4 reminders before walking into your C&P exam!
Most Veterans who are in the process of completing their VA Disability claim are subject to a Compensation and Pension Exam (C&P Exam). The C&P examiner is looking for specific things in your claim, do you know what they are?
What is a C&P exam?
C&P Exam is a medical examination performed by the medical practitioners at the VA. The C&P examiner will not prescribe medications or send a veteran to a specialist, but instead, they will give an evaluation of the medical conditions which a veteran would like to claim to be service-connected.
It is said that C&P exams can be kind of frustrating that many Vets can make mistakes during the process.
The key is, you must know the language your C&P examiner is looking for to be able to speak about your conditions!
Here are the things that we need to remind ourselves before filing for a C&P exam:
Don’t downplay medical conditions
True testimony would always be the best thing. Most vets don’t want to admit when they are in pain or are still in denial about their conditions. This does not help your C&P exam. If you’re suffering from a medical condition and you think it truly affects your daily life, admit it to your doctor. Additionally, refrain from exaggerating about the condition as this will give a negative impact on your claim.
Don’t have high expectations
After submitting the C&P exam, many Veterans are tempted to ask the medical practitioner who evaluated the status update of their claim. The C&P examiner doesn’t have a thorough knowledge of how your case is going to be handled and decided. The medical provider doing the exam is not the one who makes the final decision. The examiner will present his or her findings/evaluations to the VA Regional Office. The VA Regional Office will give the final decision, and all we have to do is to wait.
Don’t expect quick evaluation results
You submit your claim and you want your results NOW. C&P evaluation results are much different. It takes an extended time to process and get your results. For example, if you file for multiple claims, you will be required to visit the VA for different exams multiple times on various days. However, with patience and rapport to your medical provider, you will be getting great results in due time. Have all your paperwork ready, follow instructions, and your time to decision will be much less.
Do monitor your chart review
There are times that the VA won’t give you schedule for an exam because the C&P examiner does a chart review for you already. There are times that the veteran can feel that the VA is overlooking their claim. It could be that a C&P examiner doing the chart review is sufficient enough for some types of claims. If a chart review is not enough, then, the examiner will advise the Veterans in getting second opinions from their independent medical consultants.
While the process can be frustrating, know that it will be worth it! If you are stuck and stressed in this process, check out this high-value YouTube video going over C&P exams. And if you are ready to get help from the experts, reach out! We are ready to help you WIN your claim.
Dan Quick is apart of the VA Claims Insider Team and is an Army disabled Veteran. Ready to work with him? You can sign up here or you can contact him at [email protected]