Lawsuit: Pentagon withholding info from veterans' advocates

WASHINGTON -- A veterans group says the Pentagon has stopped releasing information that helps former service members to contest a dishonorable discharge.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Virginia by the National Veterans Legal Services Program. It says the Defense Department has been breaking the law since April. The group says it lacks access to decisions made by military review boards. The boards grant or deny requests to change a veteran's discharge status. Veterans’ lawyers study those decisions in hopes of building successful arguments for their clients.

The lawsuit comes at a time of growing recognition that less-than-honorable discharges can stem from behaviors brought on by post-traumatic stress.