What to Expect During Your VA C&P Exam

Before the Exam

You'll receive a notice of the scheduled date, time, and location — sometimes with a licensed contractor (through companies like QTC, LHI, or VES) rather than a VA facility directly. Attendance is mandatory; missing the exam without rescheduling can result in a denial regardless of how strong your written evidence is.

Who Conducts the Exam

Examiners are licensed medical professionals — physicians, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants — contracted or employed to conduct these evaluations specifically for VA claims. They aren't your treating provider, and they aren't deciding your claim; they're gathering the medical findings a rater will use to make that decision separately.

What Happens During the Exam

• Review of your reported medical history and the condition being claimed
• Physical examination relevant to the specific condition (range of motion, strength testing, reflexes, etc.) or a structured interview for mental health conditions
• Questions tied directly to a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) — a standardized form specific to the condition being evaluated
• For secondary condition claims, questions aimed at addressing causation or aggravation between the primary and secondary condition

What the Examiner Is Required to Address

Every DBQ has a specific set of required questions the examiner must answer — current severity, functional impact, and, for secondary or aggravation claims, a medical opinion on the connection. An exam that skips required questions is considered inadequate and can be challenged through a Higher-Level Review, which is worth knowing if your exam feels rushed or incomplete.

How to Prepare

Bring a written list of your symptoms, when they occur, and how they affect daily function and work — memory is unreliable under exam-day nerves. Describe a typical bad day honestly rather than downplaying symptoms out of habit or overstating them out of anxiety; examiners are trained to spot both patterns, and accuracy serves your claim better than either extreme.

What Happens After

The examiner submits the completed DBQ and any medical opinion to the VA, typically within a few days to a couple of weeks. Your claim status will generally remain in the Evidence Gathering or Review of Evidence phase until the report is uploaded, after which it moves toward Preparation for Decision.

In-Person vs. Telehealth Exams

Some C&P exams — particularly certain mental health evaluations and follow-up assessments — are conducted by video rather than in person. The format doesn't change what's required of the examiner; the same DBQ questions still need to be addressed either way. If you're offered a telehealth option and would rather be seen in person, you can generally request that accommodation when the exam is scheduled.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Downplaying symptoms to seem 'tough,' which understates severity in the official record.
• Missing the exam without calling to reschedule, which can trigger an automatic denial under 38 CFR § 3.655.
• Not mentioning secondary or related symptoms because they weren't specifically asked about.
• Assuming the exam result is the final decision — it's one piece of evidence a rater weighs alongside everything else in your file.

Frequently asked questions