A claim exam answers VA's questions, not yours

A compensation and pension exam is requested to develop a benefits claim. It is not a treatment appointment, the examiner may not be your clinician, and they will generally answer only what they were asked. VA's claim-exam guide.

Before

Read the notice and find the condition or body system named. Bring a short timeline, a current medication list, relevant test results, and notes on how often symptoms occur and what they interrupt.

During

Describe ordinary days and bad ones, and say which is which. If a joint is fine most mornings and unusable after an hour of work, both halves matter — an examiner measuring you on a good day at 9am is recording something true and incomplete, and only you can supply the rest.

Say so when you do not know. "I'm not sure how often" is better evidence than a number you invented.

Do not stop treatment or change medication to affect the findings. It is dangerous, and an examiner documenting an untreated state is not documenting your actual disability picture.

The form's title is its scope

The public respiratory DBQ says in its own name that it excludes sleep apnea, which has its own form.

So if the scheduled form appears not to cover what you claimed, that is worth a question. It is not proof VA has decided to ignore the condition — one exam is often part of a larger development request. Ask for clarification, keep the wording of your claim and the notice, and read what to do when an exam goes wrong.

Attend the exam you are scheduled for unless VA tells you otherwise.

Reviewed October 6, 2026