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Mastering Your VA C&P Exam: Essential Advice for a Successful Disability Claim
The Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam is a cornerstone of the VA disability claims process. Understanding its purpose and how to prepare is critical for veterans seeking benefits for injuries or illnesses suffered during military service. The VA operates under a “duty to assist,” meaning it is supposed to actively help veterans develop their claims. Part of this assistance involves providing a medical evaluation and opinion if the veteran does not have their own medical professional providing that information. This is where the C&P exam comes in.
What to Expect from the C&P Exam
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) typically contracts C&P exams out to third-party companies. These companies arrange for local medical professionals—which could be nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants for physical claims, or psychologists/psychiatrists for mental health claims—to conduct the evaluations.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of these contracted services, examiners are often paid a modest amount, and they may be interested in completing the evaluation in the least amount of time possible. This frequently results in issues such as examiners not taking the time to review the entire VA claims file, which is often long, unorganized, and difficult to navigate. This can lead to inaccurate or incomplete exam findings.
Crucial Preparation: Don’t Minimize Your Symptoms
The single most important piece of advice for any veteran attending a C&P exam is do not minimize your symptoms. The military mindset often teaches individuals to “power through” pain and difficulty, or to be “macho” and not complain. For the C&P exam, this mindset is counterproductive and can lead directly to a low rating or denial.
You need to clearly communicate the full extent, frequency, and severity of your problems. If you have flare-ups where you are barely able to move, you must explain that to the examiner, even if you feel relatively well on the day of the exam. If the examiner asks if your leg hurts and you say, “It’s not too bad,” they will document that, even if you have debilitating pain on other days. Be accurate, but be thorough in describing the difficulties you are actually having.
Preparing Your Details
Before your appointment, veterans should prepare a list of important details regarding their condition. If the event that caused your injury or illness is not specifically recorded in your service records, you should provide the examiner with a careful explanation of what happened and why it is not recorded.
It is also helpful to bring any recent medical test results, such as MRI reports, X-ray reports, or blood test reports, that are relevant to the condition being discussed. If the condition originated in service and was recorded, offering the doctor a copy of that service record—literally showing them the day it happened and the report—can be extremely helpful.
Specific Challenges for Mental Health Claims
For mental health claims, the evaluation centers heavily on the veteran’s symptoms and the intensity and frequency of those symptoms. Unlike physical conditions, where specific measurements like range of motion are taken, mental health evaluations rely entirely on your explanation.
A significant issue for veterans pursuing mental health benefits is the reluctance to talk about the distressing events underlying the condition. Sometimes, veterans fear that discussing the full extent of their symptoms will lead to involuntary hospitalization. Additionally, talking about severe mental trauma can be re-traumatizing. However, if a veteran is unwilling to discuss the necessary details, the examiner might write the experience off as insignificant, even if it is devastating. For a successful claim, explaining the level of difficulty is a necessary step.
Scheduling and Disagreement
Do not miss your scheduled C&P exam. Failing to attend an exam is, in and of itself, a basis for the VA to deny the claim, regardless of the quality of the evidence in your file.
If you are unable to attend, you must contact the VA immediately to explain why, ask to have it rescheduled, and get the name of the person you talked to. It is highly recommended to follow up the phone call in writing to ensure a record is created, as details are easily lost in the shuffle.
If you disagree with the findings of the C&P exam because you believe it was not comprehensive or failed to consider the facts, you can complain to the VA in writing, although the VA rarely responds meaningfully to these complaints. The most meaningful option if an exam is unfavorable is to obtain a private exam and report. While the VA may not put as much stock in outside reports, a well-written, persuasive report from a credentialed specialist is often given careful attention at the appeals level.
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VA disability benefits, C&P exam, Compensation and Pension exam, veteran claims process, duty to assist, symptom severity, mental health claim, medical evaluation, claim denial, VA appeal, marketus