C&P exam coming up? Don't let a bad exam cost you your rating.

The week before

Read the public DBQ (Disability Benefits Questionnaire) for your condition if VA has one. It shows what the examiner fills in. Fill in page 2 with real numbers: bad days a month, how long a flare lasts, work days missed. Mark which facts come from a record and which from memory. Don't guess exact dates. Send VA new private records before the exam, and bring copies. Ask someone who sees you daily to write what they notice, and send it to VA on VA Form 21-10210. Keep your treatment as it is. Don't change it for the exam. Can't make it? Call the number on your letter right away and reschedule.

In the exam room

Describe your worst days and how often they happen, not only how you feel today. Not in a flare-up today? Describe your last one: how often, how long, what you could not do. Examiners must estimate flare-up limits from that, or explain why they can't (Sharp v. Shulkin, 2017). During movement tests, say out loud the moment it starts to hurt so the examiner can record where pain begins. Say so if repeating the movement makes it worse. Tell them what you are like without your medication, and about side effects. Answer about your condition, not your attitude. "I'm fine" said out of habit gets written down as fine. If something important was not asked, say it: "Can I tell you about my flare-ups?" Be accurate and consistent. Never exaggerate, and never downplay. The examiner does not decide your rating. Don't argue, and don't ask what you will get.

Right after the exam

Before you drive home, write down how long it took, what was tested, what was skipped, and anything you forgot to say. Request the exam report with VA Form 20-10206, or ask your accredited representative for a copy. Do not contact the examiner to argue. Fix the record through VA.

Red flags in your exam report

A conclusion with no reasoning. An opinion is only as strong as its explanation (Nieves-Rodriguez v. Peake, 2008). Your records were not reviewed, or your history is wrong. It ignores what you said happened in service and leans only on missing records (Dalton v. Nicholson, 2007). No flare-up estimate, or "cannot say without speculation" with no reason why (Sharp v. Shulkin, 2017; Jones v. Shinseki, 2010). Joint results missing passive or weight-bearing testing with no explanation (Correia v. McDonald, 2016). Symptoms you described are missing, or the wrong condition was examined.

Rules most veterans never hear about

Your own account counts. You can describe what you saw and felt, and VA cannot reject it only because records are missing (Buchanan v. Nicholson, 2006; Jandreau v. Nicholson, 2007). If medication controls a symptom but the rating criteria don't mention medication, VA can't use that relief to deny a higher rating (Jones v. Shinseki, 2012). When the evidence for and against you is about even, VA must decide in your favor (38 U.S.C. 5107(b)). A missed exam is not the end. Illness or a hospital stay is good cause. Without good cause, a first claim is decided on the evidence already in the file (38 CFR 3.655). A private nexus letter is not required. Many claims are granted on VA exams and treatment records.

Why the exam report matters

bad exams are common. In 101,518 appealed condition records Claim Raven analyzed, almost half of the C&P exams that were reviewed were found inadequate. The most common problem was an opinion with no reasoning, followed by examiners who did not review the records and physical exams that were incomplete.

Common questions