USVA grants initial US$94M to WWII veterans
At least, 7,985 claim applications amounting to US$94 million were granted to eligible veterans since the United States government announced as early as April this year the granting of equity compensation benefits to Filipinos who fought side by side with American forces against the Japanese imperial army during the Second World War in the Philippines. Of the 10,761 applications received for processing, 4,149 claims were approved for non-U.S. citizens with each getting US$9,000; and 3,836 for Filipino veterans with U.S. citizenship getting US$15,000 each. While some 2,776 claim applications were disapproved, says a faxed copy report obtained by the American Coalition of Filipino Veterans in Arlington, Virginia from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs office. Ironically, some 32,795 applicants applied for the equity compensation claim with the DVA Center for Minority Veterans, which overshot the number of eligible applicants totaling 18,000 Filipino WWII veterans registered in Misso