Preparing for Your VA C&P Exam
By StratForge Group · Published April 22, 2026 · Updated August 26, 2026
The examiner is documenting, not treating. Describing frequency, severity, and functional impact in concrete terms is what carries into the rating.
Understand what the exam is for
A Compensation and Pension exam exists to document findings on a Disability Benefits Questionnaire. A rater who never meets you will later compare that form to the rating criteria. Anything you do not say generally does not exist in the record.
Describe your average and your worst days
Rating criteria are written around frequency and functional impact. Give numbers: episodes per week, days of work missed, minutes you can stand, hours of sleep lost. Then describe a flare-up from start to finish.
Do not exaggerate and do not tough it out. Both distort the record.
- Bring a current medication list and recent test results
- Mention assistive devices, braces, or accommodations you use
- Say plainly when a movement causes pain during testing
Write notes immediately afterward
Record what was asked, what was tested, how long the appointment lasted, and anything you forgot to raise. If the exam was inadequate, those notes support a challenge later.
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