Veterans · Claims
The claim exam is free. Show up.
If VA needs more, they schedule a C&P. A contractor may do it. Tests they order cost you nothing. Missing it can sink the file.
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Sign Up One Stop Shop · 2026-09-21
VA clinician or contractor. Still free.
VA only schedules a claim exam if they need more to decide. A VA provider or a contract provider does it. The contractors on VA’s page: Loyal Source, OptumServe, QTC, Veterans Evaluation Services. That letter is not a scam because it is not on VA letterhead — confirm the name against the live .gov page.
You do not need to bring a stack. If you have new non-VA records, submit them before the appointment. Tests they order — X-rays, labs — are at no cost to you.
Missing it is how thin files get decided
Skip the exam and the claim delays. VA may decide it on the evidence they already have. If you had good cause — hospitalization, a death in the immediate family, homelessness, terminal illness — call 800-827-1000 or upload a letter on claim status and ask them to reschedule.
A private DBQ does not replace the exam they scheduled. And they will not pay for that private form. Show up. Then wait for the decision. A denial is a review lane, not a mill.
How to sign up
01
Read the claim-exam page
https://www.va.gov/resources/va-claim-exam/
02
Submit new records before the date
https://www.va.gov/claim-or-appeal-status/
03
Show up. If you miss it, call
800-827-1000. Ask to reschedule with good cause.
Written from VA claim exam. Always confirm on the official page before you enroll.