Disability Benefits Questionnaires and helpful links to support your VA claims process.
Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) are standardized VA forms that your healthcare provider fills out to document the diagnosis, severity, and service connection of a specific condition. A properly completed DBQ gives VA raters exactly what they need to assign a disability rating — and can speed up or even replace a Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam.
Below are the most commonly used DBQs, organized by body system. Download the form, bring it to your treating clinician, and submit it with your claim.
Keeping forms current: Each form below links directly to the VA’s official portal so you always get the latest version. If the VA’s site is ever unavailable, we maintain backup copies. If you have trouble accessing any form, contact us and we’ll get it to you.
Head & Ear
Headaches (Including Migraines)
VA Form 21-0960C-8
Documents headache frequency, duration, severity, and prostrating episodes. Migraine headaches are one of the most commonly claimed conditions among veterans.
Covers Meniere’s disease, vertigo, otitis media, and labyrinthitis. Note: the Hearing Loss and Tinnitus DBQ requires a VA-trained examiner and is not publicly available.
Documents range of motion, pain on movement, incapacitating episodes, neurological abnormalities, and functional impact. Used for low back strain, lumbar disc disease, radiculopathy, and spondylosis.
Range of motion, instability testing, meniscus pathology, and post-surgical residuals (TKR, ACL/MCL/meniscectomy). Bilateral knee claims may trigger the bilateral factor bonus.
Mental Disorders (Other Than PTSD and Eating Disorders)
VA Form 21-0960P-2
Used for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, adjustment disorder, and schizophrenia. The General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders covers 0% through 100% tiers.
Note: Initial PTSD evaluations require a VA-network or contracted clinician. Private DBQs are accepted for review evaluations only.
Respiratory
Respiratory Conditions (Asthma, COPD, and Others)
VA Form 21-0960L-1
Covers asthma, COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, restrictive lung disease, and sarcoidosis. Pulmonary function test (PFT) values drive the rating tier.
Documents diagnosis (sleep study), severity, and treatment requirements (CPAP use). Commonly filed as a secondary claim connected to PTSD, medication-related weight gain, or sinusitis.
The forms above cover the most commonly claimed conditions. The VA maintains approximately 70 public DBQs covering everything from skin conditions to diabetes to eye disorders. If your condition isn’t listed above, the full alphabetical library is available on the VA’s website.