SEATTLE (AP) — The Army has identified 285 more patients at Madigan Army Medical Center who had their diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder reversed by a forensic psychiatry team in the past five years — and they’ll be given the option of having their cases reviewed once again to determine if they suffer from PTSD.
Soldiers who are diagnosed with PTSD can qualify for a medical retirement that offers a pension and other benefits. The Army is investigating whether Madigan doctors who reviewed PTSD diagnoses were influenced by concerns about the cost of providing such benefits.
The investigation was started in January, following complaints from soldiers whose PTSD diagnoses had been reversed. Seventeen soldiers contested their cases, and six had their diagnoses reinstated by doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The Seattle Times reports (http://is.gd/04Dai5) that the Army has identified an additional 285 whose PTSD diagnoses were reversed.
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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com
