A Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam exists to answer specific medical questions tied to your claim: whether a current diagnosis exists, whether it is at least as likely as not connected to service, and how severe it is under the relevant rating criteria. Examiners work from a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) specific to your condition, and DBQs are publicly available on the VA's website. Reviewing the DBQ for your claimed condition before the exam lets you see exactly which symptoms, dates, and functional limitations the examiner is required to document, so you can speak directly to those points.
The safest approach is to answer only the question asked, factually and concisely. Volunteering unrelated symptoms, alternate injuries, or conditions not currently claimed can create documentation that later complicates or contradicts an existing claim, since anything you say may be recorded and used in the rating decision. If a new condition arises, file a separate claim for it rather than raising it inside an exam for something else.
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 |
Does your rating decision hold up under a real audit?
Upload your decision letter and C&P exams — VetAid's analyzer reads the full file, checks every examiner statement word-for-word against your records, and shows which arguments for a higher rating actually hold. Free, and we never take a cut of your back pay.
Analyze my claim free →Support your account with objective facts already in the record: dates of in-service treatment, continuity of symptoms since separation, and specific ways the condition affects work and daily activities (missed workdays, restrictions, need for assistive devices, etc.). Presumptive conditions and service treatment record entries are especially important to reference by name, since examiners are checking for exactly that kind of documented connection.
If a claim is denied and you believe the decision was wrong based on the evidence already of record, a Higher-Level Review (VA Form 20-0996) is generally faster than a full appeal and asks a senior reviewer to take another look without submitting new evidence. If you have new and relevant evidence, a Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995) is the better route. Outcomes vary widely by condition and evidence quality; in VetAid's library of appealed service-connection decisions, half were vacated or remanded, three in ten were affirmed, and roughly one in fourteen were reversed or granted outright — though appealed cases are a self-selected group, not a predictor of how any individual claim, especially an initial one, will turn out.
Before your next exam, pull the DBQ for your specific condition and prepare short, factual answers tied to its exact criteria.
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