VA Exams Part 2
Exam Scenarios
One of the tips for a successful exam is knowing what the exam is for. Knowing what issues the exam will be focused on is incredibly important. When you submit a claim, you can reasonably assume that an examination will be ordered. What you claim (and even how you claim it) will have a direct bearing on the specific questions that VA asks its examiners to answer. If you don’t know what the exam is for – you won’t know how best to discuss your symptoms. The contractor should tell you what the purpose of the exam is, but if they do not, contact your accredited representative to determine the purpose of the exam. Here are a few examples of how knowing what the exam is for can help produce successful exam results:
A. Scenario 1: Service Connection: A veteran with active duty service in Iraq from 2015-2016 files an initial claim for service connection for gastrointestinal problems (for example, chronic irritable bowel syndrome). Several months after filing the initial claim, the veteran attends a VA examination. The examiner asks the veteran when the condition was first diagnosed, current treatment, and what he symptoms he experiences. The veteran answers that he started treatment for IBS in 2022, and he describes his current daily symptoms. The veteran then leaves the examination. A few months later, VA denies the claim. Why? Because when the examiner was asked by the VA whether the condition was a direct result of the veteran’s service, the examiner stated no, because the veteran’s IBS started in 2022 and not during his active duty service. Now imagine if the veteran had answered the question that the examiner should have asked: “When did you first experience gastrointestinal symptoms?” Given this question, the veteran would have been prompted to explain his diagnosis of dysentery during his service in Iraq and the disruption of his gastrointestinal system since 2016. That paints a much different history for the examiner when that examiner is then asked to opine on whether the veteran’s IBS is related to his service. But even if the “right” question doesn’t present itself during the examination, it is so important to understand what the exam is for and what question the VA will be asking the examiner and relay that information during the course of the examination.
B. Scenario 2: Individual Unemployability: A veteran with two periods of active duty service in Afghanistan is service connected for multiple disabilities, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a back injury, and hearing loss. Despite efforts to find employment, the veteran has been unsuccessful due to the limitations imposed by his disabilities. The veteran, with his accredited representative, files a claim for Individual Unemployability, and the VA orders examinations for each of the veteran’s service connected conditions. The goal of the examinations is to determine the veteran’s ability to perform essential job functions and how the disabilities affect his/her capacity to work. Thus, it is important for the veteran to be prepared to discuss the current symptoms and severity and think about how the disabilities impact certain activities – even outside of the workplace. Things such as the ability to carry groceries, walk a certain distance, climb a flight of stairs, engage with people (friends or strangers) in a consistently civil manner, maintain motivation to complete activities, etc. all have direct correlations to the work environment. Discussing these aspects of the service connected disabilities, in addition to completing the exam questions, helps to give more context to whether the service connected disabilities would prevent the veteran from returning to work.
So its always good to spend a few minutes to think about the purpose of the exam in the context of your overall claim and think about those details that might be relevant for the examiner to consider so they have a full and accurate picture of your disability before submitting their final opinion to the VA.
