Services Offered
* - Generally, for services requiring a telehealth examination, appointments are often available within one week. Turnaround time for completed documentation is one week from exam date.
The Types of Conditions We Assist:
1) Mental Health Rating Increases:
- If you are already service-connected for a mental health diagnosis, but believe your current situation warrants a higher rating, an Independent Psychological Evaluation and DBQ can offer new evidence to support your case for an increased rating.
2) Mental Health Conditions Direct to Service:
- If you experienced a stressful or traumatic event (or series of events) while serving in the military and believe you developed PTSD, depression, anxiety, etc. as a result, an Independent Psychological Evaluation, DBQ and Nexus Letter can help assess your current situation and tie your current diagnosis to military events.
- It is not required (although helpful) that you received a mental health diagnosis while still in the military (there are a number of reasons that a Veteran might not seek mental health treatment right away - or at all!).
- If you experienced mental health difficulties prior to your time in the military, this does not automatically prevent you from gaining service-connection for mental health currently. A well-crafted Nexus Letter can demonstrate if your mental health difficulties were aggravated by your experiences in the military.
3) Mental Health Conditions Secondary to other Service-Connected Conditions:
- Many individuals who experience chronic pain or other medical conditions may find that the resulting pain, limitations, and fear of flare-ups of those conditions contribute to mental health difficulties including depression and anxiety. An Independent Psychological Evaluation, DBQ, and well-crafted Nexus Letter can help demonstrate that your current mental health difficulties are the result of, or aggravated by, your experiences and limitations from your other service-connected conditions.
- Common service-connected conditions that result in secondary mental health claims include: chronic pain conditions (including feet, ankles, knees, back, shoulders, etc.), IBS, GERD, migraines, tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep apnea, among many others.
INDEPENDENT PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS (IPEs), DBQs, and NEXUS LETTERS:
Based on your current situation, there are 3 different scenarios that might require an Independent Psychological Evaluation, a mental health DBQ, and/or a Nexus Letter.
1
You are already service-connected for a mental health diagnosis and are seeking new evidence to support an increased rating. (Full IPE report + completed PTSD DBQ form OR Mental Health DBQ form, $750).
2
You are not yet service-connected for a mental health diagnosis, and you are seeking evidence to demonstrate that your current mental health difficulties are directly related to your experiences in the military. This could be for PTSD, depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders, etc. (Full IPE report + PTSD DBQ form OR Mental Health DBQ form + Nexus letter, $750).
3
You are not yet service-connected for a mental health diagnosis, but you are service-connected for any number of medical/physical/muskuloskeletal conditions, AND you believe your mental health difficulties are primarily a result of the pain and limitations that you experience from those service-connected conditions (Full IPE report + Mental Health DBQ form + Nexus letter, $750).
Each of the services above includes a records review (based on your situation you will be informed of which records to upload), a video call telehealth exam (typically 40-60 minutes in length), and the completion of the documents mentioned above. There are no additional costs or fees associated with the above services.
TOTAL DISABILITY INDIVIDUAL UNEMPLOYABILITY (TDIU):
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) is a VA benefit for veterans whose service-connected conditions prevent them from holding steady, gainful employment. You may be eligible if you have one service-connected disability rated at 60% or more, or if you have multiple service-connected disabilities that combine to at least 70%, with at least one of those conditions rated at 40% or higher. You must also show that your service-connected impairments make it impossible for you to maintain substantially gainful work.
For veterans pursuing TDIU, a medical nexus or support letter can strengthen the claim by explaining how the service-connected mental health condition affects the ability to function in a work setting; Dr. Bevacqua is familiar with the specific factors the VA looks for in these claims. To move forward, you would provide details about your mental health diagnosis, relevant employment history, and a thorough personal statement describing how your symptoms interfere with your capacity to work.
Total cost for Record Review + Completed TDIU Letter = $650.