C&P Exam Preparation: 5 Accuracy Mistakes to Avoid
A VA claim exam, often called a C&P exam, is used to gather information for a disability claim. The safest preparation strategy is accuracy: know your history, follow the appointment instructions, and answer in your own words.
1. Do not rehearse a rating script
Review your symptoms, treatment, medications, major dates, and functional effects. Do not memorize phrases because you think they correspond to a particular percentage.
2. Do not exaggerate or minimize
If symptoms vary, describe that variability honestly. Include harder periods and better periods when both are part of your real experience.
3. Use DBQs to understand the process, not to game it
VA publishes public Disability Benefits Questionnaires. Reviewing the relevant DBQ can help you understand the medical history and functional information an examiner may ask about.
4. Follow instructions for records and physical testing
Bring what the appointment instructions tell you to bring. During physical testing, follow the examiner's directions and report pain, weakness, dizziness, numbness, or other symptoms when they occur. Do not intentionally overperform or underperform.
5. Know how to report a bad exam experience
If you believe the exam was conducted improperly, VA publishes complaint steps and records-request instructions. Keep your own contemporaneous notes and use the official process.