SUPPORT FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL BENEFITS FAIRNESS FOR FILIPINO
VETERANS ACT
WHEREAS, Filipino Americans have served in the U.S. Armed Forces with distinction and honor in all wars and military engagements since World War II and as such are deserving of full veterans benefits; and
WHEREAS, in 1946, Congress passed the Rescission Act which stripped Filipino veterans of full veterans benefits, granting them only half instead, despite their U.S. citizenship and legal permanent residency; and
WHEREAS, In 2001, Congress passed a law granting full veteran benefits to U.S. citizen or U.S. legal permanent resident Filipino veterans who served in World War II, provided they resided in the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, Filipino veterans who served during World War II include units of the Philippine Commonwealth Army under U.S. command, the new Philippine Scouts, and recognized guerrilla forces; and
WHEREAS, The 2001 Congressional authorization did not stipulate a specific residency requirement yet the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) instituted one which resulted in a determination to cut benefits by half if it was not met; and
WHEREAS, Filipino veterans are the only group of veterans subject to the VA residency requirements despite their valiant service to our country, receiving only half their well-earned benefits if they reside outside the U.S. for more than 60 consecutive days or more than 183 days in a calendar year; and
WHEREAS, The benefits which are affected include service-connected disability care, dependency and indemnity compensation, education benefits for their children, survivor benefits in a calendar year; and
WHEREAS, Filipino veterans must submit documentation of any travel outside the country, including copies of their passport visas and re-entry permits with entrance and exit date stamps, to have their benefits reinstated to which they are entitled yet often their case determination is pending in a backlog of cases in the Manila Office of the VA; and
WHER...
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