Happy Filipino
American History Month!
NAFVE and its partners continue to work on behalf of our
veterans. We are concerned about the
pace of disbursements of checks from the Filipino WWII Veterans Equity
Compensation Fund (FVEC) and as we engage the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA), we are considering appropriate next steps, including more direct
action from the community.
Attached, please find the following documents:
1)
Memo to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Secretary Shinseki: During the summer, we prepared for the six month mark of
implementation of the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund (FVEC) by
meeting with high level officials with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
including Jon Skeller, who is directly in charge of this legislation’s
implementation in the VA’s Manila office. This memo was presented at the VA meeting
where we voiced concerns about how the veterans and the community were
receiving (or failing to receive) information about the disbursement of FVEC
checks to veterans.
Based on the suggestions we
provided at this meeting, the VA agreed to several next steps, including
publishing new information (see attached); and
2)
FAQ and Points of Interest from the VA: These documents, directly from the VA,
represent the most updated information on the status of FVEC disbursement.
We will continue to follow up with the VA and provide
further input based on our discussions with veterans and advocates around the
country on how FVEC funds are being sent out.
Our message with the Department is clear- our veterans need these checks before any more of them pass and the VA
must do everything in its power to make sure this happens.
As of October 1, 2009, the VA’s Center for Minority
Veterans has reported the following data on disbursement of FVEC funds:
|
Status
|
Number
|
Percent
|
|
Claims Received
|
32,795
|
100 %
|
|
Claims Granted
($9,000)
|
4,149
|
12.6 %
|
|
Claims Granted
($15,000)
|
3,836
|
11.7 %
|
|
Claims Denied
|
2,776
|
8.46 %
|
|
Claims Completed
|
10,761
|
32.8 %
|
|
Claims Pending
|
22,034
|
67.2 %
|
We continue to work with the VA to
get a better sense of what these numbers mean in the fuller context of how our
veterans are accessing and receiving this benefit. The questions we raise about disbursement,
denials and appeals, and outreach seek to hold the VA accountable to the
veterans for whom they are working.
In the meanwhile, please look at the material from the VA
attached here. They provide important
and valuable information that will be helpful to veterans, their families and
supporters. Some additional suggestions
for veterans on how to better ensure successful application to this benefit are
provided below.
For veterans who have already sent their applications in:
1)
DO: Confirm
whether you have received a confirmation letter from the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA). If you have not,
you can contact the VA by dialing 1-800-827-1000.
2)
DO NOT: Send in another (duplicate) application, unless
you think there is some credible reason they did not receive it. Duplicate applications do not necessarily
improve your claim’s processing and only add to the total number of
applications they must process.
For veterans who have not yet sent in their applications:
1)
DO: Send in an
application AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Many
aspects of this new benefit are dependent on the application having already
been processed and veterans who have passed away without having filed will not
be eligible. Forms are available at the
VA’s Center for Minority Veterans Web site:
http://www1.va.gov/centerforminorityveterans/
2)
DO: Make an
extra copy of the application and accompanying material for your records. This will allow you to have a copy if you
need to provide the information again.
3)
DO: Send the application according to the directions on
the form. Applications that are mailed
in a way that provides additional security or tracking ability (eg. Certified
mail) will allow the applicant to have more knowledge about the status of his/
her application’s delivery.
NOTE: The information
provided above is NOT intended to be legal advice. For further information, please contact the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at 1-800-827-1000 or by e-mail on the VA
Website at https://iris.va.gov/ Veterans in the Philippines can contact the Manila
VA Regional Office at 632-528-2500 or toll free at 1-800-1888-5252.
All of the activity going on in our communities is tempered
by the very real impact of Typhoons Ketsana (Ondoy) and Parma
(Pepeng) on Filipinos in the Philippines
and their families around the world.
Statements of support from the President <http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Statement-by-President-Obama-on-the-Philippines/
> and the Congress <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:2:./temp/~c111ZcIXgD::
> have been issued and we continue to monitor other updates from Washington with other
national Filipino American groups.
Filipinos in the United States and around the world
have mobilized the collective spirit of bayanihan
(“collective effort”) to come to the aid those directly affected by the recent
disasters. Here is a useful Web site
that has pulled together lots of useful information about the current status of
the Philippines
and how people can help: < http://www.google.com/landing/typhoon-ondoy.html
>
NAFVE stands in solidarity with all the good work being done
on behalf of our kababayan (“fellow
countrymen/ women”).
|
