Title: Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2019
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2019
This bill deems certain service performed before July 1, 1946, in the organized military forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Scouts, to be active military service for purposes of eligibility for veterans benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
In determining eligibility under this bill, the VA must take into account any relevant service documentation, including documentation other than the Missouri List (certain military service records).

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2823 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2823

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to deem certain service in the 
organized military forces of the Government of the Commonwealth of the 
 Philippines and the Philippine Scouts to have been active service for 
 purposes of benefits under programs administered by the Secretary of 
                           Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 17, 2019

    Ms. Speier (for herself, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Case, Mr. Cohen, Mr. 
 Connolly, Mr. Correa, Ms. Eshoo, Ms. Gabbard, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. 
  Khanna, Ms. Lee of California, Mrs. Lee of Nevada, Mr. Ted Lieu of 
  California, Mr. Lipinski, Ms. Norton, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Schiff, Mr. 
Sherman, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Gonzalez of Texas, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. 
  Schakowsky, and Mr. Gomez) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to deem certain service in the 
organized military forces of the Government of the Commonwealth of the 
 Philippines and the Philippine Scouts to have been active service for 
 purposes of benefits under programs administered by the Secretary of 
                           Veterans Affairs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. CERTAIN SERVICE IN THE ORGANIZED MILITARY FORCES OF THE 
              PHILIPPINES AND THE PHILIPPINE SCOUTS DEEMED TO BE ACTIVE 
              SERVICE.

    (a) In General.--Section 107 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking ``not'' after ``Army of the United 
                States, shall''; and
                    (B) by striking ``, except benefits under--'' and 
                all that follows in that subsection and inserting a 
                period;
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``not'' after ``Armed Forces 
                Voluntary Recruitment Act of 1945 shall''; and
                    (B) by striking ``except--'' and all that follows 
                in that subsection and inserting a period;
            (3) by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:
    ``(c) Determination of Eligibility.--(1) In determining the 
eligibility of the service of an individual under this section, the 
Secretary shall take into account any alternative documentation 
regarding such service, including documentation other than the Missouri 
List, that the Secretary determines relevant.
    ``(2) Not later than March 1 of each year, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House 
of Representatives a report that includes--
            ``(A) the number of individuals applying for benefits 
        pursuant to this section during the previous year; and
            ``(B) the number of such individuals that the Secretary 
        approved for benefits.''; and
            (4) by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:
    ``(d) Relation to Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund.--
Section 1002(h) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 
(title X of division A of Public Law 111-5; 123 Stat. 200; 38 U.S.C. 
107 note) shall not apply to an individual described in subsection (a) 
or (b) of this section.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--(1) The heading of such section is 
amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 107. Certain service deemed to be active service: service in 
              organized military forces of the Philippines and in the 
              Philippine Scouts''.
    (2) The item relating to such section in the table of sections at 
the beginning of chapter 1 of such title is amended to read as follows:

``107. Certain service deemed to be active service: service in 
                            organized military forces of the 
                            Philippines and in the Philippine 
                            Scouts.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    (a) In General.--The amendments made by this Act shall take effect 
on the date that is 90 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act.
    (b) Applicability.--No benefits shall accrue to any person for any 
period before the effective date of this Act by reason of the 
amendments made by this Act.
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