There is no rule requiring one or the other. Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) can be completed either by a VA clinician during a Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam that the VA schedules after you file a claim, or by a private physician whose completed DBQ you submit as private medical evidence under 38 CFR 3.159. Both are acceptable forms of evidence, and the VA is required to consider whichever one is in the file, weighing them the same on their merits rather than by who wrote them.
The more important issue is not who signs the form but what the form needs to say. To establish service connection you need three things in the record: a current diagnosis, an in-service event, injury, or illness, and a medical nexus opinion linking the two (or evidence of continuity of symptoms since service for a chronic condition). Ongoing VA physical therapy for plantar fasciitis and knee pain documents a current diagnosis and current treatment, but it does not by itself prove the condition began in or was caused by service unless a clinician actually addresses that nexus question in writing.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →VA treating providers sometimes decline to complete nexus-focused DBQs because their role is treatment, not disability evaluation, and some VA facilities route DBQ requests through the C&P exam process instead of the treating clinic. Private providers, especially ones experienced with VA claims, may be more willing to spend the time needed to review your service treatment records and write a detailed nexus opinion, though this usually comes at your own cost. Many veterans use a combination: file the claim first so the VA schedules a free C&P exam, and if that exam result is unfavorable or incomplete, supplement the file with a private DBQ or nexus letter afterward.
At the Board of Veterans' Appeals, across issues decided from 1992 to July 2026, service-connection issues (2,302,001) came out 18.8% granted, 30.2% denied and 45.7% remanded (VetAid's Board outcome rates). These are outcomes for cases that were already appealed, not the odds of winning an initial claim, and appealed cases are not a random sample of all claims.
The concrete next step is to file your claim (VA Form 21-526EZ) now so the clock starts and a C&P exam gets scheduled, then gather service treatment records or buddy statements documenting the original foot/knee/leg injury before deciding whether a private DBQ is needed to fill any nexus gap.
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