Are Online Psychological Evaluations Accepted?

Why there is no yes or no answer

People usually ask this question when someone else wants paperwork: a college disability office, a human resources department, an exam board or a benefits agency. Each of those has its own process and its own standards for what counts as enough.

What follows is a summary of what four federal agencies say on their own public pages about documentation. It is general information, not legal advice, and it does not replace the written requirements of the organization you are dealing with.

One thing stands out across those pages. They talk about the credentials of the professional and about what the documentation needs to show. In the pages we read, none sets a general rule about whether an evaluation happened in an office or by video. That silence is not a yes. It means the answer has to come from the requester.

Colleges and other schools after high school

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights explains that a college is not required to identify a student as having a disability or to assess the student's needs. A student who wants an academic adjustment has to tell the school and will probably be asked for documentation of a current disability and the need for the adjustment.

According to that office, schools may set reasonable standards for documentation, and some require more than others. A school may ask for documentation prepared by an appropriate professional, such as a medical doctor, psychologist or other qualified diagnostician. It may ask for a diagnosis, how the diagnosis was reached, the credentials of the professional, and how the disability affects a major life activity and academic performance.

If what you have does not meet the school's requirements, the office says a school official should tell you in a timely manner what else is needed. So the disability services office is the place to ask, before an evaluation, exactly what it wants to see.

Employers

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says that when a disability or the need for an accommodation is not obvious, an employer may ask for reasonable documentation about the disability and its functional limitations. Reasonable means only what is needed to establish a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the need for the accommodation. In most situations an employer cannot ask for complete medical records.

The EEOC also says an employer may require that the documentation come from an appropriate health care or rehabilitation professional, and that who is appropriate depends on the disability and the limitation. Its list includes doctors, psychologists, nurses, vocational rehabilitation specialists and licensed mental health professionals, among others.

If the documentation is not sufficient, the EEOC says the employer should explain why and give the person a chance to supply what is missing. When the information provided is insufficient, the EEOC says the law does not prevent an employer from requiring a visit to a health professional of its own choice, and the employer must pay for that visit. Ask human resources what the documentation needs to cover. A full evaluation may be more than the request calls for.

Testing agencies

For admissions, licensing and certification exams, the U.S. Department of Justice has published guidance on testing accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. It says any documentation a testing entity requires must be reasonable and limited to the need for the accommodation requested.

The guidance says testing entities should defer to documentation from a qualified professional who has made an individualized assessment of the candidate. It describes qualified professionals as licensed or otherwise properly credentialed, with expertise in the disability involved.

It also says reports from professionals who have evaluated the candidate should take precedence over the views of reviewers who have not, and adds that face-to-face interaction is a critical part of accurately evaluating learning disabilities in particular. The guidance does not say whether a video appointment counts as face-to-face. Each testing agency publishes its own documentation requirements, so read them and ask that question directly.

The Social Security Administration

Social Security disability claims work differently from accommodation requests. The Social Security Administration (SSA) describes medical evidence as the cornerstone of its disability determination. Each person who files a claim is responsible for providing medical evidence of an impairment and how severe it is, and SSA says it will help gather records from the person's own medical sources with permission.

SSA states that its regulations require objective medical evidence from what it calls an acceptable medical source to establish that a person has an impairment, and that the regulations define those terms. After that, it considers all evidence from medical and nonmedical sources about how the impairment affects the ability to function in a work setting.

If the evidence from a person's own sources is not enough, SSA may arrange a consultative examination and pay the authorized fee for it. A private evaluation is one piece of evidence SSA weighs. It does not decide a claim. SSA alone decides what that evidence means.

Questions to ask before you pay for any evaluation

Put these to the person or office that asked for the evaluation, and ask for the answers in writing.

• Do you have written documentation requirements or a form, and can you send them to me?
• What does the documentation need to show: a diagnosis, how it was reached, how it affects me, or specific recommendations?
• Who has to write or sign it, and what license or credentials must that person hold?
• Does it matter to you whether the evaluation was carried out by video or in an office?
• Do you already have enough from my current doctor or therapist, or from records I have on file?
• How recent does the documentation need to be, and what is your deadline?

How we can help

Locascio Wellness carries out psychological evaluations entirely by secure video for people who are physically located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia or Arizona during appointments. The types we offer include a disability evaluation and an ADHD evaluation. Each evaluation ends with the findings explained in plain language and a written report, and our reports are co-signed by a supervising licensed psychologist.

We cannot tell you that a report will be accepted by a school, employer, testing agency or the Social Security Administration, and we cannot predict what an evaluation will find. What we can do is look at the requester's written requirements with you before anything is scheduled, so you can decide whether an evaluation with us fits what they asked for.

Evaluations are private-pay, with a sliding scale available. See what evaluations cost. The first step is the short evaluation request form or a free 15-minute consultation, which you can book online.

Therapy is a separate service. If the stress behind the paperwork is about work itself, our career counseling page explains how ongoing support works. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, or call 911. Locascio Wellness does not provide emergency services.