When you file a claim for an increased disability rating, VA typically orders a new C&P exam to evaluate the current severity of your condition. This exam focuses on how your condition has changed since your last evaluation rather than on whether the condition is connected to service. The examiner will use the same DBQ form as an initial exam but the focus is different. They want to document your current level of impairment and how it affects your daily life and ability to work. For this reason, it is important to be completely honest about your worst days, not just how you feel on the day of the exam. Many conditions fluctuate, and the examiner needs to understand the full range of your symptoms. Before the exam, gather any new medical evidence showing your condition has worsened, such as recent treatment records, imaging results, or statements from family members describing the decline they have observed. During the exam, describe specific examples of how your condition limits you. Instead of saying your back hurts, explain that you cannot sit for more than twenty minutes, that you wake up three times a night from pain, or that you had to stop playing with your children. Concrete examples are more persuasive than general complaints.
Note: This article references sections of the VA's M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual. The VA periodically reorganizes the M21-1 and section numbers may have changed since this article was written. For the most current section references, visit the VA's public M21-1 Web Automated Reference Material System (WARMS).