How to Fill Out and Submit the VA TMJ Assessment Form (DBQ)

The VA TMJ DBQ form is the Disability Benefits Questionnaire for Temporomandibular Disorders, a standardized document a licensed healthcare provider completes to record your jaw diagnosis, range of motion, pain findings, and any dietary limits caused by TMJ dysfunction. Any licensed provider can fill it out — you are not limited to a VA clinician — and the completed form becomes the core medical evidence the VA uses to assign your disability rating under Diagnostic Code 9905.¹

What the Form Documents

The DBQ moves from diagnosis through physical examination to functional impact. Your provider works through it during an in-person exam (or, in limited cases, a telehealth visit), filling in each section as they go. The sections that matter most for your rating are:

Diagnosis. Each TMJ condition by name and ICD code, with the date of diagnosis. Space for up to three, plus room for additional conditions.
Medical history. How the condition started, how it has progressed, any flare-ups, and the functional loss you report.
Range of motion. Active and passive measurements for interincisal distance, right lateral excursion, left lateral excursion, and whether pain limits movement. Repetitive-use testing with at least three repetitions follows.
Objective findings. Whether there is pain with chewing, crepitus (a grinding sensation in the joint), or tenderness on palpation of the soft tissue around the joint.
Dietary restrictions. Whether your condition requires a texture-modified diet — liquid, pureed, soft, or semi-solid foods.

Every clinician-information block at the bottom of the form must be completed, signed, and dated. The VA reserves the right to verify authenticity of any submitted DBQ.¹ The TMJ DBQ is not on the VA’s restricted list, so a private dentist, oral surgeon, or physician can complete it.

The Measurements That Decide Your Rating

The range-of-motion section is where most of the rating math happens. All measurements are recorded in millimeters, and accuracy here matters more than anywhere else on the form.

Interincisal distance is the vertical gap between the biting edges of your upper and lower front teeth when you open as wide as possible. The provider places a ruler or jaw-measurement scale on the edge of a lower central incisor and measures straight up to the opposing upper incisor.² Two readings are taken: how far you can open comfortably without pain, and how far you can open even if it hurts. For VA purposes, the normal range is 35 to 50 millimeters.³

Lateral excursion measures how far you can shift your lower jaw to each side. The provider marks where your lower midline sits with your teeth together, then measures how far the midline moves when you slide your jaw fully left and right.² Right and left excursion are recorded separately.

Protrusive motion is how far you can push your lower jaw forward. The provider measures the horizontal overlap of your upper and lower front teeth at rest, then measures the gap after you jut your jaw fully forward. Adding those two numbers gives the total protrusive range.²

After the initial readings, your provider asks you to open and close your jaw at least three times to check whether repetitive use causes further loss of motion or increased pain. If your range drops after repetitions, that decline is recorded separately and can influence the final rating.

How Those Numbers Translate to a Percentage

The VA assigns a rating under Diagnostic Code 9905 based on how far you can open your jaw and whether your condition forces you onto a modified diet. Ratings run from 10 to 50 percent.

Interincisal Range Tiers

0 to 10 mm opening: 50 percent with dietary restrictions to mechanically altered foods, or 40 percent without.
11 to 20 mm opening: 40 percent with dietary restrictions to mechanically altered foods, or 30 percent without.
21 to 29 mm opening: 40 percent with restrictions to liquid and pureed foods, 30 percent with restrictions to soft and semi-solid foods, or 20 percent without dietary restrictions.
30 to 34 mm opening: 30 percent with restrictions to liquid and pureed foods, 20 percent with restrictions to soft and semi-solid foods, or 10 percent without dietary restrictions.

A separate 10-percent rating applies if lateral excursion is limited to 0 to 4 millimeters. The VA does not combine an interincisal rating with a lateral excursion rating — you receive whichever is higher, not both added together.³

The Dietary Documentation That Bumps the Rating

Dietary limitations can push a rating one or two tiers higher than the opening measurement alone would justify. For VA purposes, “mechanically altered foods” means food that has been blended, chopped, ground, or mashed to make it easier to chew and swallow. The four recognized levels are full liquid, puree, soft, and semi-solid.

Here is where claims commonly fall short: to get the higher rating based on a modified diet, the use of texture-modified foods must be recorded or verified by a physician.³ A self-reported diet change without medical documentation will not qualify. If you rely on soft foods because of jaw pain, make sure your treating provider has noted that in your medical records before the DBQ exam.

Preparing for the Exam

Your provider fills out the form, not you. Your job is to prepare so the provider captures the full picture.

Bring any prior imaging — panoramic X-rays, CT scans, or MRI results showing disc displacement or degenerative changes in the joint. The VA looks for objective evidence backing up physical findings, and imaging is the strongest confirmation available. If you have not had imaging and your condition involves locking, clicking, or limited opening, ask your provider whether an MRI or cone-beam CT is warranted before the evaluation.

Write down the history of your symptoms before the visit: when the pain started, whether it followed trauma or dental work, how often your jaw locks or clicks, and which activities it interferes with — chewing, yawning, speaking. The DBQ asks for onset, course, and flare-up history, and your provider will rely on what you tell them for this section. Vague answers produce vague documentation, and vague documentation gets low ratings.

During the exam, do not push through pain to demonstrate a wider opening than you actually use day to day. The form captures both pain-free range and maximum range, so there is no benefit to minimizing your symptoms. If repetitive opening makes things worse — more pain, less range, or audible joint noise — say so. The provider records those changes in the repetitive-use section, and they can affect your rating.

Submitting the Completed Form

Once your provider signs and dates the form, attach it to a disability compensation claim and get it to the VA. The fastest route is the VA’s QuickSubmit tool, an online evidence-intake portal where you upload documents directly to your claims file.⁴ You can also upload the DBQ through the document-upload feature on VA.gov when filing or updating a claim online.

If you cannot submit digitally, mail the completed form to the VA’s centralized mail intake center via certified mail with a return receipt. Keep a copy of the signed, dated form for your own records regardless of how you submit; the VA verifies DBQ authenticity, and having your copy avoids problems if anything goes missing in transit.¹

Processing Time and What Comes Next

As of early 2026, the VA’s average processing time for disability compensation claims is roughly 76 days. Your case could move faster or slower depending on the complexity of the evidence, whether you have multiple claimed conditions, and whether the VA requests an additional examination. A VA rater compares the measurements and findings on your DBQ against the Diagnostic Code 9905 schedule to assign a percentage.

Track your claim through your VA.gov account. If the VA needs more information — additional imaging, clarification of a measurement, or a buddy statement corroborating functional limitations — you will receive a request letter. Respond promptly. Delays here extend processing time significantly.

Once a decision is made, the VA sends a decision letter explaining the assigned rating, the effective date, and the monthly compensation amount. If your claim is granted, back pay typically begins 30 to 90 days after the decision.

Appealing a Denied or Low Rating

If the VA denies your TMJ claim or assigns a rating lower than your symptoms justify, you have three paths forward:⁵

A supplemental claim, for when you have new and relevant evidence the VA did not previously consider — a new MRI, an updated DBQ showing worsened range of motion, or medical records documenting dietary restrictions that were not in the original file.
A higher-level review, for when you believe the VA misapplied the rating schedule to the evidence already submitted. No new evidence is allowed; a senior reviewer re-examines the existing file.
An appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, where a Veterans Law Judge reviews your case. You can request a hearing, submit new evidence, or both.

Filing a supplemental claim or higher-level review within one year of the VA’s decision preserves your original effective date, which controls how far back your compensation is calculated.⁶ Missing that one-year window means any new grant starts from the date you file, not the original claim date. If your DBQ was weak — vague history, missing dietary documentation, or measurements taken on a good day rather than a typical one — getting a new, more thorough evaluation from a different provider and filing a supplemental claim is often the most productive option.

1
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) – Compensation
2
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry. TMJ Assessment: Jaw Range of Motion, Noise, and Tenderness
3
eCFR. 38 CFR 4.150 – Schedule of Ratings, Dental and Oral Conditions
4
VA News. QuickSubmit Is the New Evidence Intake Tool for VA Claims
5
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Decision Reviews and Appeals
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC Part IV, Chapter 51, Subchapter II – Effective Dates