Comfort Aids

Comfort aids are small, medically necessary items that require pre-approval prior to being permitted into the testing room.

See Comfort aids that do not require pre-approval.

For Test Takers

All requests for a comfort aid should include the following:

1. A completed comfort aid form (pdf).
2. A signed Verification and Release Form.
3. A professional report confirming the presence, nature and extent of your impairment and the need for specific accommodation. Professional reports should be by a qualified and licensed/certified professional with specific and appropriate expertise evaluating adults with the impairment that you have. See the "For Evaluators" section below for details of what the report should contain.

Note: Past failure of ABIM examinations does not, in and of itself, constitute objective evidence of a functional limitation due to a disability.

For Evaluators

Your professional report should include the following:

• Your name, address and phone number 
• Your area of specialty/expertise
• A description of the specific functional limitations caused by the test taker's impairment that require accommodation
• A description of the accommodations recommended by you 
• A desciption of the history of treatment and/or rehabilitation efforts that the test taker has received for their impairment
• Documentation addressing whether the test taker's impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities within the meaning of the ADA
• Objective evidence of functional limitations:
  • A list of all standardized test instruments and assessment procedures used to diagnose and evaluate the functional impact of the test taker's impairment
  • Date(s) of assessments and/or treatment contacts upon which your report and opinions are based