Your role of gathering evidence for VBA or BVA includes reviewing documentation related to the C&P examination including:

• the Request for Examination from VBA (sometime referred to by its form number, 2507)
• the claimant's eFolder
• the documentation protocol(s) for the examination (currently called a disability benefits questionnaire, or DBQ)

This lesson will explain how to use different information from each kind of documentation as you prepare for a C&P examination. For example, the Request for Examination will indicate claimed condition(s) to be evaluated for a Veteran or for a Servicemember and whether this will be the original C&P evaluation. Or it may request evaluations of service-connected conditions for increase or review purposes. In addition, the Request for Examination can include special information to expedite a claim. It may also request evaluation(s) that you will conduct as well as evaluation(s) that a specialist must conduct. Sometimes, the Request will ask you to provide a medical opinion about the relationship of a current condition and a claimant's time in service.

The claimant's e-Folder will contain different kinds of documentation related to claimed conditions such as his or her service history, medical history, and sometimes, previous C&P claims and rulings.

The documentation protocol(s) appropriate for the examination will provide you with information such as the types of measurements and descriptions VBA needs to understand how a condition impacts a claimant's function.