Military Skimps On Soldiers' Benefits

Soldiers are being deprived of disability benefits, having their injuries downgraded and even being sent back into the field when they're not fit to fight, a U.S. News investigation shows.  An arbitrary and system for rating disabilities has been a problem for years, veteran advocates say, but it's now affecting tens of thousands of soldiers.

Fewer troops have been awarded full benefits today than in 2000; new standards are making it herculean to reach the requisite 30% disability the military requires for discharge with benefits.  And standards for combat are fungible: An official told Edward T. Pound that short-term memory loss "would not necessarily render soldiers unfit for duty since they could compensate by carrying a notepad." (More medicine stories.)