Officials outline steps for resolving Guard bonus scandal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior U.S. military officials sought to assure a House oversight panel Wednesday that they're taking aggressive steps to ensure that thousands of soldiers who received enlistment bonuses and served in combat won't be forced to return the money.

To block the claw-back, House and Senate negotiators included provisions in the annual defense policy bill ordering the Pentagon to waive the recoupment of a bonus unless there is evidence that shows service members "knew or reasonably should have known" that they weren't eligible to receive the money.

Members of the California congressional delegation and veterans leaders expressed outrage over the Pentagon's decision to force troops who had served overseas to return money when they said the fault lay with military recruiters.