NORMA Sotio has every reason to grieve.
Her husband, Gaudencio Sotio died on January 2010 without realizing a long-term dream – the promised monetary recognition made by the US government in February last year to Filipino WWII vets for their service and sacrifice. A lump sum of $9,000 or $15,000 will be paid to Filvets in lieu of pensions that the US government promised them during the war but reneged on paying.
The 84-year-old Sotio applied for his well-deserved compensation on Feb. 20, 2009, just a few days after the benefit law went into effect. Sotio did not live long enough before the Department of Veteran Affairs was able to rule on his claim.
According to reports from the Associated Press, the VA did not anticipate that applications for the veterans’ benefits will reach 40,000, prompting them to add seven additional claim processors in the Manila field office.
“The National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, which has over a century of documents for military servicemen and women, has also increased its staff to deal with the claims, and is now handling 800 lump sum payment queries a week, or twice as many as when the program started,” says AP.
These additions, according to VA, will help expedite the processing of applications and shorten it to about 10 weeks.
“Ineligible applications may be slowing claims processing. The department has so far had to deny nearly 8,000 claims, mostly from people who hadn’t served. Some were from veteran widows, children and other next of kin who aren’t eligible. Some people filed more than one application.Some 16,000 claims are still being reviewed,” AP further elaborated in its report.
“The long delay is justice denied. That’s the saying. It’s really true – it’s an injustice somehow,” said Art Caleda, president of the Hawaii chapter of World War II Filipino-American Veterans.
In Hawaii, about 400 have applied for the benefit – with 65 percent paid and 15 percent denied. 20 percent of the claims, like Sotio’s, remain pending.
“There are veterans who were able to file their application claims but then they died. What is the use of that?” said Caleda. “They’re not only frustrated, they are dying you know. They’re dying.”
“The veterans pushed for years to win back these benefits. Success came slowly and in bits. In 1990, Congress passed a bill allowing thousands to immigrate and become US citizens. A decade later, the US recognized the right of the veterans to be buried in national cemeteries,” AP adds. When will the wait be over? Our WWII veteran heroes have waited long enough and do not have the luxury of time. (AJPress)
( www.asianjournal.com )
( Published January 20, 2010 in Asian Journal Los Angeles p. A6 )
