It is not uncommon for a Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam report, documented on a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ), to contain mistakes, checked boxes that do not match the examiner's narrative, or conclusions that seem inconsistent with what was actually said during the exam. This happens because examiners are often contracted through vendors like QTC, LHI, or VES, may not specialize in the condition being evaluated, and sometimes complete the DBQ using templates or shorthand that does not fully reflect the encounter.
If you receive a DBQ with inaccuracies, you have several options. First, review the rating decision once it is issued, since the rating activity may or may not rely heavily on the flawed portion of the exam. If the decision is unfavorable or the rating seems too low because of the exam's inaccuracies, you can file a Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995) with new and relevant evidence, such as a private medical opinion, buddy statements, or your own detailed statement (VA Form 21-4138) describing the discrepancies between the exam and your actual symptoms.
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 →Alternatively, if you believe VA made a legal or factual error in weighing the existing evidence, including giving too much weight to a flawed exam, you can request Higher-Level Review (VA Form 20-0996), where a senior reviewer looks at the same evidence again without new submissions, or file a Notice of Disagreement (VA Form 10182) to go to the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
You can also request a copy of the C&P exam report before or shortly after the rating decision (through the VA's eBenefits/VA.gov claim status page or by requesting your C-file) and compare it against your medical records and your own contemporaneous notes about the exam. If the discrepancy is significant, some veterans successfully request a new C&P exam by explaining the specific factual errors in a statement to VA, though VA is not obligated to grant this and often instead simply reviews the existing record on appeal.
Importantly, DBQ inconsistencies alone do not guarantee a different outcome; VA raters weigh all evidence of record, including your lay statements and any private treatment records, not just the DBQ. Outcomes vary significantly based on the overall record.
The concrete next step is to obtain a copy of the C&P exam report and the resulting rating decision, then draft a written statement identifying each specific inaccuracy, and submit it along with any supporting medical evidence via a Supplemental Claim or Higher-Level Review request.
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