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Section 4 / Part 5
Effective Date: May 1, 1998
Psychological testing
Records from current and prior treating and evaluation sources should
be obtained prior to ordering new psychological evaluations. As a general
policy, the more extensive the treatment history, the less in-depth psychological
evaluations are needed. If questions arise regarding the adequacy of the
records or the need for further psychological evaluation, when feasible
counselors and Program Administrators are encouraged to secure input from their District
Psychological Consultant or the State Psychological Consultant.
With each referral for psychological evaluation, there must be documentation
of the referral questions and rationale for the referral. Referral questions
may typically appear in a referral letter to the psychologist whereas
the rationale for the referral may only appear in the case record narrative.
Referral questions and the rationale statement could also be included
in the referral letter to the evaluating psychologist.
All reports must include the following information:
- Date the testing was administered.
- Who administered the testing.
- Person who interpreted the testing and wrote the report submitted.
- Time spent administering each test.
- The total time spent on interpretation and reporting.
The following are psychological evaluation guidelines. Also included
are common reasons for authorizing these procedures and maximum charges
that are allowed. Individual psychologists may substitute their own preferred
assessments to address the counselor’s referral questions provided
the billing does not exceed the following guidelines or a maximum of 6
hours ($52.50 per hour).
Mental status examination up to a maximum
of $70 This is a clinical interview to confirm functional limitations for persons
with a history of mental illness. This also may be used as an initial
examination for clients who have reported work problems or presented unusual
behavior during the initial interview with the counselor. If the mental
status exam results indicate intellectual and personality assessments
are needed, then additional evaluations would be authorized. This level
of examination may be sufficient for rehabilitation facility referrals
which need a current assessment of an already diagnosed disability. The
mental status examination is an appropriate evaluation when the client’s
impairments appear overtly severe and when there is extensive but not
current treatment history.
Intelligence testing up to a maximum of
2.5 hours
This includes the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised and the
Stanford-Binet. It will not require the same amount of time to administer
this testing to all vocational rehabilitation (VR) clients. In particular,
clients with a diagnosis of mental retardation typically require much
less time to administer this testing. Intellectual testing should only
be ordered if there is a reason to suspect an intellectual deficit or
learning disability. Intellectual testing may also be appropriate when
a client is interested in pursuing an academic or training program that
requires a certain level of cognitive ability; however, other sources
of functional information such as school transcripts and prior work history
should be utilized before ordering intellectual testing. IQ testing done
after the age of 16 is considered to be stable throughout a person’s
adult life, assuming the original testing was a valid and reliable estimate
and there were no intervening injuries or disease process that could result
in a decline in cognitive functioning.
Standardized Achievement Testing up to a
maximum of 2.5 hours
In cases where a learning disability is suspected, the Woodcock-Johnson
Achievement Battery is recommended. When achievement deficits are believed
to result from academic underachievement or lack of education, the Wide
Range Achievement Test may be sufficient (maximum of 1 hour).
Personality Assessment up to a maximum of
1 hour per test or 2 hours
In situations where there is reason to suspect that a psychiatric impairment
will interfere with work function or completion of a training or academic
program, personality assessment such as the MMPI (1 hour) and/or projective
testing such as the Rorschach or TAT (1 hour each) may be appropriate,
particularly if there is a minimum of existing information.
Substance Abuse
If substance abuse is an issue, it should not be evaluated with the
use of psychological evaluation. Instead, the client should be referred
to Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Services for an assessment.
Neuropsychological assessment up to a maximum
of 8 hours
Neuropsychological evaluation (such as the Halstead Reitan and Luria
Nebraska) should be done very sparingly but may be appropriate in complex
cases of head injury or learning disability. The District or State Psychological
Consultant must approve referrals for a complete neuropsychological battery.
The hourly rate is procedure code M0601 or 90830. This is not a specialist
exam.
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