Falls Church, VA – BPSOS has published a training manual for health professionals to use in filling out Form N-648, Medical Certification of Disability Exception.

As amended in 1997, the Immigration Naturalization Act allows medical doctors, clinical psychologists and doctors of osteopathy to evaluate and certify the disability of the applicant seeking an exception from the civics requirement for naturalization.

The manual seeks to acquaint doctors with unique circumstances such as Vietnam’s political conditions and the types of torture commonly used in re-education camps.

BPSOS commissioned Dr. Robert Weigl, a clinical psychologist with many years of experience working with torture survivors, to develop the training manual with funding from SAMSHA, DC ORR, and Fairfax County.