Center for Minority Veterans (CMV)
WWII Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation (FVEC) Fund
The President of the United States signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 17, 2009, authorizing the release of a one-time, lump-sum payment to eligible World War II (WWII) Philippine Veterans. These payments are to be made through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from a $198 million appropriation established for this purpose. Applying for this benefit will not affect other existing Veterans benefits.
Additional Information:
Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation (FVEC) Points of Interests
1) The Manila Regional Office is doing its best to process each application accurately and timely. Two months after the law was passed, VA established an adjudication process, payment system, accounting system, and payment delivery system to successfully issue the first FVEC payment on April 8, 2009. The claims process is provided below:
a. Each application was submitted to the Manila VA Regional Office via a VA Form 21-4138, and was examined for eligibility based on the criteria established in “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” HR 1, Sec. 1002, the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation (FVEC) Fund.
b. All applications received by the Manila VA Regional Office were verified and a receipt confirmation was sent back to the applicant. If any development was necessary to determine FVEC eligibility, a Veterans Claims Assistance Act (VCAA) letter notice was sent to inform the claimant of the necessary evidence needed to complete the claim. If you have questions concerning FVEC benefits, or would like more information about VA benefit programs and how to apply, various options are available.
- Contact VA on the Internet at http://iris.va.gov and submit an on-line inquiry.
- United States residents may call VA at 1-800-827-1000.
- Philippine residents within Metro Manila may call 632-528-2500.
- Philippine residents outside Manila may call 1-800-1888-5252.
- If you use a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD), the number is 1-800-829-4833 (United States residents only).
c. Once all of the evidence and service verification is received and reviewed, a decision is made. Concurrently, a notification letter is sent to the claimant, to explain the reasons and basis used to determine the decision.
2) As of December 1, 2017, there were 7 (reopened) FVEC claims pending.
3) As of December 1, 2017, 42,755 applications were processed: 9,311 approved for $15,000 based Veterans, 9,672 approved for $9,000, and 23,772 applications disapproved.
4) To date, over $226 million has been awarded to eligible Filipino Veterans.
5) As of December 1, 2017, the Manila RO has received more than 4,570 NODs on FVEC denials.
| 10/01/2017 | 11/01/2017 | 12/01/2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original FVEC Claims Received | 42,755 | 42,755 | 42,755 |
| Claims Granted ($9,000) | 9,670 | 9,672 | 9,672 |
| Claims Granted ($15,000) | 9,310 | 9,311 | 9,311 |
| Total Grants | 18,980 | 18,983 | 18,983 |
| Claims Denied | 23,775 | 23,772 | 23,772 |
| Total Approved ($9,000) | $87,018,687 | $87,018,687 | $87,018,687 |
| Total Approved ($15,000) | $139,168,517 | $139,168,517 | $139,168,517 |
| *FVEC Appropriation Balance (FUNDS AVAILABLE for NEW CLAIMS per FSC Website) | $56,026,001 | $55,993,001 | $55,993,001 |
| FVEC Appeals | 10/01/2017 | 11/01/2017 | 12/01/2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NODs Received | 4,570 | 4,570 | 4,570 |
| Appeals Granted | 498 | 498 | 498 |
| Appeals Denied | 1,292 | 1,294 | 1,294 |
| Total Appeals Decision | 1790 | 1792 | 1792 |
| Appeals Grant Rate | 27.8% | 27.8% | 27.8% |
| Appeals Pending NOD Stage | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Appeals Pending F9/Substative Appeal | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Appeals Pending Remand | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Appeals Pending Hearings | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Appeals Pending at BVA | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Total FVEC Appeals Pending (Sum of Columns G to K) | 11 | 8 | 7 |
| Average Days Pending Appeal at BVA | 157 | 157 | 157 |
| Number of Appeals Overturned by BVA | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| FVEC Appeals | 10/01/2017 | 11/01/2017 | 12/01/2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number Reopened Claims Pending | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Status | no pending claim | no pending claim | no pending claim |
Action Plan as of December 1, 2017
Status: Awaiting response on the request for service verification from NPRC & Department of the Army
Action Taken: Response to follow-up email sent July 22, 2015: ; NPRC has reviewed some of the requests and send 9 to DA and other cases reviewed will be referred to DA within the next few days. Expected completion by NPRC and transmittal to DA is 2 weeks; Follow-up sent to NPRC on 01-02-2016; follow-up sent 02-18-16; received 4 responses from NPRC and not DA on 03-1-16 ; UPDATE 3/11/16: clarification sent to NPRC regarding 4 responses received on 3-9-16 from NPRC indicating a Memorandum of Authority (MOA) with Department of Army (DA) was signed effective 1-15-16 authorizaing NARA to respond directly to requestors (Manila Regional Office) on behalf of NARA. Prior to this, we were not notified of the MOA change. 3 out of 4 responses were returned since it was certified prior to effectivite date of the MOA. However, now that authority has been given to NPRC to conduct the research and certify, we anticipate more timely responses. We will continue to follow-up on this.; UPDATE: 03/23/16 Follow up email on FVEC requests done with NARA POC 03/22. Their response was they currently have no pending requests in their system. 4/1/16-A list of cases with pending 3101s was sent; 4/7/16-email sent to NPRC to follow-up status ; 4/12/16-response received, 22 responses will be mailed, 15 requests will be resent by VARO Manila by 04/15/16; 4/21/16- no additional responses received-email follow-up sent;4/26/16 response: no UPS tracking for responses mailed. Started sending paper response; 5/3 and 5/5/16 - follow-ups sent to NPRC to verify why electronic responses stopped and if we can receive responses electronically. 5/10/16-remaining requests sent to NPRC with inquiry on the responses received on 5/10/16 which required certification from NPRC. ; 5/16/16-received 18 responses but returned 1 response for clarification; 6/10/16- received responses to some cases; follow-up sent on 6/18 on pending cases and another follow-up sent 6/30/16; 06-30-16-received 1 response; 7-1-16 - another follow-up sent to NPRC; 7-11-16-recd 2 responses from NPRC; 7-14-16-follow-up sent to NPRC; recd 2 responses 7-18-16; 8-26-16-follow-up sent to NPRC; pending 3101 requests are new requests based on new remands; follow-up sent to NPRC 11-3-16; requests to be resent 12-2-16; 3-1-17-email sent to NPRC to follow-up service verification; follow-up sent 5/2/17; follow-up sent on 6/2/17; follow-ups sent 8/14/17 and 8/16/17; 9/16 and 9/22/17; follow-up email sent on 10/23/17; response received on 11/8/17; clarification sent on 11/28/17 for a response received on 11/8/17 based on BVA required information
Status: Appeals received by BVA awaiting decision
Action Taken: Email sent July 16, 2015 to BVA point of contact to expedite processing of appeal-Response/Action: Follow-up email sent 12/2/15 to BVA to request for expeditious processing; received response 12/23/15 with 1 case denied ; new appeals received by BVA; UPDATE: 03/23/16 Follow up email sent to BVA POC on pending FVEC cases. Their response is detailed updates on each of the 12 cases. Based on the response, cases are still pending. 04/1/16-1 case denied by BVA on 3/30/16; 4/30/16 - 4 cases denied for April 2016; 1 case denied on 5/3/16; 2 cases denied on 5/9/16 & 5/11/16; follow-up sent 6/3/16 and 6/8/16; responses received 6/9/16; 9-1-16-email sent to BVA to follow-up status; BVA made denials and remands in Sept 2016; 2 denials made in December 2016; 1-30-17-email sent to NPRC regarding new remand directives on service verification; 2/21/16- email to BVA requesting for status with response that cases are pending review; email follow-up sent to BVA on 8/25/17; 2 cases have been denied
Status: Pending activation of appeal certified/recertified to BVA
Action Taken: Email sent to BVA on 8/25/17 and 9/1/17 requesting to activate appeals certified to BVA
Status: Pending assignment from Appeals Resource Center
Action Taken: Remanded by BVA on 11/29/17 for service verification, service verification will be sent once case is assigned
Status: Pending reply from appellant to Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC)
Action Taken: SSOC sent to appellant on 11/27/17 and 12/1/17 with 30 days to respond
Other Related Information
- Appeals Process
- VA Form 4107, Your Rights to Appeal our Decision
- VA Form 21-0845, Authorization To Disclose Personal Information To a Third Party
- VA Benefits for Survivors of Filipino Veterans
- Secretary’s Press Release — Stimulus Bill Provides $198 Million for Filipino Veterans
- Questions? Please email us.
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