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Psychological/Psychiatric
Examiner Services Program

The Psychological/Psychiatric Examiner Services Program strives to provide courts with access to highly skilled and competent examiners for civil commitment and Rule 20 evaluations. The program maintains a roster of examiners who are licensed physicians or psychologists and willing to accept these types of cases and comply with Judicial Branch policies.

Civil commitment is a legal process that allows the state to order a proposed patient into treatment even if the person objects. Because the process drastically impacts a person’s rights, it is only used in narrowly defined circumstances. Minnesota’s procedures for civil commitment are contained in chapter 253B of Minnesota’s Statutes. As part of the commitment process, an examiner must be appointed by the court. The proposed patient may also request a second examiner. The examiner submits a report to the court that offers an opinion whether civil commitment of the proposed patient is appropriate.

Pursuant to Minnesota Rules of Criminal Procedure (20.01 and 20.02), Rule 20 evaluations occur in criminal cases when there is a belief that a defendant may not be competent to proceed with the case or was not responsible at the time of the alleged offense because of mental illness or developmental disability.

Interested in Becoming a Psychological Services Examiner?

Statuatory qualifications: Knowledgeable, trained, and practicing in the diagnosis, and assessment, or treatment of mental impairment, and who is; (1) a licensed physician; (2) a licensed psychologist who has a doctoral degree in psychology or who became a licensed consulting psychologist before July 2, 1975. If you meet the qualifications and are interested in becoming a Psych Services Examiner, please complete the form using the following link and return the completed form to the mailing address listed below.

Note: The Examiner Information Form is temporarily unavailable. If you are interested in becoming a court-appointed examiner, please send an email via our contact form.


The Orientation Program for Court Appointed Forensic Examiners is an online tutorial available to anyone interested in learning more about the program.
No current announcements.


Court Services Division
Psych Examiner Services Program Staff
Send an email via our contact form
All examiners are required to use the Psychological Services Online Invoicing Application to submit invoices for district court-ordered exams performed for the Minnesota Judicial Branch.  

This invoicing application is for:
  • Civil Commitment examinations including SDP/SPP, Price and Jarvis Cases
  • Adult Rule 20.01 and 20.02 exams
This invoicing application is NOT for:
  • Prepetition examinations
  • Juvenile Rule 20.01 or 20.02 exams
  • EJJ exams
  • Repeat sex offender presentencing assessments
  • Judicial Appeal Panel Exams (Direct invoices for exams ordered by the Judicial Appeal Panel to: Ramona Lee at DHS State Operated Support Services, PO Box 64979, St. Paul, MN 55164-0979)

Helpful Tip: Online Help is available via the Help link within the online invoicing application. It contains detailed instructions for your reference.
 

Support Material

About Case Validation Within Invoicing System

All case numbers entered into Psychological Services online invoices must be verified as valid district court case numbers before an invoice can be submitted.

Valid case numbers must include a county code. A list of all county codes is available via the Help link on each screen of the invoicing system.

If the case number does not validate, you will be able to return to the invoice later to correct the number. The information you have input into the invoice will not be lost if one (or more) of the case numbers is invalid.

On Sundays between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM, you may not be able to validate the case numbers or submit invoices due to server maintenance schedules. However, you will be able to enter all case-related information into the invoice even though the system indicates that the case number is not valid. For instructions on entering case information into invoices when the case validation system is off-line, see link located above. The invoice can be submitted for approval once the case validation system is back online.
For All Users

For Examiners

For All Users

What if I need help or have questions?
Instructions are available through the Help link at the top of every screen within the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application. For further assistance, use the Service Desk link that is located at the bottom of any screen within the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application or use the Technical Support Form. The service desk is staffed during the hours of 7 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday, but you may submit your request at any time.

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Which web browsers work with Psychological Services?
Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher is required to use the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application. For Macintosh users, please use Firefox 3.0 or higher. Other web browsers may not function properly.

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Can I use the browser’s Back button?
Yes; however, it is recommended that you use the navigation buttons within the application. The Back button is not supported in this application. If you ever accidentally delete something and try to recover it by using the Back button, the deleted item may appear again but it will not actually be in the system. If you encounter this situation, it is recommended to immediately logout and log back in again.

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Do I need to have an email address?
Each user of Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing is required to have an email address as a method of contact.

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What if an examiner’s account is set to inactive?
If an examiner’s account is set to inactive, that examiner will not appear in any search results and will not be able to log into Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing. Contact the ITD Service Desk for assistance through the Service Desk link that is located at the bottom of any screen within the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application or send an email to ITDservicedesk@courts.state.mn.us.

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What if I forget my password?
Follow these steps: 
  1. Locate the Forgot Your Password box on the login page of the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application. 
  2. Enter your user name and click Submit. 
  3. Answer the secret question that appears to confirm your identity. If your answer confirms your identity, an email with a new default password will be sent to the email address on file for you. 
  4. Access the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application. Enter your user name and copy the new default password from the email and paste it into the password field.
  5. Once you have logged in with the default password, you may change the password to something easier to remember.
Note: If you attempt to log in too many times with an incorrect password, you will be locked out of the system. If you are locked out of the application or if you do not know the answer to your secret question, contact the ITD Service Desk. Use the Service Desk link that is located at the bottom of any screen within the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application or send an email to ITDservicedesk@courts.state.mn.us.

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What if I keep receiving a message when logging in that my attempts are not successful?
Follow the steps for What if I forget my password (located above) and try to log in again. If your attempts are still unsuccessful, your account may be inactive or you may be locked out. Please contact the ITD Service Desk through the Service Desk link that is located at the bottom of any screen within the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application or send an email to ITDservicedesk@courts.state.mn.us.

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What if I try to retrieve my password and receive nothing in my email?
It is likely that the email address on file is not correct or you have been locked out of your account. For assistance, please contact the ITD Service Desk through the Service Desk link that is located at the bottom of any screen within the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application or send an email to ITDservicedesk@courts.state.mn.us. 

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How do I know what counties I need to select when setting up my travel profile?
You should select the counties to which you are willing to travel in order to be appointed an examiner. For your reference, use the MN Map link on most screens in the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application. The MN Map shows all the counties and districts in Minnesota and opens in its own web browser window or tab.

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Can I print an invoice?
You may print your invoice at any time using the Single Invoice Detail Report. Click the Help link (located in the top-right corner) on any screen in the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application and refer to the Viewing/Printing Reports and Invoices online help topic.

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Where can I find the county code prefixes for case numbers?
Click the Help link (located in the top-right corner) on any screen in the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application and refer to the detailed State of Minnesota County Code Numbers online help topic.

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For Examiners

What if I want to delete a case from an invoice?
You may delete a case from an invoice by following the steps below.
  1. Open the invoice.
  2. On the left-hand side of the case to be deleted, click Select.
  3. Under the case to be deleted, click Add/Update Case.
  4. To delete the case entry, click Delete.
Note: Once you delete a case from an invoice, all associated items (e.g., all services, activities, etc.) will also be deleted. You must then re-enter the case and add all subsequent information (e.g., exam, services, mileage, and charges). It is strongly recommended that you verify all items before deleting.
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What if I want to delete an invoice?
Invoices cannot be deleted. You may simply leave an unsubmitted or denied invoice as it is, or you may repurpose the invoice by updating the case information or by deleting cases and adding new cases. To delete the case and add a new case, use the following steps:
  1. Open the invoice.
  2. On the left-hand side of the case to be deleted, click Select.
  3. Under the case to be deleted, click Add/Update Case.
  4. To delete the case entry, click Delete.
  5. Click Return to Invoice. The invoice screen should now be blank.
  6. To enter new case information and services, go back into Add/Update Case and enter the new case information.
  7. When you have completed entering each new case, click Update. Click the Help link on any screen in the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application and refer to the detailed online help located within Examiner Tools and Resources > Invoices > Entering an Invoice.
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When entering an invoice, what if I need to select a case type that is not part of my financial profile?
You must navigate to your profile and follow these instructions:
  1. To navigate to your profile, select Examiner > Profile. 
  2. Select the applicable financial option (e.g., Contract, Independent, or Employee). 
  3. To enter or change rate information – including the amount and the billing type (e.g., per hour, service, or case), click Edit.
  4. To save your changes, click Update. Click the Help link on any screen in the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application and refer to the detailed online help located within Examiner Tools and Resources > Profiles > Financial: Adding/Viewing/Editing Examiner Profile.
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What if I get an error when entering an invoice after selecting a case type?
When completing an invoice, if you select a case type that is not in your financial profile, the system displays an error and grays everything out. To exit the error, on the browser bar, click Back. To add that case type and rate to your profile, you must navigate to your profile and add it (follow the steps in When entering an invoice, what if I need to select a case type that is not part of my financial profile, located above), and then return to completing the invoice.

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What if a case number does not validate when I try to submit it even though I verified that the case number is correct?
There are a few possibilities for why a correct case number is not validating.
  • The online application requires that each case includes a county code. However, some courts do not include their two digit county code on court documents. Some larger counties with multiple locations use letters after the two digit county code to identify specific court locations. Look up the applicable county code in the list of Minnesota County Code Numbers accessible via the Help link. The Help is located in the top-right corner of the Psychological Services Electronic Invoicing application and is available on any screen.
  • Case numbers originating before 2008 may require a different format. If the case number does not include a “CR” or “PR” or “MH-PR” case type code, then the number after the last dash needs to have at least six digits. If there are not at least six digits, then zeros need to be added after the dash before the number until there are six digits.
    • Format: [county code]-[next two digits (letters and/or numbers]-[two digit year]-[six digit number]
    • Example: 10-K5-03-001 needs to be entered as 10-K5-03-000001
  • The case validation function may be off-line due to server updates. Most server updates occur Sundays between the hours of 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Case numbers will not validate when the server is being updated. However, you can enter all case related information into the invoice despite the system message indicating the case number is not valid (see below). The invoice may then be submitted for approval once the case validation system is back online.
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How do I enter case information into an invoice when the case validation system is off-line?
You will know that the case validation system is off-line and unavailable when you receive a message while entering an invoice that the case number is invalid despite the case number being correct. 

Note: Invoices can be completed when the case validation system is off-line, but they cannot be submitted until the case validation is back online. 
  1. When the message displays that the case number is invalid, click OK. Then click Return to Invoice.
  2. In the invoice, input case information for exam type, services, travel, etc. The case information that has been entered will be saved in the invoice. 
  3. Any time other than 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Sunday, login to the application and locate the applicable invoice number. 
  4. To open the applicable case number in the Cases section, click Select.
  5. Click Add/Update Cases; then click Edit; and then click Update. The case validation message will display. 
  6. If the case number is validated with the correct case information, then click OK.
  7. Click Return to Invoice.
  8. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click Submit Invoice for Approval.
  9. If you still receive the message that your case number is invalid, send an email via our contact form. 
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Roster Policy
Revisions to the Psychological/Psychiatric Examiner Services Roster Policy will go into effect on October 1, 2019.
 

Payment Policy 

Revisions to the Psychological/Psychiatric Examiner Services Payment Policy go into effect on October 1, 2019.

Psychological/Psychiatric Examiner Services Program Manual

Effective October 1, 2019, SCA Policies 510(a) & 510(b) will be accompanied by the Psychological/Psychiatric Examiner Services Program Manual (Program Manual). The Program Manual establishes procedures for the administration of both policies and provides best practice guidance for examiner services.
 

Request to Exceed the Maximum Fee in SDP/SPP Cases

Effective May 10, 2010, examiners who anticipate exceeding $5,000 in service hours for an SDP/SPP exam, must submit a Request to Exceed SDP/SPP Maximum Fee form for judicial approval prior to incurring the expense.

The Request to Exceed form and Instruction Sheet are provided below:

The following examiner report templates were created as a result of recommendations that were adopted in 2003 as Best Practice for the Psychological Services Program. The Psychological Services Advisory Committee was charged with developing standard examiner report forms for the Program. The Committee used the following objectives to create the report templates to accomplish the following:
  • Organize examiner information in a consistent order of uniform headings;
  • Prompt examiners to include relevant information in answer to standard case type specific questions (e.g., history, examination processes and results, and the relevant legal standard); and
  • Accomodate variations in examiner's perspectives and in case processing by including expandable free-form text boxes to explain/expound on answers to standard questions.
We encourage examiners, particularly those new to the Program, to use the report templates below

Examiner Reports - Rule 20.01 & Rule 20.02 Examiner Reports - Civil Commitments Examiner Reports - SDP/SPP Case Types