Wash. Army commander removed over PTSD probe

TACOMA — The Army has removed the head of Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington state over an investigation into whether soldiers had a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder reversed to reduce medical costs. The News Tribune reports the removal of Col. Dallas Homas was announced Monday evening by Maj. Gen. Phillip Volpe, who leads the Western Region Medical Command. The Army Surgeon General is contacting the families of 14 soldiers whose diagnoses for PTSD were adjusted by the Madigan forensic psychiatry team to reduce disability pensions. The soldiers’ cases were reviewed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center over the past few weeks. Memos show that last fall, members of the forensic psychiatry team urged Madigan behavioral health professionals to consider the long-term costs of a PTSD diagnosis on taxpayers.