OTTAWA — A group of disgruntled veterans says tampering with military medical records is commonplace in order to deny injured members their pensions and benefits.

The claim Thursday by members of the so-called Military Collective, each suing the federal government for a combined total of $100 million, follows a report making similar accusations by the Canadian Forces ombudsman.

In his review of the treatment of combat engineers who became sick after a 1991 deployment to Kuwait, Yves Cote said the medical files of some of the soldiers "were missing key pieces of information."

The ombudsman said Wednesday he was not prepared to attribute a "sinister motive" to the missing paper trail, but a spokesman for the injured veterans had no hesitation about pointing fingers.

"This is not a joke," said Georges Dumont, a former sergeant whose overseas tours included Bosnia, Somalia and Haiti.

"We are not crybabies. . . . this is going to have to end somewhere."

During a news conference on Parliament Hill, meant to draw attention to their court cases, Dumont laid out the apparent plight of an unidentified soldier, who was injured on a training exercise in 1981. The commanding officer of his unit allegedly ordered medical reports shredded because he didn't believe the man's claim.

"Luckily the person who was ordered to destroy these papers did not do it and kept them in the file," said Dumont, a 20-year veteran of the Royal 22nd Regiment, the Van Doos.

"After seven years, he returned them to the soldier, who had been treated that way. That soldier had been fighting for seven years for a pension, but he couldn't get it because he had no proof."

The soldier's case is among the 26 lawsuits filed against the federal government, Dumont said.

In 2000, a military board of inquiry heard how documents were deliberately removed from the medical records of peacekeepers serving in Croatia, who later claimed they had been exposed to toxic material.

Because of the pending litigation, government spokesmen declined comment on the latest claims by veterans. But when asked about the ombudsman's findings, Prime Minister Stephen Harper described the situation as "unacceptable."

Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said the Conservatives will implement all of Cote's recommendations, which include placing references to environmental exposure in the medical files of soldiers.

"We will not treat soldiers like they were treated in the past," O'Connor said. "They will be treated properly when they return from missions."

New Democrats, who introduced a motion in Parliament on Thursday calling on the federal government to spend as much as $1 billion improving the pension and benefits of veterans, said there should be a thorough investigation of the tampering claims.

But the party's veterans affairs critic said he's having trouble with the idea of a conspiracy, and is more comfortable with the notion that files are going missing because of negligence.

"The Commons defence committee should look at that," said Nova Scotia MP Peter Stoffer, who added he "truly hoped" the allegations weren't true.

Simon Boies, a reservist who served in Afghanistan in early 2004, said he fought with Veterans Affairs for two years over a stress-related pension, but was told his file was missing. It was eventually found and he has since been granted $600-a-month annuity.

Originally trained for a mission as a driver on the relatively benign roads of the Yugoslavia, Boies said he found himself ill-prepared for the treacherous conditions of Afghanistan and has suffered for it ever since.

Dumont said members of his group are prepared to accept an out-of-court settlement for their claims of negligence and discrimination, as long as it meant better care for current overseas members.

"If you don't acknowledge the mistakes you made with us, you're going to repeat those mistakes with the soldiers coming back again," he said.