Mental Health C&P Exam Questions Revealed & Explained!

Today, we’ll reveal and explain the most common VA mental health C&P exam questions.

It’s understandably scary and uncomfortable to get scheduled for a C&P exam for mental health.

However, understanding some of the questions asked during these evaluations can help educate and empower you to open-up and share your uncomfortable truths on exam day.

You must be uncomfortably vulnerable and tell the examiner how you are on your worst days (ensure you’re being honest and truthful).

This blog post is broken down into “what to expect” across three time periods: (#1) Pre-Exam, (#2) Exam, and (#3) Post-Exam.

Let’s begin.

3 Types of C&P Exams for VA Mental Health Conditions

What is the Purpose of a VA Mental Health Exam?

The primary purpose of a VA mental health C&P exam is to answer the following questions:

• Is there a current mental disorder? If yes, make or confirm a diagnosis that conforms to DSM-5.

• Does the veteran already have a service-connected disability for mental health? If yes, confirm if symptoms have worsened since the last exam.

• Was there an in-service event, injury, or disease that occurred during service or that was exacerbated by service?

• Is there a medical nexus between a current mental disorder and an event, injury, or disease that occurred during service?

• If there is a medical nexus, is there functional impairment caused by or the result of the mental disorder?

• Document the veteran’s severity of symptoms and how those symptoms negatively affect their occupational and social impairment.

VA C&P Exam for Mental Health: What to Expect Pre-Exam

After you’ve filed a VA claim for a mental health condition, you’ll likely get scheduled for a mental health C&P exam.

Before your exam, the C&P examiner should already have access to and review your VA Claims File (C-File) in detail.

They will also have received a Request for Examination with a brief narrative of your military service history, mental health diagnosis history, the type of claim filed, and any specific requests from the VBA Regional Office in your state.

For example, if you have a 30% VA rating for PTSD and filed for an increase, the C&P examiner should already be aware pre-exam.

If you’ve never filed a mental health claim before, the request letter will contain a request for a medical opinion regarding service connection of the claimed disability.

What to Expect on Exam Day

The day of your mental health C&P exam, you should wear comfortable clothing and look how you would normally look on a given day.

Arrive at the C&P exam 30 minutes early to calm yourself down a bit and get settled before the exam.

Once you check-in with your I.D., it’s very common to receive a basic questionnaire and some mental health checklists, including the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PCL-5 (if PTSD claim related).

Answer the questions the best you can; I know it sucks to re-live painful moments again.

What to Expect on Post-Exam

After your VA mental health exam is over, the C&P examiner will complete the condition-specific DBQ for mental health.

This information goes back to the VBA regional office and to the VSR and RVSR assigned to work your VA claim.

You can generally expect a rating decision within 30-90 calendar days from the date of your final C&P exam.

If you don’t receive a decision in that timeframe, call 1-800-827-1000 and speak to a VA representative about your claim status.

List of the Most Common Mental Health C&P Exam Questions

Here’s a list of the most common VA mental health evaluation questions asked during a C&P exam:

• Describe the veteran’s claimed mental health condition(s).

• Is the veteran currently receiving treatment for a mental health condition?

• What are the veteran’s symptoms and how long have they been present?

• Describe the severity of the veteran’s symptoms.

• Have there been any changes in the veteran’s symptoms over time?

• What is the veteran’s level of impairment in occupational and social functioning due to the mental health condition(s)?

• Is the veteran currently taking any medications for mental health conditions? If so, what are they?

• Has the veteran experienced any side effects from medications or other treatments for mental health conditions?

• What is the veteran’s history of psychiatric hospitalizations or residential treatment for mental health conditions?

• Describe any suicidal or homicidal ideation reported by the veteran.

• Has the veteran undergone any psychological testing or evaluations?

• Describe any substance abuse history and its relationship to the mental health condition(s).

• Has the veteran experienced any traumatic events, such as combat exposure or personal assault?

• What is the veteran’s level of functioning in activities of daily living, such as personal hygiene, household chores, and managing finances?

• Are there any legal issues related to the veteran’s mental health condition(s)?

• What is the veteran’s history of employment, including any difficulties related to mental health conditions?

• Describe the veteran’s support system (if any), including family, friends, and other sources of support.

• Are there any other medical or psychological conditions that may be affecting the veteran’s mental health

• Is the veteran capable of managing their financial affairs?

• Are there any other pertinent notes to add?

VA Mental Health C&P Exam Checklists

It’s very common to receive various mental health checklists, including the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PCL-5 (if you filed a claim for PTSD).

Here are the most common mental health checklists so you know what to expect on exam day.

Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)

This checklist is a widely used tool for screening and diagnosing depression. It consists of 9-10 questions that assess the frequency of symptoms experienced over the past two weeks. Here are the questions. These questions are scored on a scale from 0 to 3, with 0 representing “Not at all” and 3 representing “Nearly every day”. The total score can then be used to categorize the severity of depression symptoms.

1. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things?
2. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by feeling down, depressed, or hopeless?
3. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much?
4. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by feeling tired or having little energy?
5. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by poor appetite or overeating?
6. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by feeling bad about yourself – or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down?
7. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television?
8. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed? Or the opposite – being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual?
9. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way?
10. If you checked off any problems, how difficult have these problems made it for you to do your work, take care of things at home, or get along with other people?

Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)

The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) is a self-reported questionnaire used to assess the severity of generalized anxiety disorder. It consists of 7 questions. These questions are scored on a scale from 0 to 3, with 0 representing “Not at all” and 3 representing “Nearly every day”.

1. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge?
2. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by not being able to stop or control worrying?
3. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by worrying too much about different things?
4. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by having trouble relaxing?
5. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by being so restless that it’s hard to sit still?
6. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by becoming easily annoyed or irritable?
7. Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by feeling afraid as if something awful might happen?

PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)

The PCL-5, or the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, is a questionnaire used to assess the presence and severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Here is the list of the 20 questions from the PCL-5. These questions are scored on a scale from 0 to 4, with 0 representing “Not at all” and 4 representing “Extremely.”

1. In the past month, how much were you bothered by repeated, disturbing, and unwanted memories of the stressful experience?
2. In the past month, how much were you bothered by repeated, disturbing dreams of the stressful experience?
3. In the past month, how much were you bothered by suddenly feeling or acting as if the stressful experience were happening again?
4. In the past month, how much were you bothered by feeling very upset when something reminded you of the stressful experience?
5. In the past month, how much were you bothered by having strong physical reactions when something reminded you of the stressful experience (e.g., heart pounding, sweating)?
6. In the past month, how much were you bothered by avoiding memories, thoughts, or feelings related to the stressful experience?
7. In the past month, how much were you bothered by avoiding external reminders of the stressful experience (e.g., people, places, conversations, activities, objects, or situations)?
8. In the past month, how much were you bothered by not being able to remember important parts of the stressful experience?
9. In the past month, how much were you bothered by having strong negative beliefs about yourself, others, or the world?
10. In the past month, how much were you bothered by blaming yourself or someone else for the stressful experience or what happened after it?
11. In the past month, how much were you bothered by having strong negative feelings such as fear, horror, anger, guilt, or shame?
12. In the past month, how much were you bothered by not being interested in activities you used to enjoy?
13. In the past month, how much were you bothered by feeling distant or cut off from other people?
14. In the past month, how much were you bothered by not being able to have loving feelings for those close to you?
15. In the past month, how much were you bothered by feeling irritable or having angry outbursts?
16. In the past month, how much were you bothered by having difficulty concentrating?
17. In the past month, how much were you bothered by being “super alert” or watchful on guard?
18. In the past month, how much were you bothered by feeling jumpy or easily startled?
19. In the past month, how much were you bothered by having difficulty falling or staying asleep?
20. In the past month, how much were you bothered by feeling that your future will somehow be cut short or won’t amount to much?

List of VA Mental Health Exam Checklists

VA C&P examiners often use structured interviews, rating scales, and assessment tools to aid in the diagnostic process.

Here are some commonly used checklists and assessment tools aligned with the DSM-5 criteria for diagnosing mental health conditions:

• Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI): A brief structured diagnostic interview used to assess major psychiatric disorders, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, and substance use disorders.

• Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID): A comprehensive diagnostic interview designed to assess major psychiatric disorders according to DSM criteria. It includes modules for mood disorders, psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, and other conditions.

• Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D): A standardized questionnaire used to assess the severity of depressive symptoms in individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder.

• Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9): A self-reported questionnaire used to assess depressive symptoms based on DSM-5 criteria.

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7): A self-reported questionnaire used to assess the severity of generalized anxiety disorder symptoms based on DSM-5 criteria.

• PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): A self-report measure used to assess symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to DSM-5 criteria.

List of Important VA Mental Health DBQ Forms

The C&P examiner will complete the electronic version of the condition-specific mental health DBQ at the conclusion of your exam.

Here’s a list of important VA mental health DBQs:

• Eating Disorders DBQ

• Mental Disorders DBQ

• PTSD Initial DBQ

• PTSD Review DBQ

About the Author

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Brian Reese

Brian Reese is one of the top VA disability benefits experts in the world and bestselling author of You Deserve It: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Veteran Benefits You’ve Earned (Second Edition).

Brian’s frustration with the VA claim process led him to create VA Claims Insider, which provides disabled veterans with tips, strategies, and lessons learned to win their VA disability compensation claim, faster, even if they’ve already filed, been denied, gave up, or don’t know where to start. 

As the founder of VA Claims Insider and CEO of Military Disability Made Easy, he has helped serve more than 10 million military members and veterans since 2013 through free online educational resources.

He is a former active duty Air Force officer with extensive experience leading hundreds of individuals and multi-functional teams in challenging international environments, including a combat tour to Afghanistan in 2011 supporting Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

Brian is a Distinguished Graduate of Management from the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, and he holds an MBA from Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business, Stillwater, OK, where he was a National Honor Scholar (Top 1% of Graduate School class).