Editor?s Note: Reprint of article written by Jun Medina of FilAm Star and sent through email by Esther M. Chavez, INQUIRER.net?s U.S. Director of Sales

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? The passage in February of the ?equity compensation? legislation brought so much hope and rejoicing for thousands of Filipino World War II veterans who, for decades, had lobbied for recognition for their war-time services to the United States.

Six months later, most of these veterans, now in the late 80s are still waiting for the one-time, lump-sum compensation which went with the recognition of their military services.

?I?ve been waiting to receive a check in the mail for a while now, but nothing,? sighed Franco Arcebal of Los Angeles in a phone interview with FilAm Star. ?I?m getting a bit anxious because I hear some of our comrades have died before getting their benefits.?

The 87-year-old Arcebal, vice president for membership of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans, said that at the rate the checks are being processed and paid by the U.S. Veterans? Administration, it could take ?at least another 18 months for us to get paid.?

Arcebal, who filed his claim on Feb. 21, said he has tried calling the 1-800 USVA number to check on the status of his claim, without success.

?I tried calling but all I get is a recording and I don?t even get to talk to anyone after waiting for a long while,? he said in a phone interview.

Arcebal?s frustration was understandable, said Gen. Delfin Lorenzana (ret), head of the Philippine Embassy?s veterans? affairs section here, who had the same experience while contacting USVA Manila on behalf of some veterans.

Lorenzana said he had a hard time getting through when he called Manila to inquire about the claims of Metro DC veterans who had solicited his help.

?I was told that for privacy reasons, I can?t represent the veterans. Only their next of kin ? spouse or children ? are allowed to do that, and that?s understandable,? Lorenzana said.

He said, however, that the free phone provided for such follow-ups is sometimes not working, adding that the elderly veterans would find it hard navigating the system.

Lorenzana added that trying the Internet link supplied by the U.S. Embassy website in Manila for claims verification does not seem to work either.

?In fairness to the USVA Manila staff, I think that the system is just being swamped by too many claims that they may not have anticipated,? Lorenzana said. ?We have raised the veterans? concerns and USVA Secretary Eric Shinseki has graciously promised us that he would do something about the problem.?

He noted that as of July 21, the USVA has processed 8,300 claims and approved 6,800. The rest were disapproved because the claimants were not qualified, based on payment guidelines set by law.

The compensation package was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) or the U.S. Economic Stimulus Package passed by Congress and signed into law on Feb. 17 by President Barack Obama.

The law provides for a one-time payment of $15,000 for veterans who are American citizens, and $9,000 for those who are not. There are an estimated 8,000 U.S.-based vets and at least 13,000 living in the Philippines.

Eric Lachica, a veterans advocate, said the VA has assured the immediate hiring of more staff to speed up the claims processing.

Lachica said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took up briefly the concerns of the veterans during a meeting July 31 in the course of her U.S. working visit and meeting with President Obama in the White House.

Lachica and Lorenzana said they have requested a meeting with USVA officials with the veterans to enable the veterans to suggest further ways of speeding up the process.

?Time is really crucial here, because most of the vets are very old and frail,? Lachica told FilAm Star. ?They?ve waiting so long, and I can understand their frustrations.?

One such proposal is the suggestion of Arcebal to have a separate team that would process claims from U.S.-based veterans, since most of their paper works are already in order.

Arcebal, originally from Cabugao, Ilocos Sur, also suggested that the claims of those aged 90 and above ?be given priority because they are likely to be weaker and sickly.?