US Embassy: 1 week left for Pinoy WWII vets to apply for benefits

Filipino World War II veterans have only one more week left to send their applications for lump-sum compensation from the US government, the US Embassy in Manila said on Tuesday. US Department of Veterans Affairs director Jon Skelly advised the veterans to send their applications by courier or online, and not by snail mail, to beat the deadline. "At this late date we would prefer that any veteran who has not applied yet, who feels they have military service during World War II that can be recognized by the US government to apply for the benefit and allow our office to make the final determination. I don't want veterans to disqualify themselves. I prefer they err on the side of caution and submit their applications and make our offices make the final legal decision," Skelly said in an interview on dzBB radio. He stressed that the applications must be in their hands by February 16, and that applications postmarked February 16 but received on a later date will not be accepted. "Our laws require we receive the application by the deadline. It needs to be in our hands by the 16th of February," he said. Under a US law signed last year, Filipino WWII veterans are qualified to get a lump sum of $9,000 (P418,500). Filipino American veterans who live or have returned to the Philippines are entitled to $15,000 (P697,500) each. US teams on standby He suggested that applicants fill up the application forms online and deliver it to the US Embassy or the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office in Camp Aguinaldo. Teams will be on standby there to accommodate the applications, he said. "Bring it to at the US Embassy and PVAO, where we have a team standing by all of this week and through the deadline next week, unless they want to use a courier service to make sure it gets delivered quickly," he said. He also said they will have a team in Davao on Thursday and Friday to collect applications. "For those veterans in other provinces I would suggest at this late date they enlist the services of a courier to get the application to us or call us and see if we can work out a way to accept the application by other means," he said. Applicants can call the US Embassy at 5282500 in Metro Manila, or call it toll free at 1-800-1888-5252. Skelly said children and widows are not eligible for the lump sum, but the widow is eligible if the veteran filed a claim before dying. So far, he said they estimate some 18,000 veterans would be found eligible, but said only 12,600 have been found eligible so far. He said they have so far released P7 billion for the 12,600. Skelly said his office has so far received over 40,000 applications. "Once they submitted their application they will receive a written letter from my office. They can call to follow up (and then) wait for us to respond with the final decision," he said. - LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV