On the recordMay 27, 2010
on May 7, Secretary Shinseki sent a letter informing me that the Department underestimated the number of eligible Filipino veterans, especially those who have become U.S. citizens, in calculating the amount needed for this program. More than 42,000 applications were received. Based on the actual applications received before the deadline, the Department has recalculated the estimates and identified a shortfall of $67 million. The provision included in this supplemental does not cost a dime. It simply allows any savings, currently unobligated and not assigned to any ongoing project, which the VA realizes is the result of a favorable contract environment, to be transferred to the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund and/or retained for authorized major medical facility projects of the Department of Veterans Affairs. It does not mandate this transfer. It simply gives the VA the flexibility should the Department want to transfer the funds for these purposes. Just a reminder: In July of 1941 President Roosevelt invited the Filipinos to volunteer and join the American forces, and 470,000 volunteered. In March of 1942 this Congress passed a law stating that Filipinos who volunteered may, after the war, apply for citizenship and receive all the benefits of American citizenship. In March of 1946 this Congress reneged and repealed that law.
