Nearly half of Iraq, Afghan war vets seek medical compensation benefits

The Associated Press: Almost Half Of New Vets Seek Disability
America's newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen. A staggering 45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking compensation for injuries they say are service-related. That is more than double the estimate of 21 percent who filed such claims after the Gulf War in the early 1990s, top government officials told The Associated Press (Marchione, 5/27).

Meanwhile, a key member of the Senate talked about cost of providing benefits to returning service members.

The Hill: Sen. Murray: Lawmakers 'Weren't Prepared' To Deal With Veterans' Issues
Sen. Patty Murray, (D-Wash), chairwoman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs committee, on Sunday said lawmakers needed to better address the long-term funding needs of Iraq and Afghan war veterans over the coming decades. ... But the Washington state senator said veterans' benefits would not be threatened by automatic spending cuts set in motion by last August's debt-ceiling deal and set to take effect early next year(Mali, 5/27).

And Defense Secretary Leon Panetta renewed his concerns about upcoming automatic budget cuts.

Los Angeles Times: Panetta: Cuts To Defense Spending Would Be 'Disastrous'
In an interview that aired on ABC's "This Week," (Defense Secretary Leon) Panetta said the Pentagon "has to play a role in trying to be able to achieve fiscal responsibility," but warned against allowing the cuts, which would take place as a result of the failure to reach a deficit reduction deal last year. The cuts to Medicare and defense spending to be made through a process known as sequestration (Geiger, 5/27).

The Washington Post: Panetta Warns Both Parties On Defense Budget Cuts
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in an interview broadcast Sunday that looming cuts to the defense budget would be "disastrous" for national security and urged Republicans and Democrats to work together to avoid a budget showdown. ... Republicans and Democrats have been foreshadowing a tough fight over massive budget cuts, set to happen at the end the year as part of a deficit reduction agreement reached after the failure of the so-called supercommittee. In January, $110 billion in automatic cuts to Medicare and the Pentagon are scheduled to occur in a process known as sequestration (Henderson, 5/27).