Injured Veterans Sue US

Class action suit targets VA for 'shameful failures' in treatment
By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 24, 2007 4:53 AM CDT
Injured Veterans Sue US
Army Secretary Pete Geren talks to soldiers in the warrior transition unit at Irwin Army Community Hospital Friday, July 20, 2007, at Fort Riley, Kan. The visit was Geren's first tour of an Army installation since his confirmation July 13. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)   (Associated Press)

Two veterans groups representing troops who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan are suing the US government for "shameful failures" in medical treatment, Reuters reports. The Department of Veterans Affairs is swamped with a backlog of 600,000 health claims and is "abandoning" soldiers returning home, the class-action suit contends.

Veterans have died waiting for medical care, and combat soldiers suffering from  post-traumatic stress disorder—many of them after serving multiple tours—are not getting treatment, according to the suit, which represents some 12,000 veterans. "Unless systemic and drastic measures are instituted immediately, the costs to these veterans will be incalculable," the suit states. (More veterans stories.)

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