Chicago, Illinois -- A total of $52.2-million have been so far paid by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to claims filed by Filipino World War II veterans as of Monday (Aug. 17) on the halfway mark of the implementation of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or the Public Law 111-5 signed last Feb. 17.

This was the clarification issued by Jim Benson, media relations staff of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C., to allay fears that payments have not yet been released to the veterans.

Mr. Benson did not specify the numbers of the recipients in the Philippines and Filipino Americans. Under the new law, Filipino veterans, who are US citizens, will get a lump sum pay of $15,000 each. While those are not US citizens, mostly living in the Philippines, will each receive $9,000 one-time pay. A total of $198-M had been earmarked for the program.

He further clarified that “the law does not state that Filipino veterans will receive payments within one year; it states that they have one year to file a claim.”

Meanwhile, a son of a veteran, who had long died, had suggested that the US Congress should amend Public Law 111-5 that will extend the benefits to the children of the veteran
if the spouse of the veteran had already died.

Jerry M. Clarito, executive director, Illinois Veterans Equity Center, said extending the benefits to children of veterans for Filipino World War II veterans can be pattered after the Montgomery G.I. Bill (the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, P.L. 78-346).

The G.I. bill was an omnibus bill that provided college or vocational education for returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as GIs) as well as one year of unemployment compensation. It also provided many different types of loans for returning veterans to buy homes and start businesses. Since the original act, the term has come to include other veteran benefit programs created to assist veterans of subsequent wars as well as peacetime service.

Among these subsequent benefits are the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) Death Due to service-connected Disability. This is authorized for surviving spouses, unmarried children under 18 (as well ascertain helpless children and those between 18 and 23 if attending a VA -approved school), and certain parents of service personnel or veterans who died from: (1) a disease or injury incurred or aggravated in line of duty while on active duty or active duty for training; or (2) an injury incurred or aggravated in line of duty while on inactive duty training; or (3) a disability otherwise compensable by VA.