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U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO DEBATE A $1 BILLION CUT IN WARTIME ELDERLY, POOR, DISABLED VETERANS' BENEFITS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Note: This information was provided by Representative Steve Buyer, (R) 4th District, Indiana, Chairman, House Committee on Veteran's Affairs. All Veterans and other interested persons are encouraged to call your House Member and Senators IMMEDIATELY.
GARY
Friday May 23, 2008 (202) 225-3527
The United States House of Representatives will soon be debating, and voting on S. 1315, as amended, a bill that will cut nearly a billion dollars in pension benefits for wartime, elderly, poor, severely disabled or house-bound American veterans to in part fund unprecedented benefits for World War II Filipino veterans. Please let Ranking Member Buyer know what you think of this cut of nearly $1 billion in benefits from veterans who most need our support by calling (202) 225-3527.
Background: The language in S. 1315 is similar to a bill in the House of Representatives, H.R. 760, as amended, the Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007. The amended bill would eliminate special monthly pensions for many severely disabled veterans over 65 who are also receiving pensions for wartime service. It would use $156 million of the funds saved by this unprecedented cut in veterans’ benefits eligibility to provide budgetary offsets to fund oversized pensions for non-citizen, non-resident World War II Filipino veterans.
In 2006, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (the Court) overturned a Department of Veterans Affairs decision that denied an 86-year-old, legally blind World War II veteran, Robert A. Hartness, a VA benefit called “special monthly pension” (SMP). SMP provides an additional payment of up to $2,200 per year to the most severely disabled veterans who are eligible and who apply.
The Court reversed VA’s denial of benefits to Mr. Hartness and required VA to begin paying him SMP benefits. The Court held that U.S. law requires an award of SMP to a veteran eligible for VA non-service-connected disability pension if, in addition to being at least 65 years old, he or she has a minimum disability rating of 60 percent or more, or is considered permanently housebound. VA had determined Mr. Hartness to be 70 percent disabled due to loss of vision. According to VA, more than 20,000 veterans could be affected by this unprecedented cut in benefits.
The pension that the Filipino veterans would receive would be an increased pension for wartime veterans that is means tested in the United States to a maximum level of $11,181 for veterans without dependents.
Adding insult to injury for those elderly, poor, disabled U.S. veterans whose benefits would be cut, the average Filipino WWII veteran’s payment under S. 1315, as amended, will put their average annual income 1400% above of the poverty rate in the Philippines. American veterans who currently receive this pension, annual income is only raised to 10% above the poverty rates due to the income disparity between the two countries. Sending this over-generous benefit to non-American citizens is not the best use of American taxpayer dollars in this time of economic downturn.
The valor and courage of the Philippine Army, which fought alongside U.S. forces to defeat Imperial Japan in World War II, has been demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt. However, despite claims to the contrary, no U.S. official during or immediately after the war was authorized to promise benefits to members of this army or to so obligate the U.S. government. When the Philippines became an independent, sovereign nation after the war, the Philippine Army became the responsibility of the new government.
The use of the Hartness offset in S. 1315, as amended, is opposed by the American Legion, AMVETS, and the National Association for the Uniformed Services and other veteran service organizations. In their letter of April 25, 2008 opposing the legislation the American Legion stated, “The American Legion believes the sacrifice of these heroes warrants relief. Balancing the books on the backs of the very patriots that protected and defended this nation is unconscionable. Don’t make a grave mistake in the name of fairness, equality, or even fiscal responsibility. Do what is right!”
Congress has an obligation to protect the benefits that Americans have gratefully provided to our veterans. There are better ways to fund new entitlements than to cut benefits for aging veterans who need us most, violating the principle of honor that defined their service and our obligation to both them and the nation they served. Please let me know what you think of this cut of nearly $1 billion in benefits from veterans who most need our support by calling (202) 225-3527.
For more information, please go to: http://republicans.veterans.house.gov/.
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For additional information please contact
Bill Lambert, VFW Post #9097, Post Commander at 304-757-9766