Title 50, War and National DefenseRelease 119-110
§4106 Religious Organizations
Title 50 › CHAPTER 51 — WAR CLAIMS › SUBCHAPTER I — TITLE I OF WAR CLAIMS ACT OF 1948 › § 4106
Summary
Allows the War Claims Commission to accept and pay claims from religious groups in the Philippines that were connected to U.S. religious bodies, or from their staff. They can be repaid for money spent or for the value of supplies used to give shelter, food, clothing, medical care, and other help to members of the U.S. armed forces or to American civilian citizens between December 6, 1941 and August 15, 1945. Approved claims are sent to the Secretary of the Treasury for payment from the War Claims Fund. The Commission will also pay for war damage to schools, hospitals, orphanages, and similar educational, medical, or welfare facilities, and it will pay enough to replace a hospital’s prewar facilities and capacity if American citizens ran its administration and the old facilities were not restored. The Commission will decide replacement costs after an investigation using records, expert advice, and evidence from claimants. Claims for property replacement had to be filed by October 1, 1952, and the Commission was to decide them by March 31, 1953. Payments to Philippine groups may be sent to their U.S. affiliate on request and must be used to restore the Philippine facilities. The Commission must speed these payments without cutting payments already due to American civilian internees or prisoners of war filed before March 31, 1953. Religious organizations in the Philippines of the same denomination as a U.S. group may get the same kinds of reimbursement and damage payments, but not if they already got an award under the earlier rules. For property damage they must have received a Philippine War Damage Commission award under the Philippine Rehabilitation Act. These claims must be filed within six months after August 6, 1956, and the Commission must decide each claim within one year of its filing. Damage payments for these claims are figured on postwar replacement costs for the 12-month period ending October 1, 1952.
Full Legal Text
Title 50, §4106
War and National Defense, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Reimbursement for services furnished members of armed services and American civilians; certification of claims
The Commission is authorized to receive, adjudicate according to law, and provide for the payment of any claim filed by any religious organization functioning in the Philippine Islands and affiliated with a religious organization in the United States, or by the personnel of any such Philippine organization, for reimbursement of expenditures incurred, or for payment of the fair value of supplies used, by such organization or such personnel for the purpose of furnishing shelter, food, clothing, hospitalization, medicines and medical services, and other relief in the Philippines to members of the armed forces of the United States or to civilian American citizens (as defined in section 4104 of this title) at any time subsequent to December 6, 1941, and before August 15, 1945. Any claim allowed under the provisions of this section shall be certified to the Secretary of the Treasury for payment out of the War Claims Fund established by section 4110 of this title.
(b)Compensation for loss or damage to real property used in educational, medical, or welfare work
Any such religious organization or its personnel functioning in the Philippines and affiliated with a religious organization in the United States, which furnished relief in the Philippines to members of the Armed Forces of the United States or to civilian American citizens in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) shall be compensated from the War Claims Fund, as hereinafter provided, for the loss and damage sustained as a consequence of the war to its schools, colleges, universities, scientific observatories, hospitals, dispensaries, orphanages, and other property or facilities connected with its educational, medical, or welfare work.
(c)Compensation to replace facilities
Any such affiliated organization furnishing relief which possessed any interest in, and whose personnel of American citizens substantially composed the administrative staff of, any hospital whose prewar facilities and capacity have not been restored shall be compensated in an amount sufficient to enable such organization to replace the hospital’s facilities and capacity equal to that which existed at the time of the outbreak of the war, irrespective of what disposition was made subsequently of the land, buildings, and contents.
(d)Determination of claims
Claims filed pursuant to subsection (b) shall be determined and paid upon the basis of postwar cost of replacement which shall be ascertained by the War Claims Commission. In making such determinations the Commission shall utilize but not be limited to the factual information and evidence contained in the records of the Philippine War Damage Commission; the technical advice of experts in the field; the substantiating evidence submitted by the claimants; and any other technical and legal means by which fair and equitable postwar replacement costs shall be determined.
(e)Investigation; determination of replacement costs; basis used
The Commission is authorized and directed to proceed at once with the necessary investigation, study, and establishment of procedures in order to determine the replacement costs of the claims to be filed under subsections (b) and (c), using as a basis for beginning such investigation and study the evidence contained in the claims of those religious organizations or their personnel which have already filed and are eligible to be paid under the terms of subsection (a) of this section.
(f)Filing of claims; adjudication; place and use of payments
All claims under subsections (b) and (c) must be filed on or before October 1, 1952; and not later than March 31, 1953, the Commission shall adjudicate according to law and provide for the payment of any claim filed pursuant to this section. In any case in which any money is payable as a result of subsections (b) and (c) to a religious organization or its personnel functioning in the Philippines, such money shall be paid upon request of such organization to its affiliate in the United States: Provided, That all money thus paid to such affiliated religious organization in the United States shall be used by such affiliate for the purpose of restoring the educational, medical, and welfare facilities described in subsections (b) and (c) and located in the Philippines.
(g)Claims of internees and prisoners of war unaffected
The Commission shall expedite the payments under this section without reducing payment of claims of American civilian internees and prisoners of war filed before March 31, 1953, pursuant to the provisions of section 4104 and 4105 of this title.
(h)Denominational organizations
(1)Any religious organization functioning in the Philippines and of the same denomination as a religious organization functioning in the United States which furnished relief (as described, and during the period designated, in subsection (a) of this section) in the Philippines to members of the Armed Forces of the United States or to civilian American citizens shall be compensated from the War Claims Fund (A) for expenditures incurred, or for payment of the fair value of supplies used by such organization, for the purpose of furnishing such relief and (B) for loss and damage sustained as a consequence of the war to its schools, colleges, universities, scientific observatories, hospitals, dispensaries, orphanages, and other property or facilities connected with its educational, medical, or welfare work. No payments shall be made to any organization under this subsection if such organization has received an award under subsection (a) or (b) of this section, and no payments shall be made to any organization pursuant to clause (B) of this paragraph unless such organization has received an award for war damages from the Philippine War Damage Commission under the provisions of the Philippine Rehabilitation Act of 1946, as amended.
(2)The Commission is authorized to receive, determine according to law, and provide for the payment of claims filed under this subsection. Each claim allowed by the Commission under this subsection shall be certified to the Secretary of the Treasury for payment out of the War Claims Fund. All payments under this subsection shall be made to an organization or individual in the United States designated by the claimant, and, in the case of claims under clause (B) of paragraph (1) of this subsection such payments shall be used for the purpose of restoring the educational, medical, and welfare facilities described in such clause.
(3)Claims for benefits under this subsection must be filed within six months after August 6, 1956. The Commission shall complete its determination with respect to each claim filed under this subsection at the earliest practicable date, but in no event later than one year after the date on which such claim was filed.
(4)Claims filed pursuant to clause (B) of paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be determined and paid upon the basis of postwar cost of replacement for the twelve-month period ending October 1, 1952, as ascertained by the Commission.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The Philippine Rehabilitation Act of 1946, referred to in subsec. (h)(1), is act Apr. 30, 1946, ch. 243, 60 Stat. 128, which was classified to sections 1751 to 1806 of the former Appendix to this title, prior to omission from the Code as terminated. See Termination of Philippine War Damage Commission note below. Codification Section was formerly classified to section 2006 of the former Appendix to this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.
Amendments
1962—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 87–846 made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 4110 of this title. Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 87–846 made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 4104 and 4105 of this title. 1956—Subsec. (h). Act Aug. 6, 1956, added subsec. (h). 1952—Act Apr. 9, 1952, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsecs. (b) to (g).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Transfer of Functions
For provisions transferring Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States to Department of Justice, as a separate agency, see section 1622a et seq. of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse. Termination of Philippine War Damage CommissionThe Philippine War Damage Commission established by section 101 of act Apr. 30, 1946, ch. 243, title I, 60 Stat. 128, formerly classified to section 1751 of the former Appendix to this title, terminated under the provisions of subsec. (d) of such section, which provided for the winding up of the Commission’s affairs not later than two years after expiration of time for filing claims under act Apr. 30, 1946, ch. 243, if possible but in no event later than Apr. 30, 1951.
Executive Documents
Transfer of Functions
War Claims Commission, including offices of its members, abolished and functions transferred to Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States by Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1954, §§ 2, 4, eff. July 1, 1954, 19 F.R. 3985, 68 Stat. 1279, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. See, also, section 4101 of this title and notes thereunder.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
50 U.S.C. § 4106
Title 50, War and National Defense
Last Updated
Sep 23, 2026
Release point: 119-110