Mental health assessments are evaluations conducted by mental health professionals to capture the evidence needed by the Department of Veterans Affairs in support of your VA mental health disability claim. This evidence includes symptoms, examples of impact, appropriate diagnoses, and a recommendation for your rating level. Rating levels go from 0% to 100% and correspond with services and compensation from the VA, so it is very important that you receive the rating you deserve.
There are two kinds of mental health assessments that VMHA provides: a disability benefits questionnaire or an independent medical opinion. If you already have a service-connected diagnosis, a brief evaluation may meet your needs. Your psychologist will perform the assessment to understand how you are currently being impacted by your mental health disability. With this understanding, your psychologist may recommend an adjustment to your rating. This could mean an increase or no change to your rating, depending on the symptoms you report. Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) are completed for these assessments, and they take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete.
If you don’t currently have a service-connected mental health diagnosis or need more evidence to support your claim, you would require an in depth evaluation. This can last twice as long as long as a brief evaluation. The independent medical opinion may recommend service-connection of your diagnosis, if appropriate, and recommend a rating level (or change in rating level for those already service connected).
If you’re having a brief assessment to review a rating for an existing service-connected disability, then the VA will use the DBQ to determine if your rating level should be adjusted. Ultimately, your provider will make a recommendation, and it is the VA’s decision to determine the final rating level.
If you submit an independent medical opinion with your claim, the VA will use this assessment to decide whether your mental health condition is service-connected and what your rating level should be. They will take into account the diagnosis noted in your evaluation and the rating level your provider recommended. For those who are already rated for mental health, the VA will use the independent medical opinion to decide whether the rating level should be adjusted.
Our psychologists provide independent medical opinions and compassionate mental health evaluations to veterans. They are experienced in assessment and diagnosis and are passionate about helping the veteran community. We provide critical evidence to support veterans’ VA mental health disability claims. We offer a safe and comfortable space for veterans. This allows them to share their unique stories while we capture the evidence needed by the VA. Many of our clients have had a challenging time in their claims process. It’s important to us that our veterans feel heard, understood, and cared for.
We do this because many veterans are underrated. This may be due to an ineffective evaluation when they were first exiting the military or due to the veteran not feeling comfortable seeking help while they were in service. I was in intelligence and for many years believed that going to a psychologist would negatively impact my security clearance.
Did you have a mental health assessment when you were first exiting the military? Are you concerned about that assessment or your rating level? If you answered yes, then having another assessment could make sense for you. Did you never file a mental health claim, yet you have experienced mental health-related symptoms during or after service? An assessment could be right for you. Sign up for a free consultation to learn more.
