The PTSD DBQ is the most consequential form a C&P examiner will complete for a mental-health claim. It governs not just PTSD (DC 9411) but every mental-health condition rated under the General Rating Formula at 38 CFR § 4.130 — major depressive disorder, GAD, adjustment disorder, others. Every one of them uses the same rubric. Understand the rubric and you understand the rating.
What the examiner is actually filling out
The DBQ (form numbers have changed over the years; the most common current version is the Initial / Review PTSD DBQ) has four main sections:
- Diagnosis — does the veteran meet the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD (or another DSM-5 diagnosis)?
- Stressor — what in-service stressor supports the diagnosis (for direct PTSD claims). Combat / fear of hostile activity / MST get specific sub-questions.
- Symptom checklist — a checkbox grid of 30+ specific symptoms from the CFR rubric. The examiner ticks every one observed or reported.
- Overall level of occupational and social impairment — a single multiple-choice question with five options, each lifted near-verbatim from the § 4.130 rating schedule (0 / 10-30 / 50 / 70 / 100).
The symptom checklist and overall occupational-and-social-impairment section are part of the completed record. Describe your actual daily functioning, including variation over time, so the examiner can record the findings accurately.
The § 4.130 rubric, decoded
The General Rating Formula uses one phrase per tier. The DBQ’s overall-level question carries that regulatory language. Understanding it can help you follow the form, but it should not be used as a script or a tier to target.
Diagnosed but functioning normally. Continuous treatment or medication may still be present.
Symptoms decrease work efficiency only during periods of significant stress, OR symptoms controlled by medication.
Generally functioning satisfactorily. Specific listed symptoms: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (e.g., forgetting names, directions, recent events).
Listed symptoms include: flattened affect, circumstantial / circumlocutory / stereotyped speech, panic attacks more than once a week, difficulty understanding complex commands, impairment of short- and long-term memory, impaired judgment, impaired abstract thinking, disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.
Listed symptoms include: suicidal ideation, obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities, speech intermittently illogical / obscure / irrelevant, near-continuous panic or depression affecting ability to function independently appropriately and effectively, impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence), spatial disorientation, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene, difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or worklike setting), inability to establish and maintain effective relationships.
Listed symptoms include: gross impairment in thought processes or communication, persistent delusions or hallucinations, grossly inappropriate behavior, persistent danger of hurting self or others, intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene), disorientation to time or place, memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name.
How to read the criteria
The DBQ symptoms list and overall-level rubric use regulatory vocabulary. Use the guide to understand the questions, then answer in your own words with accurate examples.
Use the criteria to understand the form
The rating schedule describes findings VA may consider. It is not a script. Describe only what is true in your own words, including frequency, duration, treatment, good and bad days, and effects on daily activities or work. Do not select or rehearse a rating tier.
Describe the full picture accurately
Accuracy reminder
Describe what is true in your own words, including frequency, duration, treatment, good and bad days, and effects on daily activities or work. Do not exaggerate, omit improvement, rehearse a rating tier, or guess. If something varies or you do not know, say that clearly.
Two universal moves for every PTSD DBQ
1. Describe the full pattern, not just exam day
The examiner is rating your overall level of functioning, not your best moment in the exam room. Under 38 CFR § 4.126, VA considers frequency, severity, duration, remissions, and the complete evidence of occupational and social impairment. Explain your usual pattern, how often severe periods occur, how long they last, and how better periods differ. Keep every example accurate and representative.
2. Bring a witness statement
A spouse, parent, or roommate can submit a lay statement on VA Form 21-10210 describing what they observe day to day — nightmares, irritability, withdrawal, missed work, neglected hygiene. The examiner sees behavior you cannot observe in yourself, and the rater takes the statement as competent evidence under 38 CFR § 3.159(a)(2). A statement may supplement the record when it describes firsthand observations accurately. See the buddy statement article for the 5-element template.
After the exam
You can request a copy of the completed DBQ from your VA medical record after the rating decision. Compare the symptoms checklist against your reality — if the examiner missed symptoms you described, that is the basis for a Supplemental Claim with new evidence (a private DBQ from your treating psychiatrist works). The decision letter decoder and the appeals article walk the post-decision options.
Use this with the rest of the site
- ▸ PTSD condition guide — the full rating schedule, evidence checklist, and tactical plays.
- ▸ C&P Exam Prep generator — builds a personalized checklist for your specific conditions.
- ▸ Coach preview — free five-question preview; the dashboard organizes C&P prep and a VSO packet.
- ▸ Full C&P exam guide — the universal say/don’t-say rules that apply to every exam.
Educational content only. DBQ structures are public knowledge from M21-1 and archived sources; VA discontinued public DBQ distribution in 2020 but the rating criteria these forms map to remain in 38 CFR Part 4. Not legal or medical advice. Always consult a VA-accredited VSO or attorney for claim-specific guidance. CFR citations: 38 CFR § 4.130 (General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders), § 4.126, § 3.159(a)(2), § 3.304(f).