Board Certified Neuropsychologist
Assessment, Individual and Family Consultation, Medicolegal Services
Federal Aviation Administration Evaluation Overview
An FAA neuropsychological evaluation is meant to objectively assess the airman’s cognitive and psychological functioning to ensure that there are no issues that can pose a risk to the safety of the aviator and passengers.
Typically, the process begins by receiving a notification letter from the FAA indicating the need for a neuropsychological or psychological evaluation. At this point, you and your AME (Aviation Medical Examiner) must find a neuropsychologist who is qualified to perform the evaluation using the standardized protocols set forth by the FAA. If you do not have an aviation medical examiner (AME), go to the FAA’s AME locator here.
Dr. Heidi Rossetti meets the FAA requirements for neuropsychologists and has completed both the basic and advanced HIMS training. She is able to perform both psychologicla or neuropsychological evaluations.
An FAA psychological evaluation may take 3-5 face-to-face hours (including the interview), whereas an FAA neuropsychological evaluation can take 6-12 hours, depending on the questions that need to be answered. Administration of the CogScreen test on its own typically takes 45 minutes to an hour. Upon completion of testing, an report is produced inclusive of the findings from the records, interviews, and testing results, and conclusions and recommendations for treatment and/or flight status. The final report is usually completed within two weeks.
FAA evaluations are not covered by insurance as they are considered a fitness-for-duty evaluation and are not ordered by your doctor to diagnose a condition. All evaluations require at a minimum a clinical interview, a review of applicable health/academic/legal records, and collateral interviews with family/supervisors/providers if appropriate.
How to Schedule an Appointment
1. Send a copy of your FAA letter to our office. You can either fax it to 972-301-2162, or e-mail to info@heidirossettiphd.com.
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2. The FAA requires that you complete a request for your certified file to be sent to Dr. Rossetti. If you have applied for your license or ever held a student or pilot license, the FAA has a medical file for you. The FAA stipulates that the neuropsychologist must comment in their report what records were received and reviewed as part of the evaluation. NOTE: receiving records directly from the FAA is their requirement, and not specific to this office. It can take 6-8 weeks to receive records, so please do this as soon as possible. A form to request records can be found here. If you write “HUDDLE” next to Dr. Rossetti’s name, we will get the records more quickly in electronic form.
3. In the case of ADHD referrals, please note that the FAA requires you to obtain a urine drug screen (UDS) within 24-hours after each day of testing. You should schedule the UDS on your own, and please note that UDS cost is separate from the cost of the evaluation (see below for additional details).
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Cost
Evaluations conducted at the request of the FAA follow standardized and comprehensive protocols. Therefore, the evaluations are flat-fee and based on the specific protocol required. These evaluations are not covered by health insurance. FAA evaluations require a deposit of half the estimated cost of the evaluation to book the appointment, and the remaining balance is due in full at the first visit. The following rates are based on typical start-to-finish times and includes review of up to 100 pages of records. All services provided over the allotted time are billed hourly ($350/hour).
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• Re-administration of only CogScreen: $1,250 (existing client) or $1,650 (new client).
• ADHD: $2,800 for the initial screener. The FAA requires that if there are concerns based on the initial screener, a second day of testing would be warranted. The examinee would be informed on the same day of the initial screener of their results and if the second day would be needed. If so, the second day would cost an additional $1,200. A urine drug screen (UDS) is required on each date of testing and is not included in this cost. The examinee is responsible for going to a lab or their choice to obtain the UDS (10 Panel Drug Test Including Expanded Opiates / Urine). The results can be faxed: 972-301-2162 or e-mailed: info@heidirossettiphd.com.
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• Depression with SSRI: Requires CogScreen first ($1,650). If concerns come up on the CogScreen, full neuropsychological testing is needed, which would be an additional $2,350 (total $4,000).
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• HIV: Initial evaluation is $4000.
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• Neurocognitive Impairment: Full neuropsychological evaluation required ($4,000).
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• Psychological Evaluation: Assuming no cognitive testing is required, $2,200.
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• Substance Abuse/Dependence: Full neuropsychological evaluation required
($4,000).
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