Army not releasing reports on PTSD findings at Madigan

TACOMA — The Army is refusing to release reports about how Madigan Army Medical Center handled diagnoses for post-traumatic stress disorder.

The News Tribune of Tacoma reported that it and The Seattle Times filed a Freedom of Information Act request for investigations that centered on Madigan, but the Army issued a partial denial and then rejected the newspapers’ appeal last week.

Madigan was criticized after a forensic psychology team reversed hundreds of PTSD diagnoses beginning in 2007, sometimes resulting in a loss of benefits for soldiers back from war. The case prompted an Army-wide review, and details of those findings haven’t been released yet.

In November, the Army announced it gave new diagnoses to 267 patients who passed through Madigan’s program; 150 were determined to have PTSD, and others were found to suffer from other issues, such as anxiety.

The Army said the Madigan reports should remain exempt from public disclosure because they contain confidential material that shaped Army decisions.

Officers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord said last week said they were working to release more information that could resolve local questions about the behavioral health investigations.

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