A Neuropsych the DOE Pays For: How IEEs Work

TL;DR

An independent educational evaluation, or IEE, is an evaluation the DOE pays for but someone outside the DOE performs. For most NYC families who ask for one, it's a neuropsychological evaluation. Privately, those run $6,000 to $10,000. With an IEE, you should pay nothing.

You have to ask the right way, at the right time. We looked through the DOE's own rulebook, the Special Education Standard Operating Procedures Manual. We asked a special education attorney. And we heard from 30 neuropsychologists on the DOE's approved voucher list.

Here's what they told us.

The DOE's manual puts it plainly: "An IEE at public expense is an evaluation paid for by NYCPS but conducted by a qualified professional not employed by NYCPS."

An IEE can be a speech, OT or physical therapy evaluation. In NYC, parents most often ask for a neuropsychological evaluation. The DOE doesn't do those itself. "They will not do a neuropsych in house," said Dr. Susie Kozelka, a Manhattan neuropsychologist who does DOE voucher evaluations.

Most school psychologists aren't licensed for it. "You need to be licensed with a neuropsych, and you need to be able to diagnose," she said. 

Most families never ask for an IEE, and many don't need one. If the school's evaluation gets your child the right help, that evaluation may be enough. "If what you're asking for can be offered from the DOE without much push, then the school’s evaluation might be fine," Kozelka said. 

A neuropsych can do two things the school's evaluation (likely a psychoeducational) can't:

It isn't too late for older kids. "Plenty of times, if a child is at middle school working at a first grade level with the correct supports, they will progress from there. Which is why it's so important to get them in the right place and with the right supports," said Dr. Sophia Braha, a Brooklyn neuropsychologist.

Signs that parents and providers pointed to:

A neuropsych goes well past the school's psychoeducational evaluation. Dr. Braha, the Brooklyn neuropsychologist, lists what it should include: "IQ, academic functioning, visual spatial processing, memory, attention, executive functioning, language processing, visual motor precision, and also emotional functioning." 

Ask any evaluator what tests they'll give. Braha has seen families pay "multiple thousands of dollars to do just basic IQ tests," and a parent "doesn't know that this is not a comprehensive evaluation." 

Braha suggested three questions for any evaluator: 

An IEE shouldn't be a lesser version of a private evaluation. "In terms of the quality of the evaluation, it's exactly the same. There's no difference," said Dr. Dominick Auciello of Envisage Neuropsychology. 

Dr. Michael Meager of Grey Matter Neuropsychology told us the same: "My evaluations are comprehensive and are given the same level of detailed attention whether paid by insurance or DOE voucher." 

One difference: the DOE gets a copy of the report. With an IEE, "you are required to provide it to the school," Kozelka said. If you pay privately, the report is yours to share or keep.

After the DOE evaluates your child and you disagree with the result. The DOE's manual says parents "may only obtain an IEE at public expense when they disagree with the last completed NYCPS evaluation." That evaluation can be an initial evaluation or a reevaluation, such as a triennial.

There's a second route, too. The DOE can send your child to an outside evaluator as part of its own evaluation. More on that below. If cost is the worry, see our list of low-cost neuropsych clinics.

There are two routes to get the DOE to pay. "It's difficult because understandably, parents don't typically know the difference," said Lloyd Donders, a special education attorney. "I do many IEE cases," he told us. 

The DOE's manual says an evaluation must look at "all areas related to the suspected disability." It lists a neuropsychological assessment among the "specialized assessments" the IEP team can order.

Asked whether parents can request a neuropsych before the DOE evaluates, Donders said, "That is technically true. There's a subtle difference." The DOE can't do a neuropsych itself. "I don't believe the DOE can perform their own neuropsychological," he said. So when the team decides one is needed, "they will often allow the parent to get a private neuropsych." 

The manual backs this up. If you ask for an assessment the staff agree is warranted, and no DOE evaluator can do it, the DOE must issue an Assessment Authorization for an outside evaluator. The outside evaluation becomes part of the DOE's own.

"It may be 'independent,' but it is still part of their reevaluation," Donders said. 

This is the route Kozelka described: you "can ask for it straight out." She added: "They don't have to give it to you." The DOE may want its own psychoeducational evaluation first. "The DOE might decide that they would like to do an in-house Psychoeducational Evaluation before authorizing an Independent Neuropsychological Evaluation," said Dr. Tanya Kaushik, a Manhattan neuropsychologist who does voucher evaluations.

When to use it: when a triennial or other reevaluation is coming up. Ask the team to include a neuropsych before the evaluation starts.

The IEE right is separate. The manual calls it "distinct from" an outside evaluation the DOE orders as part of its own work. You get it by disagreeing with the DOE's last completed evaluation.

You can't use it while the DOE's evaluation is still underway. The manual says parents "are not entitled to an IEE at public expense while NYCPS's own evaluation is in process."

When to use it: after the DOE's evaluation is done, when you think it missed something or got your child wrong.

If you want to keep your child's current school, Kozelka suggests a gentler path: "it's helpful to play their game a little bit. Take their psychoed." If it doesn't lead to the help your child needs, push for the neuropsych. 

If the DOE approves, you get a written notice and an Assessment Authorization (AA) letter, plus three forms:

You pick an evaluator. You return the signed AA-2 to the DOE's Assessments Operations Team. The evaluator does the testing, then sends the report and invoice to the DOE.

Get the paperwork in order first. "I encourage parents to familiarize themselves with the voucher authorization process and confirm that all necessary documentation is in place before scheduling an evaluation," said Dr. Marie Aristilde, a neuropsychologist who takes DOE vouchers. "This can help prevent unnecessary delays and make the process smoother for families."

Before you book, check that you have:

The DOE pays a standard rate. The manual says it can approve "a higher rate" when no evaluator can be found at the standard one. Providers call that the enhanced rate.

The DOE hasn't told us its rates. Five providers told us the standard rate is about $2,500. Most said the enhanced rate is usually $5,000, and some have seen more. Most of the 26 providers taking vouchers told us they take only the enhanced rate.

The enhanced rate isn't automatic. "The enhanced rate must be approved by the DOE," said Dr. Yoon Joh, a school neuropsychologist. "Sometimes, they issue an AA with the enhanced rate already approved. Other times, the parents have to ask the SBST (School-Based Support Team, usually the psychologist), who then needs to get approval from the district supervisors."

Check the number on your forms before you book. "Parents should clarify the approved evaluation fee as well as ensure that the evaluation will address their child's specific needs," said Dr. Zelda Singer.

With an approved voucher, you shouldn't pay. Dr. Ava Dorfman's office told us that DOE voucher policies "prohibit providers from accepting supplemental payments from parents, including payments intended to cover the difference between the voucher amount and the provider's customary fee." Dr. Joseph Demers put it more bluntly: charging families up front on an AA-2 voucher is "a breach of contract."

The DOE keeps a registry of approved evaluators. You don't have to use it. The manual says you can choose an evaluator "who is not on the registry, so long as that evaluator meets NYCPS agency criteria." Those criteria cover licensure, location and cost. Staff can suggest names, "but parents are not obligated to use these."

If your child's needs call for someone outside the criteria, you can ask for an exception in writing. Explain your child's "unique circumstances," such as a complex disability profile.

The registry is out of date. We contacted every neuropsychologist on the DOE's October 2026 list. Of the 30 who answered, 26 are taking voucher cases now. Four aren't: one stopped, one paused, one no longer evaluates, and one no longer sees children.

Why waits can be long: the manual says providers should be paid within six weeks. Auciello told us "it can take 6-12 months or more to get paid by the DOE." So many providers take only one or two voucher cases a month.

An IEE can be denied at two points. The DOE can turn down your request. Or, if you paid first, a hearing officer can refuse to make the DOE pay you back. Donders, who handles these cases, walked us through why it happens. The DOE's manual adds its own rules.

You can't get an IEE while the DOE's own evaluation is still in process. And if the DOE never did your child's reevaluation, a neuropsych you got on your own may not be paid back. "Sometimes parents will get a neuropsych b/c the District failed to do their own reevaluation. The SRO will usually deny the reimbursement and order the District to do the reevaluations," Donders said. The SRO is the State Review Officer, who hears appeals. Sometimes a hearing officer orders the DOE to evaluate first. "This is contrary to the law, but your only recourse would be to appeal," he said. 

How to avoid it: If an evaluation is overdue, ask for the reevaluation in writing first. Or ask the IEP team to include a neuropsych in it (Route 1).

The IEE right comes from disagreeing with a full evaluation: an initial evaluation or a reevaluation. The manual says disagreeing with a standalone assessment, such as a single speech evaluation, doesn't count. Neither does disagreeing with the IEP or IESP meeting. 

Donders sees parents "'disagree' with only one assessment (often an FBA, Assistive Technology, or in some cases, even Speech or OT assessments which were not part of a statutory evaluation)." 

The DOE's wording adds to the confusion. "It can get a bit confusing since the DOE often uses the word 'reevaluation' even though the assessment was not a statutory reevaluation," he said.

How to avoid it: In your request, name the evaluation you disagree with and its date. Confirm it was an initial evaluation or a reevaluation.

You don't have to say why you disagree. But you do have to say that you do. "Sometimes a parent isn't clear enough about their disagreement. They're not required to say WHY they disagree, but they do have to disagree," Donders said. If your request is vague, or comes a year or more after the last evaluation, the manual tells staff to check whether you want an IEE or a new evaluation. A request can end up treated as something else.

How to avoid it: Use the words: "I disagree with the [date] evaluation and request an independent educational evaluation at public expense."

To be paid, an IEE must meet the DOE's criteria for licensure, location and cost. At a hearing, the price can be the problem. "IHOs may say the requested neuropsych is too expensive, but sometimes they will just cut the rate. The issue of what a proper rate is would be the District's burden," Donders said. 

How to avoid it: Ask about the rate before you book. If no one will take the standard rate, ask for the enhanced rate. If your child needs a specialist outside the DOE's criteria, ask for an exception in writing and explain why.

This is the big one. "The most common right now would be requesting an IEE for the first time in a DPC," Donders said. A DPC is a due process complaint. The rule has flipped several times between the SRO and federal courts. "Unsurprisingly, the SRO is back to it not being allowed," he said. 

Paying first is a gamble too. The manual says the DOE judges reimbursement as if you had asked in advance. "If a parent gets a private neuropsych first (w/ no AA-2 voucher) they may still be entitled to reimbursement," Donders said. "It's a little tricky, so they really should use a Special Ed attorney. But the Parent is definitely taking a risk. The DOE can still argue that their reevaluation was comprehensive and yours was not necessary." 

Even a strong case can take years. "Even with the best facts I can't predict which IHO I will get," he said. One of his clients is appealing a denied neuropsych reimbursement. "It will be several years for her to reimbursement." Appeals are slow across the board.

Using the State Review Office's monthly numbers, Donders estimated a new appeal would take "60 months to receive a decision.” Here's more on the appeals backlog.

Some families pay anyway, because waiting has a cost too. "But sometimes parents have the money, but not the time," he said. 

How to avoid it: Get written approval before you book. Donders put it plainly: "The only way I can guarantee a parent will get reimbursed is by bringing the case first and waiting for the Order. Then they know they'll get paid." If you decide to pay first anyway, talk with a special education attorney before you do. Here are some questions to ask a lawyer first. 

The DOE can't just ignore you. "The District is required to either fund the IEE or file a due process complaint (DPC) to defend their evaluation without unnecessary delay," Donders said. "What constitutes unnecessary is not clear-cut. But certainly the longer the District takes to fulfill their obligation, the more it looks like unnecessary delay." 

If it denies you, the manual says the DOE must consult its lawyers about filing a due process complaint, and send you a written notice with its reasons.

The DOE can also defend its own evaluation. "If they are able to show that the evaluation they did assessed the child in all suspected areas of disability, the IHO may deny the IEE because the District evaluation was fine," Donders said.

How hard is it to get a yes? Providers disagree. "It's usually not too hard of a push. It just depends," Kozelka said. Braha has heard otherwise: "I've heard right now it's a lot harder to get it approved." 

What you can do:

Independent educational evaluation. The DOE’s manual defines it as “an evaluation paid for by NYCPS but conducted by a qualified professional not employed by NYCPS.” For a neuropsych, it has to be someone outside the DOE. “They will not do a neuropsych in house,” said Dr. Susie Kozelka.

An IEE is an evaluation. An IEP is your child’s education plan. The evaluation is meant to change the plan. “A report’s not supposed to just sit on a shelf like it’s supposed to be an advocacy tool,” Kozelka said. Even if the DOE won’t pay for an evaluation, the manual says the IEP team “must still consider the independent evaluation in making its recommendations.” For more on what the plan must include, see our IEP Parent Rights Checklist.

You disagree with the DOE’s evaluation. Often, a child is getting help but not improving. “If your child has already been receiving special educational supports and is still struggling academically, that can be a big indicator that a more comprehensive evaluation might be needed,” said Dr. Enitan Marcelle. Or the plan is too thin: “Sometimes they’ll have an IEP, but it won’t be comprehensive enough,” said Dr. Sophia Braha.

Yes. Asked whether families paying tuition themselves have the same right, special education attorney Lloyd Donders said, “Yes they do. They can send the request to the CSE.” Dr. Tanya Kaushik agreed: “parents of children in NYC private schools can also try to request Independent Neuropsychological Evaluations funded by the DOE.”

No. The manual says you can choose an evaluator “who is not on the registry, so long as that evaluator meets NYCPS agency criteria.” Staff may suggest names, “but parents are not obligated to use these.” The list is also out of date. Four of the 30 providers who answered us aren’t taking voucher cases.

The manual says “within 15 school days of a clear request, unless there are documented reasons for delay.” Donders said delay hurts the DOE’s case: “certainly the longer the District takes to fulfill their obligation, the more it looks like unnecessary delay.” Kaushik’s advice: “parents should remain assertive. They should check back in regarding their request.”

You shouldn’t. “The parent NEVER pays out of pocket, as that would be a violation of IEE requirements in general,” said Dr. Matthew Pagirsky. Dr. Tara Gore: “I bill the DOE directly, so families do not need to pay upfront.” Dr. Joseph Demers calls charging families up front on a voucher “a breach of contract.”

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