Empowering Veterans Seeking
Mental Health Disability Benefits
Why You Need a Mental Health Disability Exam
Independent Psychological Exams (IPEs) are conducted by psychologists who are not affiliated with the VA. Because these evaluations come from outside your regular healthcare providers, the VA may give their findings significant weight.
Reports from Independent Psychological Exams are often key pieces of evidence considered by VA adjudicators during the decision-making process. For this reason, obtaining an IPE is frequently essential for a successful VA disability benefits claim.
While documentation such as medical records and service history is generally the most effective in supporting your claim, other sources like Lay Statements, Witness Statements, or Buddy Statements can also be influential.
Many service-connection claims are denied due to insufficient supporting documentation in the file. Therefore, gathering and organizing this evidence is a vital step in establishing service-connection. IPEs are especially valuable when there is a gap in evidence showing a direct connection between your service and current mental health symptoms. Medical opinions provided in IPEs help demonstrate this causation — the link between your past experiences and present symptoms — which is a key component of a successful claim. This link is known as the nexus.
About the Process:
Schedule a free, 15 minute pre-evaluation consultation with Dr. Van Haveren
Schedule a 45-60 minute virtual/telehealth examination
Submit documentation for your claim
Complete the exam
Receive your report
Schedule your appointment
Common disability claims include, but are not limited to, PTSD and other trauma-based disorders, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder/attacks, insomnia, mental disorders related to chronic pain, and substance use disorders.
About
Dr. Van Haveren
After completing a bachelor's in Psychology, Dr. Van Haveren earned a Master's degree from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL where he earned an Award of Academic Merit. His doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology was completed at Oklahoma State University (APA-Accredited). After completing a pre-doctoral internship at Kansas State University, he became a professor at Georgia State University while also completing the requirements for licensure as a Psychologist in Georgia (2000).
Dr. Van Haveren has maintained a private practice completing different types of psychological evaluations. This includes C & P/IMO, court-related substance abuse, ministry candidate, vocational, and pre-bariatric surgery psychological assessments. He also has served as an adjunct professor. He is PSYPACT Certified which allows him to provide psychological services in other PSYPACT jurisdictions in the US (https://psypact.gov/). Dr. Van Haveren is also a Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (https://appliedsportpsych.org/).
He currently holds the following disability-related certifications:
MDE General Certification Overview
MDE Military Sexual Trauma and the Disability Examination Process
MDE Medical Opinions
MDE Gulf War Certification Course
MDE Understanding Military Culture and Veterans
MDE Suicide Awareness and Prevention
MDE Lethal Means Safety
MDE The Veteran Experience
VBA MDE Assessing Deployment Related Environmental Exposures (WRIISC MOD)
MDE PACT Act: Key Terms & Medical Opinions for Examiners
MDE Mental Health Certification Course
Blog Information
What are the different types of service connections?
Direct service connection: A disability is established for direct service connection if it is caused by or resulting from personal injury suffered or disease contracted in line of duty, in the active military, naval, or air service.
Secondary service connection: An additional disability, which is proximately due to, or the result of a service-connected disease or injury and not due to the natural progress of the nonservice-connected condition will be service connected.
Aggravation of preexisting nonservice-connected disabilities: A preexisting injury or disease will be considered to have been aggravated by active military, naval, or air service, where there is an increase in disability during such service, unless there is a specific finding that the increase in disability is due to the natural progress of the disease.
Aggravation of nonservice-connected disabilities: Any increase in severity of a nonservice-connected disease or injury that is proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disease or injury, and not due to the natural progress of the nonservice-connected disease, will be service connected
Veteran Resources
VA Disability Compensation: Explore VA Disability Benefits
PTSD Resources: National Center for PTSD
Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 and press 1, or text 838255 for confidential support 24/7. Visit Crisis Line Website
Claims Assistance: Find a VA-accredited ClaimsAgent or VSO
Mental Health Services Locator: VA Mental Health Services
DD214 Assistance: Request Military Service Records
PTSD and Other Trauma-Based Disorders
The DSM-5-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Text Revision of the Fifth Edition) includes a cluster of trauma and stressor-related disorders. These disorders all share exposure to a traumatic or stressful event as a diagnostic criterion. The most common for service-based mental disorder disability claims is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Core Criteria:
Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence.
Intrusion symptoms (e.g., flashbacks, nightmares).
Avoidance of trauma-related stimuli.
Negative changes in thoughts/mood (e.g., guilt, detachment).
Hyperarousal (e.g., irritability, sleep disturbance).