Congressional Leaders Urged to Fix a 60-Year Old Injustice
New York, NY–Today, United Spinal Association, a national veterans service and disability advocacy organization, transmitted a letter to Senator Daniel K. Akaka and Representative Bob Filner, the respective chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Veterans Affairs, asking Congress to stop its political bickering and pass legislation to restore VA benefits to Filipino veterans who fought in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II.
To make matters worse, the squabbling has delayed critical legislation to help 
returning veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
July 1941, President Roosevelt ordered the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines into military service under the U.S. Armed Forces in the Pacific theater. At the time, the Philippines were transitioning from a U.S. possession to independence. Hundreds of Filipino soldiers, scouts, and guerillas were killed and wounded in battle.
Originally, Filipino troops serving under U.S. command were afforded pay and veterans’ benefits. In 1946, however, Congress passed the Rescission Act which stripped Filipino veterans of any “rights, privileges, or benefits” under U.S. law. For more than 60 years, Filipino World War II service members have sought recognition as veterans who fought for the U.S. Many are living with physical and psychological disabilities as a direct result of their service. There are approximately 60,000 World War II-era Filipino veterans living in the U.S. and the Philippines. Their numbers are dwindling so rapidly due to age and illness that only 20,000 are expected to be living by 2010.
In his letter to congressional leaders, United Spinal Association President and CEO Paul J. Tobin urged the swift passage of H.R. 760 and S. 57, the Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007, and S. 1315, the Veterans Benefits and Emoluments Act of 2007. The new laws would grant full recognition of the sacrifices that Filipino veterans made in the service of the U.S. during World War II by entitling them to VA health care, disability compensation, pensions, survivors’ benefits, and full burial benefits.
Expressing disappointment over the seemingly partisan opposition to the equity legislation, Tobin wrote that there is a “legal and moral compact between this nation and our defenders.” He called on Congress to do what is right. “We hope that all members of Congress are capable of rallying behind this just cause, and that they will refrain from holding our latest generation of veterans hostage by delaying important veterans benefits legislation in an attempt to block passage of legislation to assist Filipino veterans and their families,” Tobin concluded.