The Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam is where your claim often gets decided. The examiner’s report can make or break the rating. You cannot control the examiner, but you can control how prepared you are.
Describe your worst days, not your best
Veterans are trained to push through. In a C&P exam that instinct hurts you. The rating is based on how the condition affects you on a bad day and on average — not on the 20 minutes you are gutting it out in the exam room. Be honest, not tough.
Come ready
- Re-read your own statements and know your timeline
- Be specific about frequency and severity — “three flare-ups a week,” not “sometimes”
- Describe the functional impact: work missed, tasks you can no longer do
- Do not assume the examiner read your file — many have not
After the exam
Request a copy of the exam report. If it is inaccurate or incomplete, that is a fixable problem — not the end of the road.