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 receive the rating you deserve.
Generally, there are two kinds of assessments. A rating review or in depth evaluation. If you’re having a rating review, that means you already have a service-connected diagnosis and your psychologist will perform the assessment to understand how you are currently being impacted. With this understanding, your psychologist may recommend an adjustment to your rating. This could mean an increase, decrease, or no change to your rating depending on the assessment. Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) can be used for these assessments and they take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete.
If you’re having an in depth evaluation, that means you don’t currently have a service-connected mental health diagnosis or require more specific support. Your psychologist will conduct a more in-depth evaluation that can last twice as long as long as a rating review assessment. This evaluations may establish service-connection of your diagnosis, if appropriate, and recommend a rating level.
If you’re having a rating review assessment to review a rating for an existing service-connected disability, then the VA will use the assessment to determine if you’re rating level should be adjusted. Ultimately, your provider will make a recommendation for a rating level and it is the VA’s decision as to what that final rating level should be. The VA will use this evaluation to determine.
If you don’t currently have service-connected mental health disability and your provider is conducting a more in-depth assessment to deliver an independent medical opinion to establish a service connection and identify your current impairment levels, then the VA will use this assessment to decide whether your mental health condition is service-connected and what your rating level should be.
VMHA connects veterans with experienced psychologists that provide high-quality and compassionate mental health evaluations to veterans to support their VA mental health disability claims. We offer a safe and comfortable space for veterans to share their unique stories while capturing 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. Either 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.
If you had a mental health assessment when you were first exiting the military and you’re concerned about that assessment or your rating level, then having another assessment could make sense for you. And if, you’ve never filed a mental health claim yet are experiencing mental health-related symptoms during or after service, then an assessment could be right for you. Sign up for a free consultation to learn more.
