President Bush on Friday signed into law legislation (HR 5825, S 2874) that will guarantee health benefits for "sole survivor" veterans who receive honorable discharges, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Under the Department of Defense "sole survivor" policy, the military cannot deploy in combat areas soldiers who lose all their siblings in war and must issue them honorable discharges upon request. However, veterans who previously received honorable discharges under the policy lost their health benefits because they did not fulfill their service contracts.
Reps. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) sponsored the legislation, which will cost about $1 million over the next 10 years. The Senate and House approved it by voice vote (Dizikes, Los Angeles Times, 8/30).
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times on Sunday published several letters to the editor on concerns about brain injuries among veterans. Summaries of two of the letters appear below.