VA C&P Exams: What to Expect and How to Prepare

After a disability claim is filed, VA may request a claim examination—often called a C&P exam—to obtain evidence needed to decide service connection, severity, or both. The exam may be performed by VA or a contracted examiner.

The examiner does not issue the final rating decision. The examiner documents findings and, when requested, provides medical opinions for adjudicators to consider with the rest of the record.

• Confirm the date, time, location, and contractor; update VA and the contractor if your contact information changes.
• Review the conditions being examined and make a short, accurate symptom timeline.
• Bring requested records, assistive devices, medication information, and relevant private test results if the scheduling instructions permit.
• Write down flare-up frequency, duration, triggers, and the specific activities you cannot perform or can perform only with difficulty.
• Plan to attend. If you cannot, contact the scheduling office promptly and document the communication.

Describe your usual limitations and any meaningful variation over time. Do not exaggerate, minimize, or perform movements beyond what you can safely do. Explain pain, weakness, fatigue, instability, lost endurance, missed work, accommodations, and effects on ordinary activities when relevant.

If the disability has flare-ups but the exam occurs on a better day, explain what happens during a flare, how often it occurs, how long it lasts, and what additional functional loss results.

• Write a contemporaneous note recording the exam length, tests performed, questions asked, and any important symptoms or records not addressed.
• Watch for requests for another examination or additional evidence.
• Request the completed examination report through the appropriate VA records process or from an accredited representative with access.
• Compare the report with the facts and rating criteria after VA issues the decision; identify objective errors rather than merely disagreeing with an unfavorable conclusion.