Improvement of veterans benefits furnished to certain individuals who served in the forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Scouts

(a) Expansion of benefits Section 107 of title 38, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subsection (a)— (A) in paragraph (2), by striking; and and inserting a semicolon; (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and inserting; and; and (C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new paragraph: (4) sections 1541 and 1542 of this title.; and (2) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (1), by striking; and and inserting a semicolon; (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and inserting; and; and (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new paragraph: (3) sections 1541 and 1542 of this title.; and (b) Eligibility Such section is further amended by adding at the end the following new subsections: (e) (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 recognized guerrilla rosters stored at the National Personnel Records Center, 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. (f) 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.. (c) Effective date (1) In general The amendments made by this section shall take effect on the date that is 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. (2) 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 section.