A VA claim exam, commonly called a C&P exam, gathers information for a claim decision. VA says it is not a treatment appointment. The official VA claim-exam guide explains what to expect, including confirming the appointment details and understanding the examiner’s role. The examiner cannot answer claims-process questions or tell you the result of your claim.
Before the appointment
- Confirm logistics: check the date, time, location, and any instructions in the appointment notice. Ask the scheduler about transportation or accessibility needs when appropriate.
- Make a short observation list: note what you personally experience, how it varies, and which activities are affected. Include uncertainty rather than filling gaps with a guess.
- Index records: list new non-VA records you want to provide and ask about the secure submission process. VA says an examiner cannot submit those records for you.
- Write practical questions: keep questions about the appointment and logistics separate from questions for your health care team.
The free C&P appointment planner keeps these notes together. You can also use the claim organizer for your own status and follow-up record.
Speak from your own experience
Describe actual examples in your own words, including changes over time and details you cannot recall. Do not rehearse symptoms you do not have, exaggerate an effect, or change treatment to prepare for an appointment. A writing worksheet cannot create a clinical finding, diagnosis, medical opinion, or predicted claim result.
Understand DBQ boundaries
A public Disability Benefits Questionnaire is completed by a health care provider. VA’s public DBQ page provides current forms and instructions and says VA does not pay or reimburse private provider costs for completing or submitting a DBQ. A private DBQ appointment and a VA-arranged C&P exam are separate processes; follow the actual appointment notice you receive.
Use the DBQ appointment planner to prepare questions for an office, or read the DBQ preparation guide. For records organization, use the evidence checklist and records timeline. For a possible medical-connection conversation, the nexus letter preparation guide explains what must come from a clinician.
After the exam
Keep your appointment notes separate from a clinician’s or examiner’s document. Check your status through the official VA status page when you choose, and keep the notice and any submission confirmation with your personal records. This site does not receive the exam report, submit evidence, or predict what VA will decide. Save a claim organizer project if you want to keep your own checklist and follow-up notes.
Sources & further reading
- The VA claim process after you file your claim
- Check your claim, decision review, or appeal status
- VA claim exam (C&P exam)
- Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs)
Check the linked official sources for current requirements. This guide is educational and does not determine eligibility.