Oral & Dental
What section evaluates loss or injury to an individual’s teeth due to disease or trauma?
Section V—Teeth, including anatomical loss or bony injury leading to loss of any teeth.
Which section covers infectious heart conditions such as pericarditis and endocarditis?
Section VI—Infectious Heart Conditions.
Which hand joint has a normal flexion endpoint of 90 degrees for all fingers except the thumb?
MCP joint.
Which two conditions are not interchangeable for diagnosis in the DBQ, though they are rated the same for disability purposes?
Sprain and strain.
Which two main sections of the Hearing Loss and Tinnitus DBQ must be completed for every claim?
Section I (Diagnosis) and Section IX (Functional Impact).
Which test must confirm a new diagnosis of oral malignancy for VA purposes, as mentioned in the Oral and Dental DBQ?
Biopsy.
According to the guide, what initial diagnostic test is preferred to confirm cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation?
Electrocardiogram (ECG).
If the hand grip strength is abnormal in a claimed side, which question must be answered and explained in detail?
Question 4B.
What is the minimum degrees endpoint considered normal for lumbar forward flexion?
90 degrees.
What is the minimum set of tests required for a complete audiologic evaluation according to the DBQ Guide?
Puretone thresholds at 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 Hz and Maryland CNC word recognition score.
In the guide, what term describes the degree of abnormal mobility in maxillary fragments and is key for assessing severity in maxillary nonunion?
The presence or absence of false motion.
What test is performed if an exercise-based METs test isn’t possible, to assess a Veteran’s cardiac function?
Interview-based METs test.
What must be present for a diagnosis of degenerative or post-traumatic arthritis according to the Hand and Finger DBQ guide?
Confirmation by diagnostic imaging (e.g., X-ray).
What section would you complete if Intervertebral Disc Syndrome (IVDS) is diagnosed?
Section XI—Intervertebral Disc Syndrome and Episodes Requiring Bed Rest.
What condition must be ruled out before determining eligibility for VA compensation for hearing loss?
Conductive pathology (e.g., cerumen impaction or otitis media)
If no diagnosis is listed in Section I—Diagnosis, can there be any functional impact stated in question 11A, according to the guide?
No.
If a Veteran has ongoing complaints of symptoms, but no objective evidence, how should METs be recorded?
METs level left blank with explanation in Remarks/Extra Remarks section.
If active or passive range of motion is abnormal for the unclaimed joint but “abnormal” is normal for the veteran due to age—what should be included?
Explanation in the Remarks/Extra Remarks section.
How does the DBQ direct examiners to describe the impact of functional loss for back conditions?
From the examiner’s point of view, not the veteran’s words.
If the Veteran has inconsistent or unreliable audiometric results, how should the examiner proceed?
Provide an explanation in the Remarks section and do not complete the diagnosis section.
What must be documented for each missing tooth, and why is this distinction important for the rating schedule under the VA Oral and Dental DBQ Guide?
What is the cause of tooth loss (whether due to trauma or disease), since only loss caused by loss of substance of the maxilla or mandible able to be service-connected and rated under Diagnostic Code 9913?
According to the Heart Conditions DBQ, what two separate clinical findings must be documented to justify the use of the diagnosis “congestive heart failure” for VA disability purposes?
What are both objective clinical evidence of chronic heart failure (such as imaging or physical findings) and symptoms consistent with heart failure (e.g., dyspnea, fatigue, fluid retention)?
When recording range of motion for the fingers in the Hand and Finger DBQ, what specific guideline determines whether to use the “combined limitation of motion” or “single digit limitation” criteria for disability evaluation?
What is determining whether two or more digits have limited motion together versus a single digit only being affected, as combined limitation yields a different rating than isolated single digit involvement?
In the Back DBQ Guide, which condition warrants a separate evaluation for radiculopathy, and how must this be reflected in the examiner's reporting?
What is radiculopathy secondary to a back (thoracolumbar spine) condition, which must be identified in Section X—Neurological Abnormalities and documented as a separate diagnosis with details on severity and laterality
What is the rationale in the Hearing Loss and Tinnitus DBQ for using the Maryland CNC test for word recognition scores, and why won’t other speech discrimination tests typically suffice for VA purposes?
Because the Maryland CNC is a standardized, VA-accepted protocol for speech discrimination, ensuring rating consistency; other tests lack validation for VA disability decisions and may yield non-comparable results.