The U.S. Army is revising the way it diagnoses soldiers with post traumatic stress disorder. In the Northwest, it means the Army will no longer use a special psychiatric unit at Madigan Army Medical Center near Tacoma.
Some soldiers at Madigan complained the psychiatric team downgraded or reversed their PTSD diagnoses. That limited what benefits they are eligible for.
One of those soldiers is 28-year-old Specialist Jered Enger.
“When it comes to something as sensitive as people with psychological issues, I think it’s a lot more concrete to go off of the caring physician’s recommendation, that’s been caring for the patient for months on end, as opposed to someone that talks to them for five minutes.”
Enger deployed twice to Iraq. His PTSD diagnosis was recently reinstated and he’s currently awaiting a medical retirement order.
Washington Senator Patty Murray issued a statement saying she hopes the new change will encourage more service members to seek psychological help.
Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
