What’s your situation?
- VA denied my claim: What to check after a denial
- I'm claiming this condition for the first time: How to file a VA claim for PTSD
- My current rating no longer fits: PTSD rating increase: showing the next level
- I have a claim exam coming up: C&P exam preparation
What the examiner completes
The DBQ asks the examiner to state the diagnosis, list the symptoms found, distinguish symptoms belonging to other diagnoses where more than one exists, and summarize the resulting occupational and social impairment by choosing the description that matches the formula — from no impairment through total impairment. That summary section is deliberately parallel to the rating criteria, which is why examiners' wording there tracks the percentages so closely.
38 CFR 4.130, General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders — DC 9411 (eCFR)
In this series: PTSD VA rating
- PTSD VA rating criteria: the general rating formula
The complete General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders — 0% to 100% — that VA applies to PTSD under DC 9411, with a plain-language reading of every level.
- How to file a VA claim for PTSD
The three elements of a PTSD claim — current diagnosis, in-service stressor, and a link between them — and the evidence that establishes each one.
- PTSD rating increase: showing the next level
An increase turns on impairment, not diagnosis: what has to change between the formula's levels, and the records that prove the change.
- Sleep apnea secondary to PTSD
How veterans pursue sleep apnea as secondary to service-connected PTSD — the sleep-study diagnosis, the nexus opinion, and how apnea itself is rated under DC 6847.
How the exam feeds the rating
The rater reads the DBQ against the rest of the file. A DBQ impairment summary that matches your treatment records and lay evidence usually carries the day; one that conflicts with months of treatment notes invites the rater to weigh the records instead — or to send the file back for clarification. If your exam was short, the examiner never asked about work or relationships, or the summary contradicts the symptoms the same report lists, those are concrete defects worth naming in a Supplemental Claim or Higher-Level Review.
Preparing for the exam
Describe your worst typical days, not your best. Be specific about work: missed days, tasks you can no longer complete, conflicts, jobs lost. Be specific about home: relationships strained or ended, activities dropped, sleep. If you take medication, say what it controls and what it does not. Our C&P exam guide covers the appointment mechanics — what to bring, what to expect, and what to do if the exam goes wrong.
C&P exam preparation worksheet
The examiner's summary is written in the formula's language. Prepare for the appointment by putting your own record into that language first: impairment at work, impairment at home, and the symptoms behind both.