Gay California Army Veteran Sues Over Benefits
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Army veteran from California is suing the federal government because she and her wife are being denied military benefits granted to heterosexual couples.
The lawsuit was announced Wednesday in Washington. It involves Tracey Cooper-Harris, who served in the Army for 12 years and married Maggie Cooper-Harris in California in 2008.
In 2010, Tracey Cooper-Harris was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and she has received disability benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. But her application for additional money and benefits that married veterans are entitled to was denied.
The couple's lawsuit argues that a federal law and the Department of Veterans Affairs policy that requires the disparate treatment for same-sex couples are unconstitutional.
The lawsuit is being filed in Los Angeles.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.)
