Before you pay anyone for a nexus letter, spend ten minutes confirming that the person who will sign it is who the website says. This is not paranoia. The VA weighs a medical opinion partly on the author's qualifications, and a letter signed by someone whose credentials do not check out can hurt a claim rather than help it. Every check below is free, public, and takes a minute or two. I have used my own credentials as the worked example, because a provider who cannot show you these five things has not earned your money.
1. Get a Name
Start here, because nothing else works without it. Ask, in writing: who, by name, will review my records and sign my letter? A company that answers with "one of our licensed providers" or "our medical team" is telling you it does not know yet, or does not want you to. Insist on a name and a credential (MD, DO, PsyD, NP, PA). Everything below depends on it.
2. State Medical License
Every state medical board has a public lookup. Search the name, confirm the license is active, and read the license type. A full medical license and a telehealth registration are different things. Note the state, too: a physician licensed only in one state may still write a records-based opinion for a veteran elsewhere, but you should know which board stands behind the signature.
Worked example. My licenses are Utah DOPL 13052767-8905, Nevada Board of Medical Examiners, and Washington Medical Commission MD.70129840. Utah and Washington open a search page; enter Mayeux or the license number.
3. NPI Number
The National Provider Identifier registry is federal, free, and lists every clinician who bills or prescribes in the United States. It confirms the name, the credential, the specialty taxonomy, and the practice location. If a provider will not give you an NPI, or the NPI does not match the name and specialty they claim, stop.
Worked example. NPI 1033503495.
4. Board Certification
"Board-certified" is a specific claim: the physician passed a specialty board's examination and keeps it current. It is verifiable. For physicians, the American Board of Medical Specialties runs Certification Matters, a free lookup by name. For psychologists and other clinicians, ask which board and check its site directly. A provider who says "board-certified" but will not say which board is not board-certified in any way that matters to the VA.
Worked example. I am certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. Search Mayeux at Certification Matters.
5. Discipline History
The same state board lookup usually shows public disciplinary actions. Read it. A past action is not automatically disqualifying, but you should know before you pay, and the VA adjudicator may find it too.
Two Questions the Lookups Cannot Answer
- Will the named person actually read my records? Ask directly. Some services have a physician sign letters drafted by someone else from a summary. The VA discounts opinions that do not show the author reviewed the record.
- Is the specialty a fit for my condition? A board-certified physician is legitimate; that does not make every physician the right author for every condition. An honest provider will tell you when a specialist opinion would carry more weight. If you never hear that from them, be skeptical.
Why I Publish All of This
Because it costs me nothing to be checked and it costs a veteran a great deal to guess. My licenses, my NPI, and my board are linked on the About section of this site, and I am the only person who reviews records or signs letters at Sworn Medical. If a provider you are considering cannot show you the same five things, ask why.