2014 US Senate defense bill includes compensation provision for Filipino veterans

Sen. Dean Heller CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

LAS VEGAS—To expedite the release of compensation for Filipino World War II veterans, two legislators have included a provision for this group in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2014.

The Filipino Veterans Promise Act, inserted in the Defense Act by US Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada and US Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, is expected to help all eligible Filipino veterans receive the compensation they are entitled to for their service to the US during the war.

“This amendment is the least we can do for our nation’s brave Filipino veterans. Every effort must be made to ensure that those individuals who valiantly served alongside US troops are properly recognized for their contributions to our nation,” Heller said in a statement.

“I am proud to work across party lines with Senator Hirono to ensure these Filipino veterans are treated with dignity and respect,” the Republican senator also said.

The National Defense Authorization Act, the yearly federal law specifying the budget and expenditures of the US Department of Defense, is currently being deliberated on in the Senate.

For her part, Hirono in a statement said, “Mahalo to Senator Heller for partnering with me to help ensure all Filipino World War II veterans who bravely served alongside Americans in the critical South West Pacific Theatre receive the compensation they have earned.”

“Given the advanced age of many of these Filipino veterans, we simply cannot wait any longer to establish a process that fairly recognizes veterans who deserve benefits,” Hirono added.

The Filipino Veterans Act was introduced in Senate last May by Sen. Heller to “establish a process for Filipinos who fought alongside the US military during World War II to document their heroic service.”

In 2012, Heller sent a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urging his department to establish a process that will give Filipinos veterans the opportunity to prove their service.

In his letter, Heller said, “It is my belief that in working with military historians, you can establish standards for documentation to support whether or not an individual had served during World War II in the Philippines for veterans benefit purposes.”

Thousands of Filipino World War II veterans, most in their late 80s, were deemed ineligible to receive amounts from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation (FVEC) fund due to lack of required documentation.

The FVEC is a $198-million fund authorized by President Obama, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2008, for distribution as one-time lump sum payments of $15,000 each to Filipino World War II veterans who are US citizens or residents.

Veterans living in the Philippines were allotted $9,000 each. Since Pres. Obama authorized the release of compensation to World War II veterans in 2008, thousands of claims were turned down because soldiers’ names were not on the National Personnel Records Center.

This roster, known as the Missouri list, is what is used by the US government to determine military service, including service given in World War II. The Filipino veterans claiming compensation, however, had proof of US military service from the Philippine government.