The veteran, survivor or legal representative generally must file a request for correction within three years after discovery of an alleged error or injustice.

"Most survivors do not file lawsuits," Ms. Grant said.

His survivors have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Proof's estate.

Although the survivors filed multiple FIRs with the police, none of the assailants were captured or prosecuted.

Eight disappointed survivors filed lawsuits against European insurers in early April, encouraged when a federal judge refused to dismiss a dozen pending suits.

Last Thursday, 22 of their relatives and two survivors of the attack filed the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified actual and punitive damages.

But now it means that the survivors of the people who died in the Flight 800 crash can file for nothing if the victim was not a wage earner.

In 1997, the survivors and victims filed a claim with a South Korean compensation committee under the binational Status of Forces Agreement.

Some things may yet be learned in Congressional hearings, Mr. Kelley says, or in the civil suits that survivors have filed against Federal agencies.

In 1992, survivors filed a complaint with authorities asking for an investigation.