Letter to the House of Representatives

May 15, 2008

Dear Representative:

On behalf of the National Education Association's (NEA) 3.2 million members, we urge you to provide veterans' benefits for Filipinos who served alongside U.S. troops during World War II, as the Senate did when it passed the Disabled Veterans Insurance Improvement Act (S. 1315) by a vote of 96-1 on April 24, 2008.

President Roosevelt called more than 200,000 Filipino soldiers into service under U.S. command during World War II, when the Philippines was still a U.S. territory. These soldiers served with honor as U.S. nationals during the war, but the 1946 Rescission Act revoked their eligibility for veterans' benefits. Today, many live in poverty and are dependent on food stamps, Medicaid or Social Security disability benefits. Filipino veterans should not have to rely on such programs; they deserve the same benefits as other World War II veterans

We urge you to provide veterans' benefits for Filipinos who served during World War II when the House takes up its version of S. 1315.

Sincerely,

Diane Shust, Director of Government Relations

Randall Moody, Manager of Federal Advocacy