A deferred decision means the VA has not yet made a final determination on that specific issue because it needs more information before it can rate it. "Examination" as the stated reason simply means the rating board is waiting on a Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam report, or additional medical opinion, before it can assign a percentage. This is different from a denial — it is a placeholder status while evidence development continues, and VA is required under 38 CFR 3.159 to make reasonable efforts to obtain the evidence needed to decide a claim, including scheduling exams.
It is fairly common to be scheduled for more than one C&P exam for the same condition. This can happen for several reasons: the first exam may have been found inadequate (missing required range-of-motion measurements, not addressing all rated criteria, or not answering a direct medical opinion question the rater needed); the contracted examiner or vendor changed (VA frequently uses outside contractors like Optum, LHI, VES, or QTC, and cases get reassigned between them for scheduling or workload reasons); or the rating board specifically needs a different type of exam, such as a general medical exam versus a mental health DBQ, or a separate exam addressing employability for a TDIU claim. For TDIU specifically, raters often want both the medical severity picture and a vocational/functional capacity discussion, which sometimes requires exams beyond what was originally done for the underlying conditions.
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 →Being rescheduled does not, by itself, indicate a bad outcome. It usually just means the file was incomplete for rating purposes. Once the new exam report is uploaded, the rating activity should update the deferred issues to either grant, deny, or assign a percentage, and TDIU will be adjudicated based on the combined evidence, including any updated exams and the vocational information already in the file (such as VA Form 21-8940 if one was submitted).
The concrete next step is to check the claim status on VA.gov or call the VA at 800-827-1000 to confirm the new exam(s) have been completed and results received, and to make sure VA Form 21-8940 and any updated employment/education history are in the file before the rating board finalizes the deferred issues.
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