Baseline Assessment Program
The BAP provides baseline neuropsychological and neurological assessment examinations (“BAP exams”) to determine whether Retired NFL Football Players are suffering from neurocognitive impairment. These exams are provided free of charge to eligible Players.
You can participate if you are a living Retired NFL Football Player who:
1. Earned at least one-half of an Eligible Season;
2. Registered in a timely manner to participate in the Settlement Program; and
3. Did not opt out of the Settlement.
If you are eligible to participate in the BAP, you should have received a favorable registration determination with instructions on how to participate.
The free BAP exam offers these benefits:
(a) You will be examined by two experts — a neuropsychologist and a neurologist. (These specialists are called “Qualified BAP Providers.”)
(b) During your appointments, you can ask these specialists questions about your condition.
(c) The exams will determine whether your neurocognitive functioning is impaired and, if so, the level of impairment.
(d) If you are diagnosed with Level 1 Neurocognitive Impairment (as defined by the Settlement Agreement), you will be eligible for benefits that will cover additional testing and treatment for your condition (called “BAP Supplemental Benefits”).
(e) If you are diagnosed with Level 1.5 or 2 Neurocognitive Impairment, you will be eligible to submit a claim for a Monetary Award.
(f) Even if you are found to be free from impairment, the results of the examination can be used as a baseline for any similar evaluations you may have in the future. The results are yours to keep and use for the rest of your life.
Click here to read Exhibit 1 of the Settlement Agreement, which contains the definitions for the diagnoses that can result from a BAP exam.
The BAP exam includes two appointments with two different specialists. One appointment is with a board-certified neuropsychologist. The other is with a board-certified neurologist. The two specialists perform different types of tests, then consult with one another to arrive at a diagnosis.
The exams are paid for by the BAP Administrator from funds included in the Settlement. There is no cost to you or your family. Your medical insurance will not be billed for the services covered by the BAP.
Qualified BAP Providers are neuropsychologists certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) or the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN, a member board of the American Board of Professional Psychology), in the specialty of Clinical Neuropsychology, and board-certified neurologists, eligible to conduct baseline assessments of Retired NFL Football Players under the BAP.
Only qualified neuropsychologists and neurologists can perform BAP exams. To qualify, these experts must be board-certified in their specialty and meet other requirements. Every Qualified BAP Provider was evaluated and selected by the independent, Court-appointed BAP Administrator and then approved by Class Counsel and the NFL Parties.
Only Qualified BAP Providers can conduct BAP exams. If you already have a relationship with a Qualified BAP Provider, you can request that the appropriate part of your exam (neurological or neuropsychological) be scheduled with that specialist.
No. The Qualified BAP Providers operate under the BAP Administrator’s supervision. They do not report to any of the parties to the Settlement.
Yes. Your exact deadline depends on your age:
(a) If you were born on or before June 6, 1974, you must have taken your BAP exam on or before June 6, 2019.
(b) If you were born after June 6, 1974, you must take your BAP exam on or before June 7, 2027, or before you turn 45, whichever is sooner.
If you received a notice that you are eligible for a free Expanded BAP Examination, you have until March 4, 2024, to contact the BAP Administrator and request your free Expanded BAP Examination, regardless of your age.
The BAP will provide exams for 10 years from the BAP’s commencement on June 6, 2017, but you may have a shorter deadline to receive a BAP exam (click here to read an FAQ about BAP exam deadlines). However, Retired NFL Football Players who receive a diagnosis of Level 1 Neurocognitive Impairment will be entitled to five years of BAP Supplemental Benefits, even if those five years extend beyond the term of the BAP.
The BAP Portal is accessible through the Portal account you set up using the Claims Administrator’s website (https://www.nflconcussionsettlement.com/Login.aspx). After you have logged in to your Portal account, look for the “BAP” option in the dark blue banner at the top of the page. Click here for more information about what you can do in the BAP Portal.
Reminder: A Settlement Class Member who is not eligible for the BAP does not have access to the BAP Portal.
If you are eligible for the BAP, you (or, if you are represented, your lawyer) will receive a favorable registration determination with instructions for requesting appointments. You (or, if you are represented, your lawyer) must schedule your BAP exam through the BAP Administrator. You may not schedule your BAP exam directly with a Qualified BAP Provider.
A BAP exam includes two appointments with two specialists —one with a neuropsychologist and another with a neurologist. The BAP uses a nationwide network of independent Qualified BAP Providers, who provide the BAP exam. In the process of scheduling your BAP appointments, you (or, if you are represented, your lawyer) will be provided with the names and addresses of Qualified BAP Providers in geographic locations that you indicate are desirable to you.
There are two parts of a BAP exam: (1) a neurological exam and (2) a neuropsychological exam. The neurological exam should take one to two hours and the neuropsychological exam may take six to eight hours. You can expect the combined total for both exams to last between seven and ten hours.
Because the neuropsychological exam takes so much time, it is not possible to schedule both parts of the BAP exam on the same day. If you must travel to see the providers, the BAP Administrator will make reasonable efforts (upon request) to schedule your appointments on consecutive days but cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.
Yes, but because so many Retired NFL Football Players are participating in the BAP, you are strongly encouraged to keep your appointments once they have been scheduled for you. If you need to cancel or change an appointment, notify the BAP Administrator as soon as possible. The BAP Administrator will contact the provider to cancel or reschedule the appointment for you. Note that requests for rescheduling may result in significant wait times for the next available appointment.
Please give the BAP Administrator as much advance notice as you can if you need to cancel or reschedule. If you give plenty of notice, the BAP Administrator may be able to give that appointment time to another Player.
If you miss an appointment or fail to cancel one in a timely manner, you will be responsible for paying the provider’s no-show or late cancellation fee. The BAP Administrator will not pay such fees.
To prepare for testing, try to be as well-rested as possible and be sure to have breakfast beforehand. Arrive for your appointment at least 15 minutes early to complete any required paperwork.
You should bring a photo ID for identification, reading glasses and/or hearing aids (if applicable) and a list of all medication you currently are taking.
You are encouraged (although not required) to be accompanied at your BAP exam by someone with direct, personal knowledge of your background and functional abilities (usually a loved one or close friend). This individual can help the Qualified BAP Provider collect details about your demographic background and personal or family history, in addition to providing useful information about your behavior and ability to perform activities of daily living.
Note that if you are represented by a lawyer, he or she (or anyone working for your lawyer) may not serve in this capacity; such persons are not allowed to participate in the BAP exam.
The only diagnoses that can result from a BAP exam are:
1. Level 1 Neurocognitive Impairment (moderate cognitive impairment);
2. Level 1.5 Neurocognitive Impairment (early Dementia); and
3. Level 2 Neurocognitive Impairment (moderate Dementia).
Both Qualified BAP Providers (the neuropsychologist and the neurologist) must agree on your diagnosis. If your providers do not agree on a diagnosis, the Settlement’s administrators will work with other doctors to take steps to resolve the conflict.
Click here for the Diagnosis and Review Table, which explains the diagnostic criteria used by Qualified BAP Providers to make Qualifying Diagnoses of Level 1.5 or Level 2 Neurocognitive Impairment.
According to the terms of the Settlement Agreement, Qualified BAP Providers are not allowed to diagnose Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s Disease, or Alzheimer’s Disease during a BAP exam. For the purposes of submitting a claim for a Monetary Award, these conditions must be diagnosed outside of the BAP. If your Qualified BAP Providers suspect you have one of these conditions, they will advise you of that and you then can schedule an appointment with a Qualified MAF Physician (click here for an FAQ about who can make these diagnoses).
Your BAP exam may result in no diagnosis at all. When this happens, it means that the findings of your BAP exam do not meet the criteria for any level of neurocognitive impairment as defined by the Settlement Agreement.
Even without a diagnosis, however, the BAP exam is worthwhile. In the future, if you have another examination to check for neurocognitive impairment, that neurologist or neuropsychologist can use the results, which will be yours to keep, from your BAP exam as a baseline for measuring any loss of neurocognitive ability at that time.
When both parts of the BAP exam are done, the neuropsychologist and the neurologist submit their findings to the BAP Administrator, which then will notify you (and your lawyer, if you have one) of the results and provide instructions on how you can get all the records from your exam. What happens next depends on whether: (1) you are diagnosed with Level 1.5 or 2 Neurocognitive Impairment, which is eligible for a Monetary Award under the Settlement Agreement, (2) you are diagnosed with Level 1 Neurocognitive Impairment that qualifies you for BAP Supplemental Benefits, or (3) your diagnosis does not qualify for any benefits at this time.
1. Qualifying Diagnosis: If the Qualified BAP Providers diagnose you with Level 1.5 or Level 2 Neurocognitive Impairment that may qualify you for a Monetary Award, the BAP Administrator will give all medical records and the Diagnosing Physician Certification Form from your exam directly to the Claims Administrator, so you do not have to get them and submit them to the Claims Administrator. Even though the Claims Administrator will have those medical records and the form, you must still submit a Claim Form and the other parts of a Claim Package before the Claims Administrator can review a claim for a Monetary Award for you.
2. If the Qualified BAP Providers diagnose you with Level 1 Neurocognitive Impairment, the BAP Administrator will give you directions on BAP Supplemental Benefits. The NFL Parties and Class Counsel receive general statistical information about all BAP exams, but the personal health information or medical records from your BAP exam or Supplemental Benefits will not be shared with the NFL, its attorneys, or its consultants.
3. If the Qualified BAP Providers conclude you do not have Level 1, Level 1.5, or Level 2 Neurocognitive Impairment, the NFL Parties and Class Counsel receive general statistical information about all BAP exams, but the personal health information or medical records from your BAP exam will not be shared with the NFL, its attorneys, or its consultants.
The steps you should take depend on your diagnosis:
(a) If you are diagnosed with Level 1 Neurocognitive Impairment, you will be eligible to receive BAP Supplemental Benefits. The BAP Administrator will provide you with information about the BAP Supplemental Benefits at the time of your notification of results.
(b) If you are diagnosed with either Level 1.5 or Level 2 Neurocognitive Impairment, the BAP Administrator will provide the medical records from your exam both to you and the Claims Administrator, and you can submit a Claim Form to the Claims Administrator for a Monetary Award determination.
When you are notified of your diagnosis, you also will receive instructions on the steps you must take to claim these benefits.
It depends on when you receive your Qualifying Diagnosis and the nature of the diagnosis. There is a 10% reduction to the Monetary Award if you:
1. Did not receive a Qualifying Diagnosis before January 7, 2017;
2. Do not participate in the BAP; and
3. Receive a Qualifying Diagnosis (other than ALS) after your deadline to receive a BAP exam.
The Baseline Assessment Program (BAP) provides additional medical and pharmaceutical benefits—called BAP Supplemental Benefits—to Retired NFL Football Players who are diagnosed with Level 1 Neurocognitive Impairment during their baseline assessment examination. The BAP Supplemental Benefits pay for approved follow-up examinations, treatments, and prescription medications.
Covered services are to be provided by a Qualified BAP Provider. However, if the Qualified BAP Provider cannot deliver a covered service, then he or she may need to request authorization from the BAP Administrator to refer the Retired NFL Football Player to another facility for that service.
When prescriptions are written, they must be filled through an approved Qualified BAP Pharmacy Vendor, which might not be the Retired NFL Football Player’s usual pharmacy.
Each Retired NFL Football Player diagnosed with Level 1 Neurocognitive Impairment through the BAP is allocated a specific amount of money to pay for the BAP Supplemental Benefits (see FAQ titled,
“How much will my BAP Supplemental Benefits cover?”). The Qualified BAP Providers and Qualified BAP Pharmacy Vendors will submit bills directly to the BAP Administrator for the services and prescriptions that eligible Retired NFL Football Players receive, and the BAP Administrator will pay those bills out of monies reserved for the Retired NFL Football Player’s BAP Supplemental Benefits.
If you are eligible for BAP Supplemental Benefits, you can use them until June 6, 2027, or for up to five years after your date of diagnosis (whichever is later), even if those five years extend beyond the term of the BAP. However, if you receive a Monetary Award while receiving BAP Supplement Benefits, you will no longer receive BAP Supplemental Benefits.
BAP Supplemental Benefits are available only to Retired NFL Football Players whose BAP exam results in a diagnosis of Level 1 Neurocognitive Impairment.
The dollar value of the BAP Supplemental Benefits is currently set at $35,000 per eligible Retired NFL Football Player. Note, however, that future determinations may result in this amount being increased or decreased, subject to Court approval. The BAP Administrator will notify eligible Retired NFL Football Players of any changes to the amount of BAP Supplemental Benefits funds they are entitled to receive.
The BAP Administrator does not share any information or medical records from the BAP Supplemental Benefits with the NFL, its attorneys, or its consultants.
A Qualified BAP Pharmacy Vendor is a national pharmacy benefits manager that fills approved prescriptions covered by BAP Supplemental Benefits. These vendors operate under contract with the BAP Administrator.
You must complete the form before the BAP Administrator can schedule your BAP exam. You can complete the paper form by hand and send it to the BAP Administrator as directed at the end of the form. If you prefer to sign an electronic version of this form, one is also available on the Baseline Assessment Program’s online portal. Click here for the BAP HIPAA Authorization Form.