ResourcesClaims evidence
Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs)
A DBQ is the form a provider fills out to document how severe a condition is. This guide shows which public DBQ matches which condition, which ones only VA completes, and how to ask your own provider.
What a DBQ is
A Disability Benefits Questionnaire, or DBQ, is a standardized VA form a health care provider fills out to document how severe a condition is. Each DBQ mirrors the rating schedule for that condition. The knee form asks for range of motion in degrees. The hypertension form asks for blood pressure readings and medication history. The mental disorders form asks the provider to place your day-to-day functioning on the same scale VA raters use.
That is the whole point: a completed DBQ answers the exact questions a rater needs answered, in the format the rater expects.
You do not have to submit a DBQ. If you file a claim, VA will usually schedule you for a claim exam, called a C&P exam, at no cost, and the examiner completes the same questions there. A DBQ from your own provider is a way to get your treating clinician's measurements into the file, especially when your provider knows your condition better than a one-time examiner can.
One thing a DBQ is not: proof that service caused your condition. A DBQ documents severity. Connecting the condition to your service is a separate piece of evidence, usually a nexus letter. See the nexus letter guide for that.
Which DBQ matches your condition
VA publishes the current DBQ forms on its public DBQ page (opens in new tab). The forms are identified by title, not form number. Download the form for your claimed condition and bring it to your provider. You can also browse every public DBQ on BeneVets, grouped the way VA groups them. Each one links to VA's own form, and when you are signed in you can add your name to the top before you print it. Your provider fills out the rest.
| Your condition | The form to bring | Public form available? |
|---|---|---|
| Knee or lower leg | Knee and Lower Leg DBQ | Yes |
| Lower back | Back (Thoracolumbar Spine) DBQ | Yes |
| Neck | Neck (Cervical Spine) DBQ | Yes |
| Shoulder or arm | Shoulder and/or Arm DBQ | Yes |
| Hearing loss or tinnitus | No public form. VA completes this at your claim exam with a state-licensed audiologist. | No |
| Traumatic brain injury (TBI) | No public form. VA completes this at your claim exam. | No |
| Depression, anxiety, other mental health (not PTSD) | Mental Disorders DBQ. Only certain clinicians can complete it, see below. | Yes |
| PTSD, first claim | No public form. A VA staff or contract examiner completes it at your claim exam. | No |
| PTSD, already service-connected (a claim for an increase) | PTSD Review DBQ. Clinician limits apply, see below. | Yes |
| Sleep apnea | Sleep Apnea DBQ | Yes |
| Migraines or other headaches | Headaches (Including Migraines) DBQ | Yes |
| Scars | Scars DBQ | Yes |
| Skin conditions | Skin Diseases DBQ | Yes |
| High blood pressure | Hypertension DBQ | Yes |
| Diabetes | Diabetes Mellitus DBQ | Yes |
| Nerve pain, numbness, radiculopathy | Peripheral Nerves DBQ. If related to diabetes, Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy DBQ. | Yes |
| GERD, acid reflux | Esophageal Disorders DBQ | Yes |
| Stomach, intestinal, or other digestive conditions | Stomach and Duodenum, Intestinal Conditions, or Rectum and Anus DBQ, depending on the condition | Yes |
| Asthma, COPD, other breathing conditions | Respiratory Conditions DBQ | Yes |
PTSD has two rows on purpose. For a first PTSD claim there is no public form; VA's examiner does the evaluation. Once PTSD is service connected and you are asking for an increase, the public PTSD Review DBQ applies.
A note on mental health forms. VA requires that an initial mental disorders evaluation be done by a psychiatrist or a doctorate-level psychologist, or supervised trainees working under one. A therapist or counselor cannot complete the form on their own. Review evaluations for an already service-connected condition allow a few more provider types under close supervision. If any of this raises hard things for you, the Veterans Crisis Line is there around the clock: dial 988, then press 1.
Asking your provider
Bring the printed form or a link to it. Most providers have never seen a DBQ, so the ask goes better when the form is in front of them.
Be ready for three honest realities:
- Some providers say no. The forms are long and outside normal clinic work, some clinics and health systems have policies against completing them, and some providers simply do not have the time. That is ordinary, it is their right, and it says nothing about your claim. VA will still examine you at no cost.
- Some providers charge a fee. VA does not pay or reimburse any cost of completing a DBQ. A flat fee from your own provider for form completion is a normal administrative charge. Be careful with companies that offer to arrange medical evidence in exchange for a percentage of your future benefits. VA's claim exam is free, Veterans Service Organization representatives help for free, and accredited agents and attorneys cannot charge for help with an initial claim.
- The strongest DBQ comes from a provider who treats you. The form asks whether the provider reviewed your records, sees you regularly, and examined you in person. VA weighs those answers. A form filled out by a provider who knows your history carries more weight than one from a single video call.
If your provider declines, you have not lost anything. Attend the C&P exam VA schedules and bring what you know about your own condition.
What a DBQ cannot do
A DBQ documents severity. It does not, by itself, establish that your condition is connected to your service. VA generally looks for three things: a current diagnosis, an event or exposure in service, and a medical link between the two. A DBQ speaks to the first and to how severe the condition is now. The link usually comes from a nexus letter or from a presumption written into law. If your condition is on a presumptive list, such as certain PACT Act conditions, the link may already be handled and severity evidence matters most.
A DBQ also does not guarantee any rating. VA reviews the whole file, can schedule its own exam even when you submit a DBQ, and verifies the authenticity of every completed questionnaire.
When your DBQ is complete, get it into your file: upload it with your pending claim through the claim status tool on VA.gov, use QuickSubmit through AccessVA, or mail it to the Claims Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444. You can add evidence for up to one year from the date VA receives your claim.