Empower CEO Meets With Rep. Abe Hamadeh and Veterans' Affairs Committee Staff on Improving Disability Examinations

PHX psychologist who evaluated 6,000+ veterans urged Congress to strengthen exam oversight and give examiners a direct line to the people who review their work

PHOENIX, AZ, UNITED STATES, September 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In August, Yisroel Loeb, PhD, founder and chief executive officer of Empower, met in Washington, D.C., with Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-Ariz.), a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and its Subcommittee on Health, and with professional staff of the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees to discuss how Congress can improve the quality and consistency of the medical and mental health examinations that determine a veteran's disability rating.

“A veteran's disability examination is often the single most consequential clinical encounter of their life, and the most complex cases are the ones where quality matters most,” Dr. Loeb said. “This is not a volume problem. This is a clinical depth problem. Depth is built, not bought. It comes from clinicians who specialize in these conditions, who are supported by named clinical leadership, and who can reach the person accountable for the report when something is unclear. I came to Washington to make the case that the program should expect that from everyone who serves veterans, including us.”

Dr. Loeb, a licensed clinical psychologist who has personally worked with more than 6,000 veterans who completed the compensation and pension evaluation process, discussed three program improvements with lawmakers and committee staff:

Restoring the two-year review cycle. The VA conducts Special Focused Reviews of examinations for traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, and Gulf War Illness. In September 2025 the Department lengthened that cycle from two years to three, citing resource constraints. Dr. Loeb asked Congress to restore the two-year cycle so quality problems in the most complex examinations are caught sooner.

A direct feedback channel for examiners. The Government Accountability Office has recommended that the VA establish a way for contracted examiners to raise clinical and process concerns directly with the Department rather than only through their vendor. Dr. Loeb urged the committees to see that recommendation through.

Senate action on H.R. 2201. The Improving VA Training for Military Sexual Trauma Claims Act, which addresses training for contracted examiners who evaluate military sexual trauma claims, passed the House by voice vote in May 2025 and has been pending before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs since. Dr. Loeb asked for the bill to move.

“Rep. Hamadeh served in the Army Reserve and represents a district with a large veteran population, and the committee staff we met with know this program in detail,” Dr. Loeb said. “They asked hard, specific questions, which is exactly what veterans should want from the people overseeing their care. We are grateful for their time and we intend to keep showing up.”

Empower supports disability evaluations for more than 4,000 veterans each month through a national network of licensed psychologists and medical providers in all 50 states. Because the company recruits, credentials, and clinically supports its own clinicians, it can expand capacity by state, by specialty, and by examination type as the need for complex evaluations moves. Every Empower examiner works under named clinical leadership and can reach the clinician accountable for the report.

Dr. Loeb founded Empower after seeing capable clinicians asked to carry complex, high-stakes caseloads without the supervision, structure, and support that make that work sustainable. The company's model treats clinician development as its operating system rather than a benefit line item.

About Empower
Empower is a clinician-led behavioral health company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded by licensed psychologist Yisroel Loeb, PhD, Empower supports disability evaluations for more than 4,000 veterans each month through a national network of licensed psychologists and medical providers operating under named clinical leadership, with coverage across all 50 states. Empower also provides psychological evaluation, trauma-informed treatment, and care coordination for individuals recovering from injury, and behavioral health services that help injured workers return to function. Learn more at empowermh.co.

Krista Tillman
Empower
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