Many veterans walk into a C&P exam assuming it is a medical appointment. It is not. Nobody is there to treat you: the examiner is there to document evidence for a rating decision, and how you describe your bad days can shape your rating more than the file itself.
What a C&P exam is
A Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam is a medical evaluation VA uses to gather the facts it needs to rate a claim. It is not a treatment visit. The examiner is not there to fix anything. The examiner is there to document your current condition and, when asked, to give a medical opinion on whether a condition is related to service. The exam may be done by a VA clinician or by a contract examiner working for one of VA's contract exam vendors: Loyal Source Government Services, OptumServe Health Services (formerly LHI), Leidos QTC Health Services, or Veterans Evaluation Services (VES).
Many veterans walk in assuming it is a regular medical appointment. It is not. Nobody is there to treat you, and how you describe your bad days can shape your rating more than the file itself.
Why VA orders one
VA's duty to assist (38 CFR 3.159) requires it to provide an exam when the record is not already enough to decide your claim. The examiner usually works from a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ), a standardized form that maps to the rating criteria for your condition. The DBQ is why the exam can feel like a checklist: the examiner is filling in the exact data points a rating specialist needs.
Types of C&P exam
- In-person exam. The traditional visit, with a physical evaluation and measurements.
- Telehealth exam. A video visit, common for mental health and some other conditions.
- ACE exam (Acceptable Clinical Evidence). A records-only review with no appointment, used when the file already contains enough recent clinical detail. Sometimes the examiner calls you with a few questions.
How to prepare
- Bring or have on file your treatment records, a short symptom history, and a current medication list.
- Write down, ahead of time, what your worst days look like. Anxiety and the pressure of the appointment can make it hard to remember in the moment, and a calm waiting room can make a bad condition look better than it is day to day.
- For exposure-related claims, gather your exposure history first. Our exposure checklists by category walk through what to document.
What to tell the examiner
Be honest and complete. Two ideas matter most:
- Describe the bad days, not just the day of the exam. If your condition flares, say how often, how long, and how it limits you when it does.
- For joints and the spine, functional loss counts. The rating rules at 38 CFR 4.40 and 4.45, reinforced by the DeLuca case, require the examiner to consider pain, weakness, fatigue, and loss of motion on repeated use and during flare-ups, not just your first easy range of motion. If repetition or a flare makes things worse, say so and let the examiner test it.
Do not exaggerate. An examiner who senses overstatement may discount everything you report. Accurate and specific beats dramatic every time.
If you cannot make it
If you miss a scheduled exam, VA can decide your claim on the evidence already in the file, which often means a denial (38 CFR 3.655 governs missed exams). If something genuinely prevents you from attending, contact VA before the appointment, explain the good cause, and ask to reschedule.
Reexaminations
VA can schedule a future exam to check whether a condition has improved (38 CFR 3.327). It generally will not reexamine when a disability is static, has persisted without material change, or is protected by length of time. If VA proposes to reduce a rating after a reexam, you have the right to notice and a hearing before the reduction takes effect.
How to get and review your exam report
You have the right to request a copy of your exam report and your claims file. Request your C-file and the C&P exam report so you can see exactly what the examiner wrote. If the report missed your flare-ups, ignored records, or gave an opinion with no reasoning, the exam may be inadequate, and there are specific steps to challenge it. See when a C&P exam is inadequate.
Before you walk into the exam, ask
- Have I written down what my worst days look like, with frequency and duration, so exam-day nerves cannot erase them?
- Do I know which flare-ups and repeated-use limits to mention, since the rules require the examiner to account for them?
- Is my medication list and treatment history current and with me?
- Have I planned to request the exam report afterward, so I can check it against what actually happened?
Related on this site
- When a C&P exam is inadequate, and what to do
- Request your C-file and your C&P exam report
- Exposure checklists by category
- Decision letter words, decoded
Common questions
Is a C&P exam a treatment visit?
No. The examiner is not there to treat anything. The exam exists to document your current condition and, when asked, to opine on whether it is related to service, usually by completing a Disability Benefits Questionnaire that maps to the rating criteria.
What should I tell the examiner?
Be honest and complete, and describe your bad days, not just how you feel in the waiting room. For joints and the spine, functional loss counts: the rules at 38 CFR 4.40 and 4.45 require the examiner to consider pain, weakness, fatigue, and loss of motion on repeated use and during flare-ups.
What happens if I miss my C&P exam?
Under 38 CFR 3.655, VA can decide the claim on the evidence already in the file, which often means a denial. If something genuinely prevents you from attending, contact VA before the appointment, explain the good cause, and ask to reschedule.
Can I get a copy of my exam report?
Yes. You have the right to request your exam report and your claims file. Reviewing the report lets you check whether the examiner captured your flare-ups and reviewed your records; a report that missed them may be inadequate and can be challenged.