The Department of Veterans Affairs currently uses four VA disability exam contractors to perform Compensation and Pension evaluations: Leidos QTC Health Services (QTC), Veterans Evaluation Services (VES, a Maximus company), OptumServe Health Services (OSHS, part of UnitedHealth Group), and Loyal Source Government Services (LSGS). The VA assigns your exam to whichever of the four can see you fastest given your location, the specialty your claim requires, and the workload at nearby VA medical centers.1U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Claim Exam (C&P Exam) You don’t choose the vendor, and you generally can’t switch it.
Who the Contractors Are
QTC is one of the largest, with clinics across the country. VES handles a significant share of outsourced exams under Maximus. OptumServe operates within the broader UnitedHealth network. Loyal Source is the newest addition to the roster. All four exist because the evidence already in your file isn’t enough for a rating decision, and the VA has a statutory duty to help develop that evidence.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 5103A – Duty to Assist Claimants
Are Contract Examiners Held to VA Standards?
Yes. Contract examiners follow the same medical training and licensing standards as VA providers.1U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Claim Exam (C&P Exam) Every clinician must hold a full, active, unrestricted license to practice in a U.S. state or territory. Anyone whose license has been revoked, suspended, or surrendered during disciplinary proceedings is barred from performing exams.3VA Vendor Portal. Performance Work Statement for Medical Disability Examinations
All examiners must complete the VA’s Disability and Medical Assessment (DMA) General Certification. Anyone evaluating mental health claims, PTSD, musculoskeletal conditions, or traumatic brain injuries needs additional specialty certifications on top of that baseline.3VA Vendor Portal. Performance Work Statement for Medical Disability Examinations
How Your Exam Gets Scheduled
Once the VA sends your file to a contractor, that company handles all the scheduling. Expect a phone call first. If they can’t reach you, they may try mail or secure electronic messaging, and a formal appointment letter follows with the exact time and location.
Contractors generally schedule general medical exams within 50 miles of your home and specialty appointments within about 100 miles, though rural areas with fewer providers may mean longer travel. The number for your assigned contractor is on the scheduling letter, and that’s the number you call if the appointment doesn’t work.
Telehealth Exams
Some conditions can be evaluated by video. Mental health disorders, sleep apnea, hypertension, kidney conditions, respiratory conditions, and several other diagnoses qualify.4VA Vendor Portal. Medical Disability Examinations Performance Work Statement The visit must use real-time video; a phone call alone doesn’t count. You need to be at a clinical setting that meets accessibility standards, and the examiner must be licensed in the state where you’re physically located during the exam.
Telehealth isn’t right for everyone. If you have hearing loss, a language barrier, or cognitive difficulties that make video communication hard, the contractor is supposed to convert the appointment to in-person. You can also decline telehealth if the format doesn’t work for you.
How to Prepare for the Appointment
The examiner’s job is to complete a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ), the standardized form the VA uses to capture symptom frequency, severity, duration, and impact on work and daily activities.5U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Disability Benefits Questionnaires Fraud Prevention Most DBQs are published on the VA’s website, so you can read the exact questions and clinical criteria the examiner will score before you walk in.6U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires A few DBQs, including PTSD, TBI, and hearing loss, are restricted and not public. Reading the relevant DBQ ahead of time is one of the highest-value things you can do.
What to Bring
- Service treatment records and DD-214 to establish your service timeline and any in-service injuries or diagnoses.7U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Evidence Needed For Your Disability Claim
- Private medical records, including treatment notes, imaging, and lab work from civilian providers.
- A current medication list with dosages, including over-the-counter drugs.
- A symptom journal describing flare frequency, triggers, and how symptoms limit daily routine or work.
The examiner needs enough information to give a medical opinion on whether your current condition is connected to your service. That connection, the nexus, is the central question in most C&P exams. Records that trace a clear line from an in-service event to current symptoms make that opinion easier to write in your favor.
Lay and Buddy Statements
Written statements from people who have seen your condition firsthand carry real weight because they describe how the disability shows up in everyday life, which medical records don’t always capture.7U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Evidence Needed For Your Disability Claim A spouse describing how your back pain stops you from lifting your child, or a fellow service member confirming a deployment incident, gives an examiner context. Use VA Form 21-10210, one form per person providing a statement.8U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Submit a Lay or Witness Statement to Support a VA Claim
What Happens If You Miss the Exam
Missing a scheduled C&P exam without good cause is the single biggest procedural mistake veterans make, and the consequences depend on the type of claim you filed.9eCFR. 38 CFR 3.655 – Failure to Report for Department of Veterans Affairs Examination
- On an original compensation claim, the VA rates you on the evidence already in the file. If that evidence isn’t enough, the claim is denied.
- On a supplemental claim, a reopened claim, or a claim for increase, missing the exam is an automatic denial.
- On a review of an existing rating, the VA sends a pretermination notice warning that benefits will be reduced or discontinued. You get 60 days to agree to a rescheduled exam or submit evidence that your rating should continue.
For a claim seeking a higher rating on an already service-connected disability, missing the exam is effectively an absolute bar to the increase, regardless of what other evidence supports it.
Good Cause and Rescheduling
Legitimate reasons the VA recognizes as good cause include hospitalization, the death of an immediate family member, homelessness, and terminal illness.1U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Claim Exam (C&P Exam) The burden is on you to explain. Call 800-827-1000, upload a letter through the VA’s online claim status tool, or mail your explanation to the VA Evidence Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444.
If you know in advance you can’t make it, call the contractor directly using the number on your scheduling letter and reschedule before the date passes. Proactive rescheduling rarely causes problems. Going silent is what triggers the penalties above.
Travel Reimbursement
You can claim mileage to and from a contractor exam at 41.5 cents per mile.10U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Reimbursed VA Travel Expenses and Mileage Rate The usual $3-each-way deductible (capped at $18 per month) is waived for scheduled C&P exams. Tolls and other travel expenses are also reimbursable.
File within 30 days of your appointment through the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS), with a bank account linked to your VA record for payment.11U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. File and Manage Travel Reimbursement Claims Claims filed after 30 days are usually denied. For contractor exams that don’t appear automatically, you can manually add a community care appointment inside the portal.12U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Beneficiary Travel Self-Service Visual Guide
After the Exam
The examiner completes the DBQ and medical opinion electronically and transmits the report to the VA’s Compensation Service through a secure portal. The examiner does not decide whether your condition is service-connected. That call belongs to the VA rating specialist who reviews your full file.1U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Claim Exam (C&P Exam)
Timelines vary. Simple single-issue claims sometimes wrap in a few weeks. Complex claims with multiple conditions, additional exams, or requests for examiner clarification can stretch to months. Track progress on VA.gov by signing in and checking your claim status, which shows when exam results have been uploaded.13U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Check Your VA Claim, Decision Review, or Appeal Status
Getting a Copy of the Report
You have the right to request a copy of your C&P exam report, and reading it before the rating decision is smart practice. If the examiner recorded something inaccurately, catching it early gives you the best chance to respond. Request your records using VA Form 20-10206, which you can submit online through VA.gov with a verified Login.gov or ID.me account.14U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Request Personal Records If the online form gives you trouble, call 800-698-2411.
Fixing an Inaccurate Report
If the exam report contains errors or the opinion doesn’t square with your medical history, you have options. The VA’s own rules require claims processors to return a report to the examiner for clarification when it conflicts with or isn’t supported by other evidence in the file. You can push that along by flagging specific inaccuracies in writing.
Write a detailed letter identifying exactly what the examiner got wrong: incorrect symptom descriptions, conditions that weren’t tested, statements you never made. Upload it through VA.gov or mail it to the Evidence Intake Center. Stick to objective facts, not general dissatisfaction. A private medical opinion from your own doctor that contradicts the examiner’s findings is one of the strongest pieces of evidence you can submit at this stage.
If the rating decision has already come out and you believe the exam was inadequate, three formal paths are open:15U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Decision Reviews and Appeals
- A supplemental claim, where you submit new and relevant evidence the VA didn’t have before, such as a private medical opinion or updated treatment records. This is the most common route when the exam itself was the problem.
- A higher-level review, where a more senior reviewer re-examines the existing evidence. You can’t add new evidence, but you can identify errors in how the evidence was applied.
- An appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, where a Veterans Law Judge reviews your case. New evidence and a hearing are both available on this path.
Move quickly. Most decision review filings have no hard deadline, but delays can affect your effective date and reduce the retroactive compensation you’d otherwise receive.