S.1156 became Public Law 108-170 on 12/6/2003 108th Congress VETERANS HEALTH CARE, CAPITAL ASSET, AND BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2003 (similar to H.R.1720) amendments S.A.2203 & S.A. 2204) Sponsor: Sen Specter, Arlen [PA] (introduced 5/23/2003) Cosponsor Sen Bunning, Jim [KY] - 10/23/2003

Related Bills:…H.R.2352, H.R.2357

burial benefits to the survivors of New Philippine Scouts & Commonwealth Army at the full-dollar rate, if the veterans were lawfully residing in the United States on the date of death, and were United States citizens or lawfully admitted permanent resident aliens.  Eligibility applies to death on or after Dec. 16, 2003

supported & signed by Pres Bush. providing recognition and VA medical care to 8,000 Filvets in the U.S. Filvets can now be patients in VA hospitals, clinics and nursing homes, however they are not eligible for non-war related disability pensions as their American counterparts

Public Law 108-183 institutes the "Veterans Benefits Act of 2003," which concerns benefits for surviving spouses of veterans, former prisoners of war, Filipino veterans of World War II, and disabled military personnel.

 (**On June 9, 2003, Chairman Specter introduced, at the request of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, S. 1213, a bill to amend Title 38, United States Code, to improve benefits afforded to Filipino veterans of World War II and survivors of such veterans, and for other purposes.)

STATEMENT OF TIM S. MCCLAIN, GENERAL COUNSEL, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

I am pleased to be here to present the Administration's views on…1213, a bill entitled the `Filipino Veterans' Benefits Act of 2003,' is the Administration's bill that you introduced on our behalf. section 2 of the bill would extend health care benefits to Filipino veterans residing legally in the United States who served in the Commonwealth Army and new Philippine Scouts. I urge that you act on the bill as expeditiously as possible so we can meet the needs of these very deserving Filipino veterans

2000

Burial Benefit P.L. 106-419 S.1402, the "Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement Act of 2000 signed by Pres Bill Clinton  enhances benefits for WW11 Filvets who currently receive disability compensation and burial benefits at a rate equal to one-half the rate that U.S. veterans receive. Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001, authorizes the payment of these benefits at the full rate to Filipino veterans who have become U.S. citizens or are permanent residents and reside in the United States. In addition, this Act extends to these veterans the eligibility for burial in national cemeteries. with military honors  as U.S. veterans.

VA pays burial benefits to the survivors of certain veterans at the full-dollar rate for veterans who were residing in the U.S. on the date of death.  Those veterans must also have been either United States citizens or lawfully admitted permanent resident aliens.  This covers only Commonwealth Army and recognized guerrilla service.  Eligibility applies to deaths on or after Nov. 1, 2000, as this is based on legislation enacted in 2000.  Burial benefits for these veterans also include interment in any national cemetery with available space, a burial flag, and a grave marker or headstone.

1993

Public law 102-395 to allow the naturalization process to occur in the Philippines

1990

24,000 of them were naturalized as U.S. citizens under Immigration and naturalization Act based on their U.S. military service

Legislation in 1973 permitted VA itself to provide medical treatment of service-connected conditions (and non-service-connected illnesses in certain conditions) for Philippine Army and New Philippine Scout veterans.  The half rates of compensation to most Filipino veterans living in the Philippines were intended to reflect that the Philippines had a lower cost of living than the United States.

A VA contract with the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) was expanded by legislation in 1963 permitting the center to care for non-service-connected conditions of Filipino and U.S. veterans.

1948

Revised Reconstructed Guerilla Roster (RRGR) known as the Missouri List, listed 260,143 Filipino WWII veteran.; was compiled after the end of World War II & stored at the US Army Archives in St. Louis, Missouri After the US Army left in 1948 with its list the Armed Forces of the Philippines continued to list late registrants into its own list

1946

Feb 18 1946 the Rescission Act (Public Law 79-301 now U.S. Code Title 38, Sec. 107) was enacted

Public Law 79-190, enacted in October 1945, authorized recruiting 50,000 “new” Philippine Scouts in anticipation of needing local occupational forces.  President Truman acknowledged the contributions of the Philippine people who fought under the umbrella of the USAFFE command to defend the Philippine Islands against occupation by the Japanese.  He called for a study to determine the level of benefits appropriate to conditions in the Philippines.  The reduced rate of benefits to veterans living there was based on the different economic conditions in the Philippines and the United States.

General MacArthur recommended equalization of Commonwealth Army pay scales to the United States Army rate on February 22 and March 9, 1942. OCMH Study, at 18. Relevant legislation was subsequently introduced in Congress. S. 2387, "An Act to Equalize the Pay of all Personnel in the United States Army, the Navy, and the Philippine Scouts, and the Philippine Commonwealth Army," passed the Senate on March 30, 1942.  With the surrender of the Philippines, the issue became moot. The Act never passed the House of Representatives.

Filipinos are reclassified as U.S. citizens, making it possible for them to register for the military

1941

7/26/1941 Pres. Franklin Roosevelt drafted soldiers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army who were then U.S. nationals into the American military service & promised them w/ the same entitlement as the Americans. The Filvets served with the USAFFE command throughout World War II. At the outbreak of World War II, the Old Philippine Scouts had approximately 12,000 members.

Public Law 73-127 The Tydings-McDuffie Act (officially the Philippine Independence Act,  approved on 3/24/1934  was a United States federal law which provided for self-government of the Philippines and for Filipino independence (from the U.S.) after a period of ten years. It required the Commonwealth Army to respond to the call of the President of the United States. It also strips Filipinos of their status as U.S. nationals and severely restricted Filipino immigration by establishing an annual immigration quota of 50.