It’s Your Money > U.S. Military Veteran Benefits

Discrimination against Filipino-Americans and Expats in the RP

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:
Here is a post from  another Forum that I found interesting..for you info.



Why does the U.S. government discriminate against Filipino-Americans and
Expatriates that retired from the U.S. military and have made their home
in the Philippines?

That\'s a very good question, but discriminate they do. These retirees
spent the better part of their lives in harm\'s way protecting America\'s
freedoms around the world. But, now that they are retired and decided to
live in the Philippines, they are found not worthy of the same
considerations as their counterparts living anywhere else in the world.

Why is that? Because some agencies of the U.S. government claim that
these retirees are dishonest as well as many Filipino citizens. They
claim both participate in fraud directed against the United States. So,
they have all but eliminated their earned and promised medical benefits.
The agency involved is known as the TRICARE Management Activity and in
reality; their policies and inaction are primarily to blame for fraud.
These policies make it easier for fraud and then, they blame the retirees.

One recent example of this discrimination; the granddaughter of a WWII
Fil-Am Navy retiree went onto the TRICARE Face Book wall and pleaded for
help that her grandpa was very sick and in the hospital. She made it
crystal clear that they didn\'t know how to file claims to get their
money back and asked if anyone could help them. After 2 days, not one
government representative replied. However, an American expat living
here volunteered his services and boldly indicated on the TRICARE Face
Book wall that he doubted the official government employees would help.
Shortly after that, the TRICARE Management Activity banned him from
their Face Book wall. How many more of these examples exist but nobody
knows about them?

The TRICARE Management Activity says they have to implement policies
that restrict access to care and limit reimbursement for care to
preclude fraud---they call it their \"Cost Avoidance Program\". These
policies do not exist anywhere else in the world. But, they failed to
implement the one policy they agreed to implement that would have made
obtaining care easier for this and many other fading WWII Fil-Am
retirees. The long awaited policy would have precluded them from paying
hundreds of thousands of pesos out of their pockets for their care and
then filing a claim with the U.S. government in the \"hope\" of getting
some of their hard fought money back. These policies limit a Fil-Am from
seeing the provider of their choice and many times, reduces the amount
that is paid for the care causing him to pay more than others would pay.
In fact, active duty U.S. military and their families in the Philippines
are paid back more for the same care. In many cases, Fil-Am\'s find that
they have to learn U.S. medical coding and billing in order to convert
their local bills to look like an American bill. This is not required
anywhere else except here and in Panama.

Is this fair? Why isn\'t anyone doing anything about it? Why does the
American government feel they can discriminate against deserving
Fil-Am\'s and expats simply because they chose to live in the Philippines?

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bigrod:
The Air Force Retiree Council resently had their annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.  Two of the twenty agenda items were #7 Establishment of Tricare Help Center in the Philippines and #8 Enhanced services for Tricare for Life retirees in Panama.  Hopefully this will help to get Congress to put pressure on Tricare to fulfill there promises to the military retiree community here in the Philippines.

Chuck

dylanaz:

--- Quote from: smith788 on September 17, 2010, 03:51:40 PM ---Here is a post from  another Forum that I found interesting..for you info.



Why does the U.S. government discriminate against Filipino-Americans and
--- End quote ---

You and Marko need to meet up !

BudM:
I find this topic to still be a sore spot for not only military retirees but ex-military in general.  I did only a little over 6 years active and got.  Hence, I am a DoD retiree but not a military retiree.  So, I had (and I say had rather than have) very limited Veterans Administrative benefits.  For a short period of time (something like a few months), after I left active duty, I was entitled to a dental exam and any work that needed to be done.  I also received educational benefits which I used most of it since I only had 10 years to use them and did not start until 7 years after I left active duty.  Then there was the VA Home Loan guarantee.  I borrowed money from an institution (I was under 30 at the time and paid them back within 15 years.  Clear title and never late.  And according to the VA, I could receive guarantee and a subsequent loan.

Well, that is a crock of crap.  I checked in to getting a guarantee on a small amount from one of my financial institutions back in the states to supplement what I wanted to pay on a home for my me and my family in the Philippines. I started checking into it and found that yes, you can be living overseas and do this.  Well then there turned out to be one problem.  I live in the Philippines.  According to all the information I received, they do not allow it for the Philippines.  There are only a small few countries, to my understanding, this is not allowed in and the Philippines is grouped right in with what I saw to be crud on the bottom of the barrel countries.

Yeah, this is some of the kind of stuff that makes me bitter about certain agencies along with one here in the Philippines.  It sure would have been nice to have received the very low (for VA guarantee) interest rate but they basically said, pizz on you.

Edit:  Had to come back and change this because I forgot about one very important benefit which really the limited ones I mention above are a sore spot and I b and moan about it but, oh well, life goes on.  My benefit that I forgot and I guarantee you, I already told my wife about it and she will raise the damn roof if she doesn't get it.  That is my flag when I kick out.  They damn well better have that for her because I told her it is important to make sure they follow through and she is a little spit fire bicolana.

Art, just a re(tired) Fil-Am:
Yeah Bud,
That's life in a developing country like the Philippines, which is slowly creeping up in making life more manageable. Too bad though not being able to use our VA home loan here in the Philippines. Just think what a grand of a house we could have built here and with the low interest rate. As you mentioned, that's life, but all in all we really do not have much to complain about anymore, since our home is finally mortgage free with a free and clear title to our home and lot. We're now on easy street and life is comfortable and stable to live and continue to enjoy our retirement lifestyle for the long haul here in the Philippines. 

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