DBQ Referral Clinic:

Veterans increasingly are bringing DBQs (Disability Benefits Questionnaires) to VHA primary care providers (PCP) and specialty providers (SP) for completion. Veteran’s use these documents as supporting evidence for their disability benefits claims.

As an alternative to VA PCP and SP completing these forms, the DBQ Referral Clinic, within the Durham VAMC Compensation & Pension has been established. This clinic will allow for a “warm handoff” from in-house and CBOC clinics to the C&P clinic/providers. PCPs and Specialty Clinicians may however continue to elect to fill out the DBQs rather than refer the Veteran to the DBQ Clinic, if they chose.

The following DBQs and Services ARE EXCLUDED from being completed by the DBQ Referral Clinic:

  • Work-ups for undiagnosed conditions and when extensive diagnostic tests would be required (such as Sleep Apnea Studies, PFTs, ECHO)
  • Medical nexus opinions or other medical opinions
  • “General Medical Pension DBQ”
  • Unemployability requests
  • “General Medical Compensation DBQ”
  • Gulf War (undiagnosed illness)
  • Formal POW Protocol
  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Separation Health Assessment DBQ
  • Initial PTSD
  • Cold Injury Residuals
  • Hearing loss/Tinnitus, Dental or Eye conditions

***In the event a DBQ is presented for one of the excluded conditions above, the Veteran should be advised to contact VBA at 1-800-827-1000 for further direction, and the incomplete DBQ(s) should be returned to the veteran.

Steps for DBQ Referral requests:

1)Please contact the Durham Comp and Pen Dept. staff via outlook email, phone call or FAX:

a.Owen McNeil, Charmanee Simmons, or Brenda Howard, PA-C: (919) 286-0411 Ext. 6006; FAX (919) 416-5927

b.Please include the diagnosis(es) or condition(s) the veteran is requesting be evaluated;

c.No more than 3 DBQs can be completed per request/visit in the DBQ Referral Clinic

2)Once the referral request is received, the C&P Clinic will review the request to determine if the case is appropriate for the DBQ Referral Clinic.

3)For any referred DBQ, the veteran will be contacted: either by phone to set up an appointment or by letter indicating the next step he/she should take in the claims process. There are times when the DBQ will be completed without an in-person examination because the VA Treatment Record contains enough information to allow us to complete it without seeing the veteran.

4)Upon completion of the DBQ(s), the Veteran will not receive a copy of any completed DBQs, butthe Veteran will be provided a facility tailored letter that he/she will submit to the VBA with the Veteran’s Disability Claim.

NOTE:Completed DBQs do not imply the Veteran will become service connected for any particular condition, nor does it mean that Veterans Benefits Administration will not still require an examination at some point for the condition(s) being evaluated in the DBQ Referral Clinic.