Federal Evaluation Service Line
PTSDEvaluations
Empower's licensed psychologists and psychiatrists conduct PTSD examinations using DSM-5 criteria, structured interviews, and stressor-linked diagnostic reasoning written for VA raters.
Empower's licensed psychologists and psychiatrists conduct PTSD examinations using DSM-5 criteria, structured interviews, and stressor-linked diagnostic reasoning written for VA raters.
Last reviewed: August 3, 2026
The Oversight Record
The federal oversight record on the examination program, including published work by the Government Accountability Office, has given sustained attention to examination quality in complex conditions. Empower's model is built around the clinical side of that question: examiner-to-condition qualification matching, structured quality review before release, and a direct line from the examining clinician to accountable clinical leadership.
Clinical Approach
How the examination is conducted
PTSD examinations apply DSM-5 diagnostic criteria through structured clinical interviews, documenting each criterion against the veteran's reported history and the evidence of record.
The examination links the diagnosis to the claimed stressor and addresses the functional impact across occupational and social domains, because that linkage and that impact are what the rating decision turns on.
Reports state opinions in the legal-evidentiary language the program requires and explain the clinical reasoning behind each conclusion rather than asserting it.
Standards and Review
Who conducts the work and how it is checked
Examiner qualification standard
- Licensed psychologist or psychiatrist in the state of the examination or practicing under telehealth authority such as PSYPACT.
- Training on DSM-5 PTSD criteria application in a forensic evaluation context.
- Familiarity with initial and review PTSD DBQ formats and medical opinion standards.
Quality review process
- PTSD reports go through clinical quality review before release, checking criterion-by-criterion support for the diagnosis.
- Reviews verify that opinions answer the questions asked and that the rationale is stated, not implied.
- Clinical quality accountability is held at the executive level by the Chief Executive Officer.
Frequently Asked Questions
PTSD evaluation questions
How does Empower diagnose PTSD in a compensation and pension examination?
Examiners apply DSM-5 diagnostic criteria through structured clinical interviews, documenting each criterion against the veteran's reported history and the evidence of record.
Does the PTSD examination address the claimed stressor?
Yes. The examination links the diagnosis to the claimed stressor and addresses the functional impact across occupational and social domains, because that linkage and that impact are what the rating decision turns on.
Who reviews Empower's PTSD reports before release?
PTSD reports go through clinical quality review before release, checking criterion-by-criterion support for the diagnosis, with clinical quality accountability held at the executive level by the Chief Executive Officer.
Who to Contact
Named federal point of contact
Jon Towers
Policy Director
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP
Other Evaluation Lines
Explore the rest of the federal evaluation network
Military Sexual Trauma
Empower's licensed psychologists and psychiatrists conduct military sexual trauma examinations that follow VA markers-based evidence standards and are written for review by VA raters.
View this lineTraumatic Brain Injury
Empower conducts traumatic brain injury evaluations that assess residuals across cognitive, emotional, and behavioral domains, with neurology expertise represented in its clinical leadership.
View this lineToxic Exposure
Empower evaluates Gulf War Illness and toxic exposure claims, including the behavioral health dimensions of chronic multisymptom illness and PACT Act era exposure presentations.
View this line
Reviewing Empower for a federal evaluation requirement?
Contact the named federal point of contact to discuss scope, examiner qualifications, and the quality review standard behind every report.