Some Vietnam veterans suing feds over post-traumatic stress disorder

A federal lawsuit accuses the U.S. military of failing to upgrade the discharges of Vietnam veterans who developed post-traumatic stress disorder and seeks relief for them.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Connecticut by five Vietnam veterans and three veterans organizations.

The veterans say they suffered PTSD before it was recognized and were discharged under other-than-honorable conditions that made them ineligible for benefits.

The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status to represent tens of thousands of veterans, says the military has systematically denied applications for upgrades involving evidence of PTSD.

Messages left with military spokesmen were not immediately returned.

The Department of Defense has said the agency is committed to addressing concerns related to PTSD and has taken numerous steps, including conducting PTSD assessments of service members at military treatment facilities.