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What is a VA DBQ?
A VA Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) is a form used to convey medical information to the VA for consideration in deciding your VA disability claim. Here’s what you need to know about when you’ll need a DBQ for your VA disability claim, how they’re used, where to find them, and who completes them.
What is the Purpose of a DBQ?
The main purpose of a DBQ is to help the VA properly assess the extent of your disability and assign a disability rating for the condition addressed in the DBQ. If you have more than one medical condition, you may need multiple DBQs completed by different providers.
The VA uses the information contained in your DBQ or DBQs, along with other evidence, to assign a VA disability rating of 0-100%. Disability ratings are assigned based on schedules published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), though on occasion an extraschedular rating may be assigned.
Ratings for each service-connected condition are assigned in increments of 10%. Then, if there is more than one disability rating, they are combined using a formula. The combined rating is also rounded to the nearest 10%.
Your VA Disability Rating Determines Your Benefits
The information contained in your Disability Benefits Questionnaire contributes to your VA disability rating, and that makes the form very important to you. That’s because your VA disability benefits are determined in large part by your disability rating. In 2025, monthly monetary benefits range from $0 to $3,831.30. At disability ratings of 30% or higher, those benefits can be increased for veterans who have eligible dependents.
Other benefits are also impacted. For example, a veteran with a disability rating of 40% or lower receives VA healthcare only for the service-connected condition or conditions. At 50% or above, much broader healthcare services are available.
There are Many Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQ)
DBQ refers not to a specific form but to a type of form. The VA actually uses a great many different DBQs, many of which are specific to a particular medical condition. These forms help guide the medical professional in ensuring that the information the VA relies on will be provided. This is accomplished through specific questions on the form and by including the VA’s diagnostic criteria on the form.
Specific DBQs include:
- Separation Health Assessment DBQ
- Category DBQs include:
- Oral and dental
- Eye conditions
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Artery and vein conditions
- Heart conditions
- Skin diseases
- Endocrine conditions
- Thyroid and parathyroid conditions
- Ear problems
- Conditions of the nose, throat, larynx and pharynx
- Esophageal disorders
- Gallbladder and pancreas conditions
- Liver conditions
- Rectum and anus conditions
- Problems of the stomach and duodenum
- Kidney conditions
- Disorders of the male reproductive organs
- Urinary tract conditions
- Gynecological conditions
- Breast issues
- Hematologic and lymphatic conditions
- Infectious diseases
- Persian Gulf/Afghanistan infectious diseases
- Ankle conditions
- Back problems
- Bone and other skeletal conditions
- Problems with the elbow and forearm
- Foot conditions
- Hand and finger issues
- Hip and thigh conditions
- Knee and lower leg problems
- Neck problems
- Shoulder and/or arm problems
- Temporomandibular disorders
- Central nervous system and neuromuscular diseases
- Eating disorders
- Mental disorders
- Respiratory conditions
- Wrist conditions
- Autoimmune diseases
Others are much more specific, including:
- Hypertension
- Scars
- Diabetes mellitus
- Loss of sense of smell and/or taste
- Hernias
- Intestinal infections diseases
- Intestinal surgical issues
- Peritoneal adhesions
- HIV-related illness
- Tuberculosis
- Amputations
- Muscle injuries
- Osteomyelitis
- ALS
- Cranial nerve conditions
- Diabetic peripheral neuropathy
- Fibromyalgia
- Headaches/migraines
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Narcolepsy
- Parkinson’s disease
- Peripheral nerve disorders
- Seizure disorders
- PTSD
- Sleep apnea
- Arthritis
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Spina bifida
VA physicians use these forms when conducting a C&P examination. But, they aren’t the only ones. Private medical providers can also complete these forms. However, it will be up to you to obtain the proper form from the VA’s website and take that form to your doctor. Then, you’ll need to submit the form to the VA.
This is typically not an either/or situation. If you are asked to attend a C&P examination, the physician conducting the examination will complete a DBQ–that’s true whether or not your own physician has already completed the same form.
Does My Doctor Have to Complete a DBQ?
Some physicians prefer to provide their own notes and test results or some other form of documentation to the VA. Others may complete a DBQ, but pick and choose what they answer based on what seems relevant to them. While the VA accepts other types of input from your physician, the DBQ can be very useful, as it provides a guide to the type of information the VA will be looking for and using to make a determination.
What Goes in a DBQ?
The specific information requested in the DBQ depends on your medical condition and the type of DBQ required. But, the type of information gathered is consistent. The VA will generally be looking for:
- Your diagnosis and the tests and other information supporting that diagnosis
- The nature and severity of your symptoms, and any test results or other documentation relating to your symptoms and limitations
- How your life and functioning are impacted by the medical condition
- Medications, necessary medical equipment and other treatment
It can be helpful to review the form yourself before providing it to your doctor so that you also know what type of information the VA wants from your physician.
VA Disability Claims Can Be Complicated
The DBQ form is just one example of the many aspects of a VA disability claim that you may not be aware of or fully understand. The best way to ensure that you don’t leave anything out of your claim or make mistakes that could lead to denial or delay in processing your VA disability claim is to work with an experienced advocate. At Veterans Help Group, we have in-depth knowledge of the VA disability claims process–and also of the various ways you may challenge a negative determination. To learn more about how we can help, call (855) 855-8992 right now, or contact us here now.
READ MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC:
- HOW TO INCREASE YOUR VA DISABILITY RATING FROM 80% TO 100%
- PTSD AND VETERANS: UNDERSTANDING THE 100% DISABILITY RATING REQUIREMENTS
- DIFFERENT TYPES OF 100% VA DISABILITY RATINGS
- THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 100% FOR UNEMPLOYABILITY AND 100% DISABILITY RATING
- 50% VA DISABILITY RATING EXPLAINED
- WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A 100% VA DISABILITY RATING?
- WHAT BENEFITS DOES A 60% VA DISABILITY RATING GET?
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