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SACRAMENTO, California, United States?Only 29 percent of Filipino WWII veterans granted a lump-sum payment for their service in last year?s economic stimulus bill have received their federal benefit, a news release from the office of Senator Leland Yee (Democrat-San Francisco/San Mateo) said.
Yee thus introduced Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 25 to call on President Barack Obama, Congress, and the US Department of Military Affairs to expedite the funding and lessen the amount of required documentation for eligible Filipino and Filipino American veterans to receive payments under the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) approved in February 2009 included a provision to address a 63-year injustice for Filipino WWII veterans. Specifically, the bill provided a lump sum payment of $15,000 to Filipino veterans living in the US and $9,000 for those who live abroad.
The payment is in response to the 1946 Rescission Act, which stripped benefits from Filipino WWII veterans. Such benefits include healthcare, disability pensions, and burial expenses, now essential for the surviving Filipino veterans and their families.
?The Rescission Act of 1946 was a sad chapter in American history,? said Yee, whose district includes the largest Filipino community outside of the Philippines. ?It is our responsibility to end this injustice and start caring for these soldiers who fought so hard for our country?s freedom. It is heartbreaking that even the inadequate lump sum payment approved by Congress is not getting to those in need. These soldiers deserved full recognition; the least our federal government can do is expedite this small token of appreciation.?
Many of the Filipino soldiers were not properly documented at the time of their service, and for many others who once had documentation, it has since been lost or destroyed. As a result, over 39,000 claims for payments have been received, but only 11,000 applications for benefit payments have been granted.
?We were fortunate when the Filipino veterans came to our aid when we asked; the federal government should return that kindness and support,? said Yee. ?Filipino veterans can not and should not wait any longer. This money is essential for many of our Filipino elders to live out the remainder of their life with dignity.
The average age of these veterans is 86 years old. According to the Philippine embassy in Washington, all of the Filipino veterans will likely pass away by 2015.
In June 2007, the California State Legislature unanimously approved Yee?s SJR 5 to officially urge Congress and the President to pass the Filipino Veterans Equity Act.
Yee has long advocated for the Filipino veterans. In 2004, then Assemblyman Yee led the effort to prevent Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (Republican-Los Angeles) from eliminating the California Veterans Cash Benefit Program from the state budget. While the governor proposed cutting the $226 per month benefit, Yee successfully fought to make sure the Veterans Program was reauthorized in the budget approved by the Legislature.
Yee also co-authored several bills to add the role of Filipinos in WWII to the high school social studies curriculum.
