When you apply for VA disability benefits, the application review process may include submitting to a compensation and pension examination. The results of your C&P exam can affect the disability rating you receive for your service-connected condition. As a result, you may wonder about what to expect when you attend a C&P exam during your VA benefits application process. In 2025, C&P exams will undergo some minor changes, including those involving mental health conditions.
Understanding C&P Exams
A compensation and pension exam evaluates the severity of a veteran’s service-connected medical condition. The information gleaned from a C&P exam helps the VA determine a disability rating for a condition, which in turn determines the monthly disability payments a veteran may receive and their eligibility for other VA services, such as access to VA-provided healthcare. The VA contracts medical professionals to conduct C&P exams. These exams occur during the initial disability benefits application process or when a veteran claims a secondary condition or a worsening of an established service-connected condition.
A veteran must attend a C&P exam when requested by the VA. Veterans who fail to attend scheduled exams may have their applications denied or see a reduction or termination of existing disability benefits.
How to Prepare Before an Exam
Veterans can take specific steps to prepare to attend a C&P exam. First, a veteran should review their benefits application and attached medical records, which can help veterans prepare for the questions they may have to answer at the exam. Veterans should also create a list of their symptoms, the activities their condition makes difficult or impossible, the medications they take, and the treatments they have undergone.
The VA has begun transitioning to telehealth exams for various conditions. Therefore, veterans scheduled for a telehealth exam should ensure they have compatible technology and a quiet space available during the exam.
What to Expect During an Exam
What happens during a C&P exam will depend on the condition(s) claimed by a veteran. Veterans who claim physical disabilities should expect to undergo a physical examination that may include range of motion tests or tests of responses to stimuli. Impairments to bodily functions may involve radiology scans and lab tests. Finally, veterans who claim mental health conditions should expect their exam to include questions about their mood, behavior, memory, and functioning in the workplace or social settings. An examiner will also review a veteran’s diagnostic history and ask questions about their current lifestyle to understand the effect of the condition on the veteran.
What Happens After the Exam?
After the exam, the examiner will use their notes to draft a report. However, the examiner’s report does not automatically determine a veteran’s disability rating. Instead, the VA’s claims reviewers will use the report to assign the disability rating based on the report’s findings and how they correlate to disability rating criteria. Veterans will not automatically receive a copy of the examiner’s report, but can request one to review.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Top mistakes that veterans should remain mindful of when attending C&P exams include:
- Not attending the exam: Failing to appear for a C&P exam can jeopardize your application or your current disability benefits. If you cannot attend a scheduled exam, you should request to reschedule.
- Downplaying symptoms: Veterans may receive a lower disability rating than they should if they minimize their symptoms or the effect they have on daily life out of modesty or pride.
- Exaggerating symptoms: Conversely, exaggerating symptoms can harm a veteran’s credibility when objective medical evidence contradicts the veteran’s subjective complaints.
- Vague answers: Veterans can best explain how their conditions affect their lives by providing real-world examples of how their condition has affected them.
Contact a VA Benefits Attorney Today
Contact Veteran’s Legal Center today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a VA disability lawyer to learn more about C&P exams and to get help pursuing the disability benefits you need and deserve.