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C&P Exam Tips: How to Prepare for Your VA Claim Exam

A C&P exam is the VA's medical exam for your claim. The examiner fills out a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) that the rater uses to decide your rating. The best preparation is simple: know what the DBQ for your condition measures, describe your real symptoms and your worst days accurately, explain your flare-ups, and stop range of motion testing where pain stops you. Here is how to prepare, and what to do if the exam goes wrong.

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TL;DR

The examiner records findings on a DBQ. The examiner does not decide your claim or your rating. A VA rater does.
Describe how often, how long and how badly your symptoms hit, including flare-ups. Under Sharp v. Shulkin, 29 Vet. App. 26 (2017), the examiner must estimate flare-up limits from your description or explain why not.
Be accurate. Do not play it down and do not exaggerate. Your records and your statements should tell the same story.
Get a copy of the exam with VA Form 20-10206. If it is missing required testing or reasoning, it may be inadequate (Barr v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 303 (2007)).
Missing an exam without good cause can get an increase claim denied, or an original claim decided on the existing record (38 CFR 3.655).

What is a C&P exam?

A compensation and pension (C&P) exam, also called a VA claim exam, helps the VA decide whether your condition is service connected and how to rate it. A VA provider or a VA contract provider does the exam. The VA says contract examiners follow the same training and licensing standards as VA providers.

The exam can take 15 minutes or more than an hour, depending on how many conditions you claimed. The examiner will not treat you, prescribe medicine, or tell you the result. The VA reimburses travel to and from the exam.

What is a DBQ?

A Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) is a form built around the rating criteria for a type of condition. There are DBQs for the back, knees, mental disorders, sleep apnea, headaches, hearing and many others. The examiner's answers on the DBQ often line up with the rating levels in 38 CFR Part 4.

That is the most useful thing to know before an exam. If you read the rating criteria for your condition first, you will know what the examiner needs to learn from you. For examples, see our guides to back ratings, knee ratings and PTSD ratings.

How should I prepare for a C&P exam?

Read the rating criteria for each condition you claimed, so you know what the exam measures.
Review your own records. Know your diagnoses, treatment dates, surgeries and medications.
Send new private records before the exam. The VA asks that you upload them through the claim status tool, your representative, or your regional office.
Write a short symptom summary for yourself: frequency, duration, severity, and what you cannot do.
Keep a log for a few weeks or months before the exam, with dates of flare-ups, missed work, and bad days.
Plan your trip. Arrive early. If you need someone to drive you because of your condition, that is worth noting.

The VA says you do not need to bring anything to the exam. Still, a one-page summary helps you remember details when you are nervous. You can bring your log, a list of medications, and copies of statements you already sent in.

Get the C&P Exam Prep Kit ($47) for condition-by-condition checklists, a symptom summary template, and a post-exam review sheet.

How do I describe my worst days honestly?

Many veterans play down their symptoms out of habit. Others worry they will not be believed and overstate them. Both hurt you. The goal is an exam that matches your real life.

Describe a typical day and a bad day. Say how many bad days you have in a week or month.
Use specifics. "I can sit about 20 minutes before I have to stand" is more useful than "sitting hurts."
Talk about function. Work, sleep, driving, chores, family, and time with other people.
Do not guess or add. If you are not sure, say so. An examiner who sees your statements contradict your records may give them less weight.

Written statements help too. A personal statement (VA Form 21-4138) and buddy statements (VA Form 21-10210) from people who see you every day can back up what you tell the examiner. Write only what you and they actually experienced.

How do flare-ups work at a C&P exam?

Most exams happen on an ordinary day. The rules still require the examiner to consider how you do during flare-ups and after repeated use (38 CFR 4.40 and 4.45; DeLuca v. Brown, 8 Vet. App. 202 (1995); Mitchell v. Shinseki, 25 Vet. App. 32 (2011)).

In Sharp v. Shulkin, the court held that an examiner who is not seeing a flare-up must still estimate the extra limitation during one, using your description and the other evidence. If the examiner cannot estimate it, the examiner has to explain why. So be ready to say how often flare-ups happen, how long they last, what triggers them, and what you cannot do during them.

What should I do during range of motion testing?

For joints and the spine, the examiner measures motion with a goniometer. Section 4.59 says joints should be tested for pain on active and passive motion, weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing, and against the opposite joint if it is undamaged. Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016), made that testing part of an adequate exam.

Move until pain stops you, then stop. Tell the examiner where the pain started.
Do not push past pain to reach a bigger number. Do not stop short of what you can do.
If repeated movements make it worse, say so.
After the exam, write down what you were asked to do and what was not tested.

How do I get a copy of my C&P exam?

The VA says you can request your exam results with VA Form 20-10206, the Freedom of Information Act or Privacy Act request. You can submit it online, by mail, or at a regional office. Exams done at a VA medical center may also show up in your VA health records.

Read the whole report. Check the facts: your history, dates, and what you said. Check that every required test was done and that each opinion gives reasons.

What makes a C&P exam inadequate?

Once the VA gives you an exam, it must be adequate (Barr v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 303 (2007)). Red flags:

Red flag	Rule or case
Opinion with a conclusion but no reasoning	Nieves-Rodriguez v. Peake, 22 Vet. App. 295 (2008); Stefl v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 120 (2007)
Opinion based on wrong facts, such as missed in-service records	Reonal v. Brown, 5 Vet. App. 458 (1993)
Negative opinion that relies only on no in-service treatment and ignores your statements	Dalton v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 23 (2007)
No active and passive, weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing testing	38 CFR 4.59; Correia
Flare-ups skipped, or "cannot say without speculation" with no explanation	Sharp; DeLuca
Secondary opinion that addresses causation but not aggravation	El-Amin v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 136 (2013)

If a decision relied on an inadequate exam, you can raise it in a Higher-Level Review, add new evidence in a Supplemental Claim, or appeal to the Board. Filing within one year of the decision keeps your effective date protected (38 CFR 3.2500).

What happens if I miss my C&P exam?

Under 38 CFR 3.655, if you miss an exam without good cause:

For an original compensation claim, the VA rates it on the evidence already in the file.
For a claim for increase, a supplemental claim for a benefit previously denied, or another original claim, the claim is denied.
For a reexamination on a current rating, the VA sends a notice proposing to stop or reduce payment, and you get 60 days to respond.

Good cause includes illness, hospitalization, or a death in the immediate family. The VA's exam page says you can reschedule once per exam within 5 days of the original date by calling the examiner's office, and that the VA will reschedule for good cause. If you cannot make it, call before the appointment and keep a record of the call.

If an exam brings up hard memories and you are in crisis, stop and reach the Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255.

Want to see what a rating change would do to your total? Use the VA disability calculator. For secondary claims, see the secondary conditions guide.

Frequently asked questions

Does the C&P examiner decide my rating?

No. The examiner records findings and, when asked, gives medical opinions. A VA rater reviews the exam and the rest of your file and decides the rating.

Should I take my pain medication before the exam?

Take your medication as prescribed. Tell the examiner what you took and how it affects your symptoms. The goal is an accurate picture, not a staged one.

Can I bring someone with me to the exam?

Policies vary by exam site. Ask the office when you confirm the appointment. A written buddy statement sent to the VA before the exam is a reliable way to add another person's account.

How do I get my C&P exam results?

Submit VA Form 20-10206, the Freedom of Information Act or Privacy Act request. The VA accepts it online, by mail, or at a regional office.

What if my exam was too short or the examiner did not test me?

Length alone does not make an exam inadequate. Missing required testing, missing flare-up estimates, or opinions with no reasoning can. Get a copy, compare it to the DBQ and 38 CFR Part 4, and raise the gaps in a decision review.