made, the payment will be made instead to the surviving spouse, if any. For the purposes of the ARRA, an eligible person is any person 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. In order to learn if a particular type of service may qualify someone eligible for purposes of the ARRA, please read the text of the ARRA (link provided at the end) or contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Manila Regional Office.
Payments that are made to an eligible person shall be treated for purposes of the internal revenue laws of the United States as damages for human suffering, and shall not be included in income or resources for purposes of determining eligibility. In other words, the one-time payment will not affect existing benefits the veterans currently receive, including Social Security checks for U.S. based veterans, access to veterans hospitals, and service-connected disability pensions and other benefits.
Additional and more detailed information may be obtained from the Embassy of the United States in Manila, including eligibility requirements, instructions on how to apply, and required supporting documents for applications. http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwhs581.html. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Manila Regional Office will also be conducting extensive outreach, within and outside of Manila, to the many Filipino WW II veterans throughout the Philippines to ensure all those entitled receive the benefits they deserve as soon as possible.
The full text of the ARRA can be located at:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h1enr.pdf