Dr. Willoughby and Associates offers a psychological independent medical examination with a narrative opinion, while a DBQ is an optional additional service. That distinction matters if you are comparing the practice with a provider advertising only a records-review nexus letter.

My view is that the practice deserves consideration for a defined psychological assessment need. The public website explains its examination model in useful detail. I did not establish a complete public price or an independent customer-review sample strong enough to support a broad satisfaction verdict.

I built Claim Raven, so this review has a commercial conflict. I checked public documents and exact-brand feedback searches on September 10, 2026. I did not purchase an examination, inspect a private report, or verify each clinician's current license through an official roster. This is educational analysis, not medical or legal advice.

TL;DR

  • Service: Psychological independent medical examinations, often abbreviated IMEs, for VA disability evidence.
  • Advertised examination: A remote interview and records review, with a narrative report and medical opinion when appropriate.
  • DBQ: Optional and separately discussed; do not assume it is included in the base quote.
  • Price: Private pay. A complete current dollar amount was not established from the public pages reviewed.
  • Provider: The practice describes an employed clinical team; its FAQ includes a supervised psychological-associate exception in Maryland.
  • Feedback: A favorable attorney testimonial is company selected. Independent positive and negative customer evidence remained limited in this search.

What the practice actually sells

The evaluation overview describes a records review and 50-to-90-minute virtual interview followed by a written report. The FAQ says a nexus-style opinion is included when clinically appropriate, with a DBQ available separately.

An examination, a medical opinion, and a form are related but distinct. The examination gathers clinical information. The opinion explains a medical conclusion and its reasoning. The form organizes specified findings. Buying one does not automatically mean the quote includes every possible document.

Start with the question your evidence needs to answer. If you need an assessment of psychological symptoms and history, an examination may be relevant. If you already have sufficient clinical findings and need a narrower records-based opinion, compare that scope before paying for a larger service.

Who is behind the service?

The team page identifies Crystal Willoughby, Psy.D., as founder and Amanda Barrow, Ph.D., as Director of Veteran Services. It presents other clinical and administrative staff and distinguishes administrative responsibilities from clinical work.

Those names help identify the practice but do not tell you who will handle your appointment. Ask for the assigned evaluator's name, professional title, license number, and relevant specialty. If another person supervises or signs, obtain that person's information too.

A team biography is a provider's credential claim. I did not independently certify current standing for the entire team. Before scheduling, verify the assigned professional through the appropriate licensing authority and confirm any interstate authority needed for the place where you will physically attend the appointment.

The Maryland associate exception

The FAQ says that, in Maryland, an examination may be performed by a board-registered psychological associate under supervision and final sign-off by a licensed psychologist. That qualification matters alongside broader site language about doctoral-level psychologists conducting examinations.

I would ask who performs the interview, who reviews the records, and who signs the final opinion. A supervised arrangement should be explained clearly before you book, rather than discovered from a signature block after delivery.

The practical question is responsibility. If you identify a factual error or need clarification, who responds? How does the supervising professional participate in the assessment? Ask for an answer tied to your scheduled service. A general team description cannot substitute for the actual staffing arrangement in your case.

Scope: psychological conditions and physical conditions

The FAQ says the practice can evaluate mental-health conditions associated with already service-connected physical conditions, but directs people seeking an opinion about a physical condition secondary to mental health to a medical doctor. That is a service-specific boundary worth checking early.

Do not infer that every provider using the term nexus offers the same range of work. Tell the practice the exact condition and medical question before paying. Ask whether the request fits the assigned evaluator's scope or whether another specialty is more appropriate.

This can prevent buying the wrong assessment. A useful report about a psychological condition may not answer an unresolved question about a separate physical condition. The fact that two issues appear in the same claim does not make them one professional task or one price.

Current price and what remains unknown

The homepage pricing explanation says fees are discussed before commitment, services are private pay rather than insurance covered, and optional DBQs are quoted separately. I did not establish a complete current public fee schedule or financing arrangement.

Ask for the total in writing, including examination, records review, narrative opinion, optional forms, revisions, expedited work, and any follow-up. If a service is described as included, confirm whether it is included regardless of the clinical conclusion or only when appropriate findings support it.

The absence of a published amount in this review is not proof that the practice withholds quotes from prospective customers. It does limit my ability to compare value in dollars. I would not substitute another psychologist's fee or an unrelated provider's review for the actual price this practice offers you.

How I would compare a quote

Use the same scope on both sides of the comparison. A quote for an interview, records review, and full report is different from a price for a letter based only on existing records. A DBQ-only price may omit the narrative opinion you actually need.

For illustration only, a hypothetical $1,200 examination plus a $200 optional form totals $1,400. A hypothetical $1,500 bundle is $100 more, but it could include different work. These are not Dr. Willoughby and Associates prices; they show why the list of deliverables must accompany the total.

If installments are available, add all payments and compare them with the cash amount. Ask whether an outside finance provider is involved and whether cancellation affects the payment obligation. Do not assume a private-pay service will be reimbursed simply because the work is performed by a licensed clinician.

What happens before the appointment?

The evaluation overview describes submitting records and completing consent forms and questionnaires before the virtual session. Ask which records are necessary for your specific question and how missing information changes the schedule.

Prepare a concise index of relevant documents and keep the original files. Identify prior decisions or examinations that explain the evidence issue. A large upload is not automatically a complete file, and a small, relevant set may still need an important missing record.

Also ask when the clinician reviews the material. If you submit new records shortly before the appointment, confirm whether they can be considered or whether the session should be rescheduled. The purpose is a meaningful assessment, not simply reaching an appointment date with an incomplete picture.

What the examination is, and what it is not

The notice of privacy practices describes the services as evaluative rather than treatment and says they do not establish a treatment relationship. That distinction should be understood before sharing information or expecting ongoing clinical care.

Ask what happens if the assessment identifies a treatment need. An examiner can evaluate a question without becoming the professional responsible for your ongoing care. If you need treatment, arrange it through the appropriate care provider rather than assuming the purchased report includes continuing support.

During the appointment, describe your experience accurately and ask for clarification when a question is unclear. An independent assessment is not an exercise in selecting answers to obtain a predetermined rating. The usefulness of the report depends on the quality of the information and the clinician's reasoning.

Turnaround and report delivery

The evaluation process advertises report delivery within seven to ten business days after the examination. Confirm the current schedule and any exceptions before booking. Time waiting for an appointment or missing records may be separate from the report-production window.

If you have a deadline, state it in the first conversation and ask for a realistic delivery expectation. Include time for reviewing identifying details and correcting factual mistakes. An estimate should not be treated as permission to ignore an official deadline or assume another organization will extend it.

Ask how the completed report is delivered and whether you receive the final signed version directly. If an attorney or another party requested the examination, clarify who receives copies and what authorization governs that sharing. Keep your own accessible copy for future reference.

Refunds, cancellation, and corrections

I did not verify a complete public cancellation and refund agreement covering all stages of this service. Obtain the terms before payment, including rescheduling, missed appointments, incomplete records, and what happens if the evaluation does not support the hoped-for conclusion.

Ask how factual errors are corrected and whether there is a review window. A wrong date, omitted record, or misspelled name is different from disagreement with the clinician's judgment. A useful correction process should protect accuracy without implying that the customer can purchase a different medical conclusion.

Also ask what follow-up is included after a VA decision. A clarification, new assessment, additional form, and representation are different services. If another report is requested later, determine whether the original fee covers it or whether a new quote is needed.

Positive feedback: what was available

Feedback checked September 10, 2026. The homepage displays a favorable testimonial attributed to attorney David Leamon of Leamon Legal. It praises the practice's attention to individual history and the reasoning in its reports. This is a company-selected professional testimonial, not an independently collected customer sample.

The positive material available in this search supports a limited observation: the practice displays a professional endorsement of report detail and reasoning, but I did not independently verify the endorsement's underlying cases.

That material can help identify questions to ask about the work product. Request a fictional or appropriately de-identified sample and ask how the report addresses the particular medical question. An endorsement does not establish how every veteran experiences scheduling, cost, communication, or delivery.

Negative feedback and the evidence gap

Exact-name, domain, and founder-name searches, including Reddit-oriented review searches, did not establish a clear independent customer sample for this article. Some results involved unrelated people or businesses with similar names; those were excluded.

I did not find an attributable negative customer quotation that I could confidently connect to this practice and the VA examination service in the selected search.

That is not a finding that no dissatisfied customers exist. It also does not establish that the company's selected endorsement represents all customers. The concerns I identify about unverified pricing, appointment staffing, and incomplete public cancellation terms are editorial observations, not customer allegations.

What the feedback limit means for a buyer

With limited independent feedback, I would place more weight on the actual evaluator, a specific written quote, a sample deliverable, and clear correction and cancellation terms before booking.

Those steps do not guarantee satisfaction, but they give you concrete information that a thin review record cannot provide. You can assess whether the examination matches your need and whether the total is acceptable without assigning a success percentage to testimonials.

This was a convenience sample found through exact-brand Reddit and open-web searches. Purchases, medical records, and claimed outcomes were not independently verified, and the sample cannot predict a customer's result.

Marketing comparisons and VA decisions

The website compares private IMEs favorably with shorter opinions and some C&P examinations. I would not treat report length or appointment duration as proof that one document necessarily carries more weight in your case. Ask what relevant evidence and reasoning the proposed assessment would add.

VA's claim-exam guidance explains the role of its examinations. Follow official instructions if one is requested. A private report can address an evidence need without giving its seller control over the government's evaluation or final decision.

Do not assume every kind of decision review accepts the same new evidence at the same stage. If that procedural question is unresolved, obtain appropriate accredited assistance before purchasing a report for a particular filing route. The medical provider's service description should not replace advice about your actual procedural position.

Privacy and the information flow

The privacy notice, effective February 2026, describes evaluation-related uses, authorized sharing, and ways to request access, amendment, or confidential communications. It notes that limitations may apply in the IME context. These are the practice's published terms, not an audit of its systems.

Ask who requested the evaluation, who may receive the report, and which authorization permits disclosure. Review the website privacy policy as well, while distinguishing general website activity from the handling of a clinical file.

Before uploading records, ask about retention, deletion, backups, and export. If another party is paying, clarify whether that changes access to the finished document. A clear information flow is especially important for an evaluative relationship that differs from ordinary treatment.

Who may be a good fit, and who should start elsewhere?

The practice may suit a veteran who needs a psychological examination and a reasoned narrative report, can confirm an appropriate evaluator, and receives acceptable terms. A defined assessment need is a better starting point than a desire to purchase the longest possible report.

Start elsewhere if you need ongoing treatment, a physical-condition opinion outside the offered scope, or accredited representation. The practice's own scope boundary is useful here. A psychological IME should not be assumed to solve every medical or procedural issue in a claim.

If affordability is the main concern, ask about appropriate existing care resources and free accredited VSO assistance for representation-related tasks. Compare professional services on the work they perform, and budget without assuming a favorable award will cover the bill.

Claim Raven and other alternatives

I built Claim Raven, which is educational software. It does not conduct a psychological examination or sign an independent medical opinion. Software and a clinical assessment should not be compared as interchangeable ways to obtain the same evidence.

If you need representation, start with VA's accredited-help guidance. If you need a medical assessment, compare the clinician, scope, records considered, and follow-up terms. If you need organization and education, compare that workflow separately.

Questions to ask before booking

  1. Who will conduct the interview, supervise if applicable, and sign the report?
  2. What current credentials and location authority cover the appointment?
  3. Does my exact medical question fit your psychological scope?
  4. What is the complete private-pay total, including an optional DBQ?
  5. What records are required before the examination?
  6. What cancellation, correction, and follow-up rules apply?
  7. When should the final signed report arrive, and who receives it?
  8. How are records retained, exported, shared, and deleted?

My buying conclusion and sources

Dr. Willoughby and Associates publishes a useful description of its examination model, but the assigned professional and actual quote determine the purchase. Resolve those details and the cancellation terms before relying on a company-selected endorsement.

Linked sources were checked September 10, 2026. This review did not include a purchase, private-file inspection, independent customer survey, or individual license verification.

Where to go next

Compare the Vet Nexus Letter review, consult the nexus-letter cost guide, or browse the Claim Raven blog.