VA C&P Exam: How to Prepare and What to Say

The C&P exam is one piece of evidence, not the decision. A VA or contract provider examines you, writes a report, and sends it to VA. A VA rater then weighs that report with your records, your statements and everything else in the file. The report can only be as accurate as what reaches it, so the useful work happens before the exam (records and examples) and after it (getting the report and checking it).

What is a C&P exam?

A compensation and pension (C&P) exam is what VA's claim exam page calls a claim exam. VA says it uses the exam to determine whether you have a service-connected disability and, if you do, to rate it. VA asks for one only when it needs more information to decide your claim.

A claim exam is not treatment. VA says the provider will not treat you, refer you or prescribe medicine. During the exam, the provider may:

• perform a basic physical exam, which may or may not include physical contact
• ask questions based on the records in your claim file, which may include questions from the Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) for each condition you claimed
• ask you to get other tests, like X-rays or blood work, at no cost to you

Either a VA provider or a VA contract provider does the exam. VA says its contractors follow the same medical training and licensing standards as VA providers. Dental, eye, hearing and mental health exams need a specialist provider. Some exams are telehealth, by phone or video from home. For in-person exams, contractors try to find a location within 50 miles of your home, or 100 miles for a specialist.

You cannot schedule a claim exam yourself. Your VA medical center or a VA contractor mails you a letter, and may also call or email. Keep your address, phone and email current on VA.gov so the notice reaches you. VA lists four exam contractors and their numbers:

You can also call VA at 800-827-1000, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET. VA pays back travel to a claim exam at a VA medical center, and a contractor pays back travel to its own exams. If a contractor has not paid within 14 days after your appointment, VA says to call the contractor.

Is a C&P exam a good sign?

No. A scheduled C&P exam does not tell you whether VA will approve or deny your claim. It tells you VA needs information it does not have yet. The exam request, the examiner's manner and the length of the appointment are not substitutes for the report and the decision.

VA says it reviews all the evidence in your file, including the exam report, and then decides. If you are reading meaning into a second appointment, a cancellation or a friendly conversation, the useful step is to find out what VA asked for and whether you need to do anything.

Is a short C&P exam a bad sign?

Not by itself. VA says an exam may take only 15 minutes or last an hour or more, depending on the conditions and how much information VA needs, and that the provider also spends time outside the exam reviewing your records. Length alone cannot tell you whether the right questions were answered. The report can.

Is a second C&P exam a good sign?

It is neither. VA lists three common reasons for more than one exam: you claimed more than one condition, your condition needs a follow-up "review exam" to check whether its severity changed, or you asked for a decision review and VA wants another exam. VA tries to schedule exams for several conditions on the same day. Check the condition, date, location and instructions on each notice. If two notices seem to conflict, call the number on the letter and note what the scheduler confirms. Do not skip an appointment because you assume it duplicates an earlier one.

If you are already rated, a new exam may be a reexamination under 38 CFR 3.327. VA requests one when it needs to verify that a disability still exists or how severe it is now, generally when the disability is likely to have improved or evidence shows a material change. VA generally does not schedule periodic reexams when a disability is static, has persisted without material improvement for five years or more, is permanent with no likelihood of improvement, or for veterans over 55 except in unusual circumstances. A reexam is not a reduction, but missing one can lead to one, as the rescheduling section below explains.

Is no C&P exam a good sign?

Not necessarily. VA says that if your file already has enough medical evidence, it follows the Acceptable Clinical Evidence (ACE) process and decides from your records instead of ordering an exam. Under 38 CFR 3.326, an adequate private exam report or statement from a private doctor can be accepted without a VA exam. But VA also does not have to order an exam when the file lacks what 38 CFR 3.159(c)(4) requires, such as evidence of a current disability, an in-service event and a possible link between them. So no exam can mean the evidence was already strong, or that something basic was missing. If a claim was denied without an exam, this guide to denials without a C&P exam covers what to check.

What to do while you wait

Keep three things together:

1. The appointment information, including the condition examined and any follow-up instructions.
2. Your own dated note, written right after the exam: what was tested, what was skipped, and anything you could not explain, in your own words.
3. The source records. If you think the report will differ from another document, keep that page and its date so the difference can be checked.

Fictional example: You remember telling the examiner you left work early twice last month. When the report arrives, it says the condition has no effect on work. Write down the report's wording, the page, what you remember saying, and any time records. That gives you a specific point to raise, not proof of why the wording differs.

If something went wrong at the exam, you do not have to wait for a decision to say so. VA encourages you to report a bad exam experience right away; the routes are listed below under what to do if your C&P exam was wrong.

Your next step depends on where you are

• Before the exam: confirm the appointment, get new records to VA, and prepare true examples. C&P Exam Prep organizes them for the condition being examined.
• After the exam: request the report from VA instead of guessing what it says, and keep your notes and records together. The free Claim Readiness Review explains what an uploaded exam report or DBQ recorded and what it leaves unanswered. Saving a document in Claim Raven does not send it to VA.
• After a decision: read the result and the reasons for every issue. Raven Eye lays out the reasons VA gave for each condition, and the VA claim denied guide matches each reason to a review option. An accredited VSO can help with the actual decision for free.

How to prepare for a C&P exam

Prepare by confirming the appointment, knowing which condition is being examined, getting new records to VA, and choosing a few true examples of how symptoms affect ordinary life. Do not memorize a speech or try to predict the exact questions.

1. Confirm the appointment. Call the number on the letter to confirm the place and time, or confirm on the call if they phone you. When you confirm, you can ask for transportation help or other accommodations.
2. Know which condition is being examined. If you claimed several, confirm which ones this appointment covers. Review your diagnosis, treatment, major tests and when symptoms began or got worse.
3. Read the DBQ for your condition. VA posts public DBQs, and Claim Raven's DBQ guides explain them in plain English. A DBQ shows what the examiner fills in. Some forms are not public, including the initial PTSD, hearing loss and tinnitus, initial TBI and general medical exams.
4. Submit new records before the exam. VA says to upload new non-VA records through the claim status tool, send them through your accredited representative or VSO, or mail them to your nearest VA regional office. A provider may look at records you bring, but cannot submit them for you.
5. Write a one-page note for your own recall.

What to put on the one-page note:

• the condition and your current treatment
• when symptoms began or got worse
• typical frequency, duration and severity, in your own words
• what a difficult day looks like
• two ordinary activities the condition affects
• flare-ups, if you have them: how often, how long, triggers and recovery
• devices or accommodations you actually use
• important record dates
• anything you are unsure of, so you say so instead of guessing

Use the note to remember, then answer the question the examiner actually asks. If you want a cheat sheet built for your specific condition, C&P Exam Prep gives you the topics and measurements that may come up, recall prompts and a day-of checklist. If you want a general two-page version to read the night before, the free C&P exam cheat sheet is emailed to you with no account needed.

On the day of the exam

• Arrive 15 minutes early. VA says that if you are late, the provider may cancel your exam.
• Wear comfortable clothes so you can move freely.
• Use glasses, hearing aids, braces or a cane the way you normally do.
• Stop a movement when pain or safety tells you to, and say so out loud.
• Ask the provider if you do not understand part of the exam. VA says the provider can answer questions about what is happening, but cannot answer questions about the claims process, tell you the results or make decisions about your claim.

If you need to reschedule or you miss the exam

Tell the VA medical center or contractor at least 48 hours ahead, using the number on your letter. Rescheduling may delay your claim. VA says a contractor exam can be rescheduled only once, and the new appointment must be within 5 days of the original. If you are not available in those 5 days, tell the contractor, then call VA at 800-827-1000 so it can start the process again when you are available.

Missing an exam has consequences under 38 CFR 3.655 when VA cannot decide the claim without the exam and you miss it without good cause:

VA's examples of good cause include a death in your immediate family, homelessness, hospitalization and terminal illness. If you had good cause, VA says it will schedule a new appointment. Explain the reason by calling 800-827-1000, uploading a letter through the claim status tool, or mailing a letter to: Department of Veterans Affairs, Evidence Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444.

What to bring to a C&P exam

VA says you do not need to bring anything to a claim exam. The one rule to plan around is getting new non-VA records into your claim file before the appointment, because the examiner cannot submit them for you. A binder in your bag is not in the claim file. Keep proof of what you sent and when.

Practical items that help the appointment go smoothly (suggestions, not VA requirements):

• the appointment letter or details, and any ID the scheduler asked for
• glasses, hearing aids, braces or mobility aids you normally use
• a current medication list: each drug's name, dose, how often you take it and what it is for
• your one-page note of dates and examples
• medication or health items you need while traveling
• for a telehealth exam, a charged device, a working connection and a private room

What to wear to a C&P exam

VA advises comfortable clothes so you can move freely. Choose clothing that lets the examiner see or test the area being examined, and keep using a brace, cane or other aid the way you normally do.

Ask for what you need when you confirm

• A male or female provider, if you are having a reproductive health, breast, rectal or mental health exam, or if your claim involves a condition resulting from military sexual trauma.
• A chaperone. For a sensitive physical exam, you can ask for a medical assistant or chaperone who works with the provider to stay in the room.
• Transportation help or other accommodations.

If you want a caregiver or family member with you, discuss it with the provider. VA says the provider may ask them to wait outside. Because sensitive topics may come up, VA also suggests planning childcare.

What not to say at a C&P exam

Do not guess at dates, use "always" or "never" when they are not true, minimize symptoms out of habit, exaggerate, skip hard mental health questions, diagnose yourself, argue, hide competing facts, or recite a script. There is no magic phrase. Answer the question asked with the most accurate detail you can give, so the report records your condition and its effects correctly.

Each mistake below has a truthful alternative. Every "Say" line is a fictional example that shows a pattern, not wording to copy. Use your own facts.

Do not guess at dates

If you do not remember the exact date, say what you do remember: the season, the year, the unit, a deployment, or an event that anchors the estimate. A clear estimate is better than a guessed date.

Instead of: "It started on May 12, 2013," when you are not sure.

Say: "I don't remember the exact day. It started during the spring 2013 field exercise, before the unit came back in June."

Do not say "always" or "never" unless it is literally true

Absolute words create contradictions when your records show variation.

Instead of: "I can never bend."

Say: "Most mornings I can bend far enough to put on my shoes. During flares I use a long-handled shoehorn or my wife helps."

Do not minimize your symptoms

"I'm fine" is often a greeting or a habit, and it can be written down as fine. You can be polite without erasing the reason you are there.

Instead of: "I'm okay," when asked how the condition affects you.

Say: "Today is a better day. Most weeks I have two mornings when stiffness keeps me from dressing without help."

Do not exaggerate or act out your worst day

Describe difficult periods and how often they happen, but do not present a rare flare as your everyday baseline, and do not push a movement past what is safe. Accuracy includes what you can still do.

Instead of: "I can't do anything with my hands."

Say: "I can type for about 20 minutes before my fingers go numb. Buttons take me a long time, so I wear pullover shirts most days."

Do not skip hard questions at a mental health exam

A mental health exam may cover subjects people usually keep private: thoughts of suicide or self-harm, bathing and hygiene, how you get along with family, anger, and alcohol or drug use. VA's public mental disorders DBQ lists symptoms such as suicidal ideation and neglect of personal appearance and hygiene. Answer honestly even when it is uncomfortable. Under 38 CFR 4.126, VA rates a mental disorder on all the evidence of occupational and social impairment, not only on the examiner's view at the moment of the exam, and a topic you leave out is missing from that evidence. You can ask for a male or female provider for a mental health exam when you confirm the appointment.

Instead of: "I'm fine, I just don't sleep much."

Say: "I sleep about four hours most nights. I stopped going to my kids' games because crowds make me leave early. Some weeks I don't shower for days."

If you are having thoughts of suicide, you do not have to wait for an exam. Call 988 and select 1, or text 838255, to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.

Do not diagnose yourself or announce your rating

You can describe what you experience. The examiner records the medical findings, and VA decides the rating.

Instead of: "This proves my radiculopathy is 40 percent."

Say: "The numbness reaches my foot about three times a week, and I have stumbled twice this month."

Do not argue or ramble

Disagreeing with an earlier report is legitimate, but the exam is not the place to argue the claim, and long answers can bury the detail the examiner needs. Say it briefly, with a fact.

Instead of: "You people always deny this. The last examiner didn't listen either."

Say: "The last report says I have no flare-ups. I do, about twice a month. Can I describe the last one?"

Then answer the question and stop. If something important is left, ask: "Can I add one thing about how this affects work?"

Do not hide records or competing facts

If the examiner asks about a later injury, a gap in treatment, a medication change or another diagnosis, answer honestly. You can add context without pretending the fact does not exist.

Instead of: "No, nothing else happened to my back."

Say: "I hurt it again moving furniture in 2021. It got better in about a month, but the pain I had before that never went away."

Do not rely on a memorized script

Scripts copied from the internet make answers sound broader than your experience and pull attention from the question. Prepare a timeline and a few examples, then speak in your own words. VA says the exam gathers information to help it decide your claim; the provider cannot make the decision, so there is nothing to win in the room except an accurate report.

A better answer pattern

When a question calls for detail, use four parts:

1. A direct answer.
2. A frequency or range.
3. One recent example.
4. Any uncertainty.

Fictional example: "Yes, it affects work. Most weeks I have two or three mornings with urgent bathroom trips before ten. Last Thursday I left a client meeting twice. I keep a rough log, but I probably missed some milder days."

C&P exam questions by condition

No public list can predict every question. VA says the provider may ask questions based on your records and the DBQ for each condition you claimed, so the DBQ is the best map of what an exam covers. The topics below come from VA's public DBQs and rating rules. They are not scripts to memorize; they show what information the examiner needs.

Mental health C&P exam questions

VA rates mental disorders by the level of occupational and social impairment (38 CFR 4.130), and the public mental disorders DBQ is built around it. For an initial exam, it asks the examiner to record your social and family, work and education, mental health, legal and substance use history before, during and after service. It also has the examiner check off symptoms, record behavioral observations, and say whether you can manage your own finances. Expect questions like these:

• What mental health conditions have you been diagnosed with, and when did symptoms start?
• Were you treated during service? Have symptoms gotten better, worse or stayed the same?
• What medications do you take for it?
• How many hours do you sleep, and how often do you wake up?
• Do you have panic attacks? How often: weekly or less, or more than once a week?
• How are your memory and concentration at work or in conversation?
• Have you had thoughts of harming yourself or others?
• Are you working? Have you been disciplined, moved or let go because of symptoms?
• How are things with your spouse, family and friends? How often do you see people?
• Can you keep up with bathing, hygiene and your finances?
• Do you use alcohol or drugs, and how much?

For an initial exam, the DBQ says it must be done by a board-certified or board-eligible psychiatrist, a licensed doctorate-level psychologist, or certain trainees under close supervision. For PTSD, the initial PTSD DBQ is not public, so no online list shows every question; the PTSD review DBQ is public. Be ready to describe the in-service stressor in your own words. PTSD claims and depression have their own pages.

Back, knee and other joint exam questions

The public back DBQ and knee DBQ ask the examiner to measure range of motion, test it again after at least three repetitions, and record:

• whether you have flare-ups, and your description of how often they happen, how long they last, what brings them on and what helps
• any functional loss "in your own words": what you cannot do, or do only differently
• where pain starts during motion, on active and passive motion, and with and without weight on the joint (38 CFR 4.59)
• assistive devices you normally use, such as a brace or cane
• for the back, pain, numbness or tingling that travels into a leg (the DBQ has a separate radiculopathy section)

Say out loud the moment a movement starts to hurt, and say so if repeating it makes it worse.

Headache and migraine exam questions

The public headaches DBQ asks about continuous medication, how long a typical headache lasts, and whether you have prostrating attacks, meaning attacks that cause extreme exhaustion or incapacitation, and how often on average over the last several months. It also asks whether headaches affect your ability to work. A dated headache log helps you answer with numbers. See the migraines page.

Sleep apnea and breathing exam questions

The public sleep apnea DBQ says the diagnosis must be confirmed by a sleep study, and asks whether you need a breathing assistance device such as a CPAP machine and whether you have persistent daytime sleepiness. Have the date and place of your sleep study ready. See the sleep apnea page. For asthma, COPD and other breathing conditions, the public respiratory DBQ asks which inhaled, oral and steroid medications you use and records pulmonary function test (PFT) results, which it calls a major basis for evaluating most respiratory conditions.

Other conditions

For other conditions, be ready to say when you were diagnosed, what you take, any complications, how often you see a doctor, and how the condition affects daily activities. Look up the DBQ for your condition in Claim Raven's DBQ guides, or let C&P Exam Prep pull the topics for the condition being examined.

How to describe functional impact at a C&P exam

Functional impact means how a condition limits what you can do in ordinary life and at work. It is the basis of every VA rating. Under 38 CFR 4.10, evaluations rest on how the body or mind functions "under the ordinary conditions of daily life including employment," and the examiner must give a full description of the effects of the disability on your ordinary activity.

Describe it in one sentence that ties a symptom to an activity: how often it happens, the limit you reach, what you do differently, and one recent example.

Fictional example: "About three days a week I can walk roughly two blocks before knee pain makes me stop. I take stairs one step at a time holding the railing. During a flare, about once a month for two or three days, I avoid the stairs completely and my son carries the laundry basket."

Other activities to draw from: standing at the stove, typing, lifting a child, driving, sleeping through the night, following a meeting.

Why your bad days and flares matter

The rating rules ask about variation, not only the moment of the exam:

• Mental health. Under 38 CFR 4.126(a), VA considers the frequency, severity and duration of symptoms, the length of remissions and how well you adjust during them.
• Joints and the spine. 38 CFR 4.40 says weakness is as important as limited motion and that a part which becomes painful on use must be regarded as seriously disabled. 38 CFR 4.45 lists weakened movement, excess fatigability, incoordination and pain on movement.
• Flares you are not having that day. In Sharp v. Shulkin (2017), the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims held an exam inadequate because the examiner, seeing the veteran between flares, did not get information about their frequency, duration, severity or functional loss, and did not estimate the loss from all the evidence, including the veteran's own account, or explain why she could not.

So describing only your best day leaves out the flares these rules ask about, and describing only your worst day misstates the pattern. Cover the range:

• What is a typical day?
• How often do bad days or flares happen, and how long do they last?
• What triggers them, if you know?
• What changes during them, and what helps?

If you do not know an exact frequency, say what you do know and why it is an estimate.

Work impact needs the task, not the job title

Describe missed shifts, extra breaks, lifting someone else now does, trouble hearing callers, errors after a bad night, or switching between sitting and standing. Say a symptom prevents all work only if that is accurate and supported. Describe what you feel (pain, numbness, fatigue, lost sleep) and leave the diagnosis and its cause to the clinicians.

Your own words are evidence

VA lists statements from you and others among the evidence it reviews for a claim, and lay evidence is competent when it describes what a person can observe (38 CFR 3.159(a)(2)). The back DBQ tells the examiner to record your description of functional loss in your own words. At the Board, credible lay statements sit beside grants far more often than statements the Board did not believe:

Board of Veterans' Appeals rulings, 2021 to 2026, from Claim Raven's reading of 511,036 decisions. Appealed claims, not first-time claims, and not your personal odds. Associations, not causes. Lay evidence is read only on rulings the Board granted or denied. A credibility finding often travels with other strong evidence, so this shows what credible statements sit beside, not what they cause. How these figures are built.

Practice recall, not performance. Write three examples and check them against records, calendars, work notes or someone else's observations, then set the notes aside and answer naturally. To put those examples in writing for VA, the free personal statement builder needs no account, and a statement from someone who sees you every day can help too (buddy letter examples).

How to get your C&P exam results

You get the report from VA, not from the examiner. VA's claim exam page says you cannot get the results at your exam or directly from the provider. You request a copy of the final exam report with VA Form 20-10206, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or Privacy Act (PA) Request. VA gives this route for claim exam results without separating VA and contractor exams, and the online request lists claim exams as a record type.

Ask for the exact report

List each exam date, the condition examined, and whether VA or a contractor did it. Ask for the final report for those dates, including any DBQ, separate medical opinion and addendum. A focused request is narrower than a request for your whole claims file. If you need the whole file, see ordering your C-file.

Keep a simple log for each exam: the condition, exam date and place, who did it, what you asked for, the route you used, the date and confirmation number, what arrived, and what is still missing. When you follow up, name the missing piece by date ("the medical opinion dated April 16") instead of asking again for "my file."

When the report arrives, check that the name, condition, exam date, DBQ and any opinion or addendum match your request, then compare what the examiner recorded with your notes and records. The free Claim Readiness Review explains what an uploaded exam report or DBQ recorded and what needs clarification, with page references.

If a decision letter has already arrived, keep its deadline in view while you wait. A Higher-Level Review or Board Appeal must be requested within one year of the date VA issued notice of the decision (38 CFR 3.2500), and waiting for the report does not extend that window. Raven Eye reads the decision letter and shows the reasons VA gave for each condition.

How much weight does a C&P exam have?

A lot, but not automatically. The C&P report is one piece of evidence that VA weighs with your medical records, test results, statements from you and others, and your military records. Under 38 CFR 4.2, the rater must read exam reports in light of your whole history and return a report as inadequate if its diagnosis is not supported by its findings or it lacks enough detail.

How much weight an opinion gets depends on its reasoning. The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims held in Nieves-Rodriguez v. Peake (2008) that "most of the probative value of a medical opinion comes from its reasoning." A VA report or a private opinion that gives only data and a conclusion is entitled to no weight, and the Board may not prefer a VA opinion over a private one only because the VA examiner reviewed the claims file. An opinion built on a wrong or missing fact loses weight against one that considers it.

That is why a well-reasoned private opinion can outweigh a C&P exam, and a well-reasoned C&P exam can outweigh a thin private letter. At the Board, how the medical opinions were weighed tracks closely with how service connection rulings ended:

Board of Veterans' Appeals rulings, 2021 to 2026, from Claim Raven's reading of 511,036 decisions. Appealed claims, not first-time claims, and not your personal odds. Associations, not causes. Medical opinions are read only on rulings the Board granted or denied, so compare each row with the last one, not with the grant rate that counts remands. How these figures are built.

If you are thinking about a private opinion, the nexus letter guide covers what makes one hold up.

What to do if your C&P exam was wrong or inadequate

Start with the final report and any separate opinion or addendum. A decision letter's summary of the exam is not the whole report. Then sort each problem into one of three types and, for each one, quote the passage, name the record that shows otherwise, and say why it matters to the issue VA is deciding.

Fictional example: "The May 6 report says I missed no work. My employer's attendance record dated April 14, pages 2 and 3, shows three absences for appointments. I told the examiner about the appointments but do not remember the exact words. Please add this record to my claim file and consider whether it changes the description of how the condition affects my work." That is narrower and easier to check than saying the whole exam was bad.

Red flags that make an exam report insufficient

VA's claims manual (M21-1, Part IV, Subpart i, 3.C) lists deficiencies that make an exam report insufficient for rating:

• the report is unsigned
• it does not address every disability VA asked about
• required DBQ questions are unanswered
• a required review of the claims folder was not done
• it is missing information for the disability, such as how musculoskeletal pain affects function
• a medical opinion is not supported by a valid rationale or by the evidence
• a requested medical opinion was not given

The manual says a contractor report that is insufficient goes back to the contractor that wrote it. VA and the Board may presume a VA examiner is competent unless you raise the issue (Rizzo v. Shinseki, 580 F.3d 1288 (Fed. Cir. 2009), as applied in Sickels v. Shinseki (Fed. Cir. 2011)). If you think the examiner lacked the qualifications for the question, or the exam missed something, say so specifically and in writing. For example, the mental disorders DBQ sets who may do an initial mental disorders exam.

In Claim Raven's reading of Board decisions, when the Board finds a VA exam inadequate, the usual result is a remand for a new or corrected opinion, not an immediate grant. VA's manual summarizes the rule from Barr v. Nicholson (2007): if VA provides an exam on a service connection claim, even one it was not required to provide, the exam must be adequate, or VA must tell you why one will not or cannot be provided. An exam is adequate when it considers your prior medical history and describes the disability in enough detail for a fully informed evaluation (Stefl v. Nicholson, as quoted in Sharp v. Shulkin).

The case breakdown of an inadequate C&P exam remand shows what the Board looks for.

If your claim is still pending

VA's claim exam page lists ways to report a bad exam experience: the contractor's customer satisfaction survey, a letter submitted as part of your claim file, a call to the contractor that scheduled the exam, a call to VA at 800-827-1000 (TTY: 711), or your local VA regional office. A survey reports conduct; it does not put evidence in your file. To add the contrary record and your statement, upload them through the claim status tool, name the exam and the issue, and keep the confirmation. Never alter the original report. Claim Raven's help center has a checklist for an incomplete or inaccurate C&P exam.

VA's Privacy Act page also lets you ask VA to amend a record that is inaccurate or incomplete. Amendments to benefits records go to the FOIA/Privacy Act Officer at your VA regional office. Amendments to VA health records go in writing to the Privacy Officer at the medical facility, or through My HealtheVet Secure Messaging. An amendment request does not rewrite a medical opinion and does not replace answering it in the claim.

If a decision has already arrived

Check whether the record that corrects the report was in your file before the decision.

• It was already in the file: a Higher-Level Review can look at it. You cannot submit new evidence, but you can ask for an optional informal conference, a call with the reviewer, to point out the error.
• It is new: a Supplemental Claim can consider new and relevant evidence, such as a private medical opinion that answers what the exam got wrong.

Request a Higher-Level Review or Board Appeal within one year of the date on your decision letter. The VA claim denied guide covers how to match each denial reason to a review lane, and an accredited VSO can help for free.

Questions about the C&P exam

What is a C&P exam?

A compensation and pension (C&P) exam, which VA calls a claim exam, is a medical exam VA orders when it needs more information to decide a disability claim. A VA or contract provider examines you and sends a report to VA. It is not treatment, and the examiner does not decide your claim.

Can you get a VA rating without a C&P exam?

Yes. If your file already has enough medical evidence, VA can decide from your records through its Acceptable Clinical Evidence process. An adequate private exam report or doctor's statement can also be accepted without a VA exam. Your own provider can fill out a public DBQ, though VA will not pay for it.

How long does a C&P exam take?

VA says it may take only 15 minutes or last an hour or more, depending on the conditions you claimed and how much information VA needs. The provider also reviews your records outside the appointment.

How long after a C&P exam will I get a decision?

VA does not give a set time after the exam. It says processing time depends on how complex your claim is and how many conditions you claimed. The exam report goes to VA, which reviews all the evidence and then sends a decision letter. The VA claim status guide explains the steps and VA's current average.

Can the C&P examiner tell me my results?

No. VA says the provider cannot tell you the exam results or make decisions about your claim. Request the final report from VA with Form 20-10206.

Can I bring someone to my C&P exam?

You can discuss it with the provider, but VA says the provider may ask caregivers and family members to wait outside the exam room. For a sensitive physical exam, you can ask for a medical assistant or chaperone to stay in the room.

Does VA pay for travel to a C&P exam?

Yes, in most cases. VA pays back travel to an exam at a VA medical center, and a contractor pays back travel to its exams. VA says active-duty service members and people living outside the U.S. or its territories are not eligible for travel reimbursement.

What if the examiner sees me on a good day?

Describe your last flare: how often flares happen, how long they last, what triggers them and what you could not do. In Sharp v. Shulkin, the Veterans Court held that an exam is inadequate when the examiner does not get that information and estimate the flare-related loss from all the evidence, including your account, or explain why not.

Should I describe my worst day at a C&P exam?

Describe the full range. Say what a typical day looks like and how often bad days or flares happen. Describing only your best day leaves out the flares the rules ask about, and presenting a rare flare as your baseline misstates the pattern.

Can I ask for a male or female examiner?

Yes, when you confirm the appointment, if you are having a reproductive health, breast, rectal or mental health exam, or if your claim involves a condition resulting from military sexual trauma.

Sources

Checked October 6, 2026.

• VA, VA claim exam (C&P exam) (last updated August 15, 2025): purpose, ACE, scheduling, contractors and phone numbers, rescheduling, missed exams and good cause, what to bring, what happens at the exam, provider gender, chaperones, length, getting results with Form 20-10206, reporting a bad exam
• VA, Personal records request form (VA Form 20-10206) (August 2023 revision) and the online request
• VHA Directive 6370, Compensation and Pension (C&P) Examination Report Release of Information (2019): the 20-business-day release rule
• VA Form 21-22 (July 2023): records release to an appointed VSO; VA, Get help from an accredited representative
• VA, Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires, including the Mental Disorders, Back, Knee, Headaches, Sleep Apnea and Respiratory DBQs and the list of DBQs not available for public use
• VA, Higher-Level Reviews and Supplemental Claims
• VA, Privacy Act requests: amending inaccurate records
• M21-1, Part IV, Subpart i, 3.C, insufficient examinations
• 38 CFR 3.159, 3.326, 3.327, 3.655, 3.2500, 4.2, 4.10, 4.40, 4.45, 4.59, 4.126 and 4.130 (eCFR, October 1, 2026)
• Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims: Sharp v. Shulkin, No. 16-1385 (decided September 6, 2017), quoting Stefl v. Nicholson and Barr v. Nicholson; Nieves-Rodriguez v. Peake, No. 06-0312 (decided December 1, 2008). Federal Circuit: Sickels v. Shinseki, No. 2010-7140 (decided May 6, 2011), discussing Rizzo v. Shinseki, 580 F.3d 1288 (2009)

Claim Raven is not a law firm, a VSO or an accredited representative, and this guide is not legal or medical advice. For help with your claim, talk to an accredited representative.