What the DBQ is and who completes it
A Disability Benefits Questionnaire is a structured medical questionnaire. For headaches, it records the diagnosis and findings in the form VA uses to evaluate the claim, and the completed questionnaire becomes part of the claim evidence.
A DBQ may be completed by the examiner at a claim (C&P) exam, or by your own treating provider. Either way, what it records should match the rest of your evidence — your treatment records and your headache log included.
The topics it covers
The headaches questionnaire follows the elements the rating criteria measure. In general terms, it covers:
- The diagnosis and the history of the headache condition
- Symptoms experienced during attacks
- How often attacks occur, and how often attacks are prostrating
- Treatment, including medication and its effects
- The effect of the condition on work and daily activity
Prepare with your records, not a script
The examiner records what you report and what the records show. Describe a typical attack and your worst attacks accurately, and say plainly what an attack makes you stop doing — that is the prostrating question the criteria turn on. Do not minimize attacks you have learned to endure, and do not borrow symptoms that are not yours.
VA advises submitting new non-VA medical records before a claim exam rather than only bringing them along, because records handed to an examiner do not enter the claim file by themselves. The C&P exam preparation guide walks through the appointment itself.
DBQ preparation checklist
Gather these from your own records before an exam or an appointment where a DBQ may be completed. Accurate notes from your log and treatment history are worth more than a rehearsed description.