Filipino Veterans Recognition Act

Filipino Veterans Recognition Act

This bill amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make a payment from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund to an eligible person who, during the one-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this paragraph, submits to the Secretary:

• a benefits claim; or
• with respect to a person who filed a benefits claim during such one-year period, a new claim or an appeal to such previously filed claim.

In determining an individual's eligibility to receive Compensation Fund benefits the Secretary shall accept as proof of service an affidavit from the government of the Philippines certifying an eligible individual's service (AGO Form 23).

Such an affidavit shall serve as proof of service regardless of whether the eligible individual:

• submits any other qualifying document, or
• is included in the Approved Revised Reconstructed Guerilla Roster of 1948, (Missouri List).

The Secretary may not accept such an affidavit as proof of service for any VA benefit other than the Compensation Fund.

Nothing in this Act shall be construed as authorizing additional amounts to be appropriated to the Compensation Fund.

[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1875 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1875

To extend the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund and to direct 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to accept certain documents as proof 
   of service in determining the eligibility of a person to receive 
                        amounts from such Fund.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 16, 2015

 Mr. Heck of Nevada (for himself, Mrs. Lawrence, Ms. Bordallo, and Mr. 
   Vargas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To extend the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund and to direct 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to accept certain documents as proof 
   of service in determining the eligibility of a person to receive 
                        amounts from such Fund.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Filipino Veterans Recognition Act''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF FILIPINO VETERANS EQUITY COMPENSATION FUND AND 
              PROOF OF ELIGIBILITY.

    (a) Extended Application Period.--Subsection (c) of section 1002 of 
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (division A of 
Public Law 111-5; 38 U.S.C. 107 note) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) Extended application period.--Notwithstanding 
        paragraph (1), and subject to the availability of amounts made 
        available to the compensation fund before the date of the 
        enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary may make a payment 
        from the compensation fund to an eligible person who, during 
        the one-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of 
        this paragraph, submits to the Secretary--
                    ``(A) a claim for benefits under this section; or
                    ``(B) with respect to a person who filed a claim 
                for benefits under this section during the period 
                described in paragraph (1), a new claim or an appeal to 
                such previously filed claim.''.
    (b) Proof.--Such section 1002 is further amended by adding at the 
end the following new subsection:
    ``(m) Use of AGO Form 23.--
            ``(1) In general.--In addition to any other documents that 
        the Secretary accepts as proof of service described in 
        subsection (d), the Secretary shall accept as proof of such 
        service an affidavit from the government of the Philippines 
        certifying such service of an eligible individual (AGO Form 
        23). Such an affidavit shall serve as proof of such service 
        regardless of whether the eligible individual--
                    ``(A) submits any other document accepted by the 
                Secretary to establish such proof; or
                    ``(B) is included in the Approved Revised 
                Reconstructed Guerilla Roster of 1948, known as the 
                `Missouri List'.
            ``(2) Proof of service only for this section.--The 
        Secretary may not accept an affidavit described in paragraph 
        (1) as proof of service for any benefit provided under a law 
        administered by the Secretary other than the compensation fund 
        under this section.''.
    (c) Construction.--Nothing in this section or the amendments made 
by this section shall be construed as authorizing additional amounts to 
be appropriated to the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund 
established by such section 1002.
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