A Typical Day Doing Compensation and Pension (C&P) Exams for Veterans as a Physician
- Nisha Mehta, MD
- Nov 7
- 11 min read
Many physicians do Compensation & Pension (C&P) exams either in their practice settings or as a side gig, and cite it as a great way to engage with the veteran population as well as earn additional income while seeing patients in a lower-stress clinical patient encounter. These exams are conducted for the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to help assess the extent of a veteran’s service-connected conditions. The purpose of these exams are not for diagnosis or treatment, but rather to help ensure service members are receiving the benefits owed to them in conjunction with their service. Scheduling tends to be flexible, allowing doctors to find times each month that fit their schedules. Below, we cover what a typical day looks like doing C&P exams for vets, so that physicians understand what to expect from these encounters.
If you’re interested in performing C&P exams, make sure you sign up for our free disability & eligibility exams side gig matching database (you must be a MD/DO physician member of our Physician Side Gigs Facebook group to access, but it’s completely free to join). Companies often come to us looking to connect with physicians for opportunities and we reach out to physicians in our database to assess their interest in relevant opportunities. We also announce new and upcoming opportunities in our PSG weekly newsletter.
Disclosure/Disclaimer: Our content is for generalized educational purposes. While we try to ensure it is accurate and updated, we cannot guarantee it. We are not formal financial, legal, or tax professionals and do not provide individualized advice specific to your situation. You should consult these as appropriate and/or do your own due diligence before making decisions based on this page. To learn more, visit our disclaimers and disclosures.
Article Navigation
What are the pros and cons of doing C&P exams for vets as a side gig?
What types of doctors are C&P exams a good fit for as a side gig?
What does a Compensation & Pension exam entail & what does a typical day in this side gig look like?
What kinds of hours (and how many) do I have to work when doing C&P exams?
What are Compensation and Pension (C&P) exams?
Compensation & Pension (C&P) exams are medical evaluations conducted for the US Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA). These exams are used to determine a veteran’s eligibility for disability benefits. During these exams, the evaluator reviews the veteran’s medical records and service history, performs a physical or mental health evaluation, and documents the findings back to the VA through provided standardized questionnaires.
Below, we cover in more detail what the process of completing a C&P exam entails.
What are the pros and cons of doing C&P exams for vets as a side gig?
Not every side gig is right for every physician, so it’s important to understand the most commonly expressed pros and cons of doing C&P exams when deciding if you are interested, and if it’s a good fit.
Advantages of doing C&P exams
Low liability risk: C&P exams are fundamentally evaluations of chronic issues, rather than acute problems or diagnostic workups of new problems. Because of this, liability is much lower than seeing patients in a normal clinical setting. While you’ll still want to make sure you’ve covered by a malpractice insurance policy for this work, any dissatisfaction from the veterans you evaluate is typically geared toward the Veterans Benefits Association (VBA) and not the physician performing the exam.
Pleasant patient population: Doctors doing this side gig relay that the encounters are enjoyable and low stress, and say that as a general rule, with veterans coming in for these exams, what you see is what you get. They say veterans tend to understand the process and understand that they should give a truthful account of their symptoms, and they see very little in the way of difficult patients or patients who are trying to ‘game the system.’
No call requirements: For doctors that want to make this more of a full time gig or a retirement gig, it’s nice to know that this is a great way to continue to do some clinical work while improving work/life balance and flexibility to their schedules and lives.
Allows you to give back to veterans: This can be a great opportunity to help support our country’s service men and women without requiring military experience. Physicians we’ve talked with and who have discussed this side gig in our online physician community have mentioned one of the reasons they enjoy doing C&P exams is the opportunity to hear vastly unique backgrounds and experiences from veterans.
It’s not a treatment relationship: Physicians get to do clinical work with C&P exams, but they don’t fall under the traditional doctor/patient relationship. This is not a longitudinal relationship, there’s no responsibility to follow up with the veteran after the exam is completed.
Opportunity to leverage your expertise in new ways: C&P exams allow you to use your medical skills to make diagnoses, similar to traditional clinical work. These cases can often be very interesting, and can allow you to expand your knowledge or use your existing knowledge in new ways, allowing you to grow and think better as a doctor.
Third-party companies offer support: Most of these opportunities come through companies who have agreements in place with the VA to perform these exams. When working with these companies, you have help and support throughout the process. If you’re looking to connect with one of these companies, sign up for our free matching database (physician only).
Disadvantages of doing C&P exams as a side gig
VA guidelines require a learning curve: When performing C&P exams, you’re provided a checklist (or checklists, depending on the case; we discuss this more below) from the VA for your evaluation. It can take a little time to get used to the typical questions asked, as well as how to complete the checklist and submit it in the system. Some cases are more complex than others, but usually, there is a ramp up process before the more complicated exams are assigned to you. Companies who help administrator these exams for the VA can schedule exams based on your comfort level as you get started.
Requires some training: As part of the learning curve, there’s typically some sort of training program involved, though the program can vary from company to company and based on the type of exams. This program is typically online and may require some fees (but usually not much). Most C&P exam opportunities are general medicine; for these, training is roughly 13 hours. As a plus, certain training modules are provided directly from the VA and can qualify for CME credit.
Paid as a fixed fee without overrun: C&P exams are often performed on a per case or daily rate basis. If the VA flags an issue in your checklist submitted, this work falls under the original pay fee schedule. If your interview overruns and you have to finish up paperwork after, this typically doesn’t come with additional compensation. Below, we cover how long exams typically take.
No guarantee to fill your schedule: When performing C&P exams, you typically work through a third-party company who has a contract with the VA for these exams. They will help with scheduling exams based on your eligibility, but there’s no guarantee they’ll have enough cases or be able to fill your open schedule with available exam requests.
Still requires some liability coverage: While risk is generally low, there is still some risk. You will need to have some sort of coverage in place. For private practice physicians who complete exams at their practice, it may be covered under your existing policy (though make sure you check!). If you don’t have coverage under a current policy, you may be able to get an administrative only policy (or something similar) that can be offered through your state.
Will I be pressured into denying benefits for vets when doing C&P exams?
No, you will not. Doctors doing these C&P exams say these aren’t about the VA looking for excuses to say no to paying out benefits to veterans. In general, the VA is inclined to do the right thing on behalf of the vet. When performing the exams, the VA wants a fair and honest assessment from you.
What types of doctors are C&P exams a good fit for as a side gig?
Doing C&P exams can be a great fit for several different physician avatars. These include (but certainly aren’t limited to!):
Physicians looking for ways to give back to those who have served our country in the military
Early career physicians starting a private practice who don’t have a full panel and are looking to fill up their schedule
Middle & later career physicians who are looking for ways to make their work/life balance more flexible, or add some side income
Retiring or financially independent physicians who would like to continue to treat patients, but with more flexibility and/or lower volume
Physicians looking to find ways to add additional income streams so they aren’t as dependent on their clinical income
Physicians looking for 1099 income for the tax benefits
To qualify for these opportunities, you typically:
Must have an active and unrestricted license
Cannot have gaps in your CV of more than 6 months
C&P exam opportunities are available for all MD/DO physicians who fit these requirements across specialties. There are specific opportunities for:
ENTs
Neurologists
Neurosurgeons
Ophthalmologists
PM&R doctors
Psychiatrists
C&P exams are not right for:
Someone who wants the fastest way to earn extra money the quickest way possible
Someone who think of these exams as easy money. While this likely isn’t the most challenging work you’ve done as a physician, it does require you to be engaged.
Someone who isn’t sympathetic to the needs of this specific patient population. The vets who come in for C&P exams in general need the help and want to do the right thing to get the benefits they are owed through their service.
What does a Compensation & Pension exam entail & what does a typical day in this side gig look like?
When looking at the day to day operations of this side gig, we wanted to explore a few different aspects, starting with what the scheduling process is like and then looking at what the actual exam process entails.
Most of these exams occur either at the VA or through a third-party company who works with the VA. In our discussion below, we look at opportunities through a third-party company.
If you’re interested in these types of opportunities, sign up for alerts of relevant opportunities with our free (physician only) side gig matching database.
What is the scheduling process for C&P exams?
You tell the company you’re working with when you’re available, generally about a month in advance by letting them know what days you would like to work.
The company schedules the exam appointments for you.
Once an exam has been scheduled, the company provides all the information the VBA has through an e-file in their medical records system. You can read through the patient’s information ahead of time (though it isn’t required) to get an idea of the case before they come in.
Depending on the specific location-based needs for these exams in your area, you may be able to contract to perform them either as a physician performing them at your own site (typically your private practice), or as a per diem opportunity, which may be done at an established third-party site or as a mobile option (again, depending on the specific needs for your area).
What do the patient encounters look like for Compensation & Pension exams?
Like in traditional clinical work, encounters vary patient by patient. Here’s a general idea of what you can expect:
Each patient encounter averages out to about thirty minutes. One physician we spoke to mentioned about 80% of his cases are 30 minute encounters. Some take 10 minutes, while others can take 45 minutes depending on complexity.
The Veterans Benefits Association (VBA) dictates the direction of the exam by providing you with what they want covered. The majority of what you do for this side gig is completing a standard checklist(s)/questionnaire(s). These are called Disability Benefits Questionnaires, or DBQs. For these exams, you are asked to answer the specific questions asked in the DBQs.
Some patients might have 7 different DBQs you have to fill out, while others might only have 1. While this may seem daunting at first, often many of the questions across DBQs overlap. A lot of these exams are based on musculoskeletal conditions.
The patient is often going to provide more information than you’ll need for their DBQs during the exam. Some of the physicians mention this can be part of the fun, as you get to learn about their experiences.
You have the discretion of adding DBQs or saying that a particular DBQ requested isn’t the right one for a patient, and qualify why you made that opinion based on the information you have (note though this isn’t a common process to anticipate).
During the exam, you are not supposed to tell people how it’s going to come out. Your goal is to answer the questions on the DBQ(s) and to gather the appropriate information, and potentially provide your expert opinion. The end result of the benefits determination that comes from the exam is entirely up to the VA.
You can typically fill out the DBQs during the appointment with the veteran as you go along. The questionnaire(s) is provided digitally and can be completed directly in the platform. There isn’t a separate report you additionally need to complete for the exam.
Once you’ve submitted the questionnaire(s) back to the VBA, they have a QA staff who will review what you’ve submitted. They may find things they want you to fix. Usually, they come back with a yes/no question for a quick fix, but sometimes you have to go back and address a few things.
Most of the time, you’re able to complete the exam and related paperwork within the allotted time for the exam. You may have to finish up later the paperwork if interview runs over the allotted time. It seems that most companies give you about 2 days to finish the paperwork, though most doctors try and get it done on the same day.
What kinds of hours (and how many) do I have to work when doing C&P exams?
This work is generally pretty flexible, though the VA may set minimum availability requirements, depending on the volume of veterans needing exams in your local area. From what we’ve seen, this typically ranges from 0.25 - 3 days per week.
Physicians who have done this side gig have commented that the more consistent you are with your schedule availability, the more likely you might be to get exams.
What is the pay like for C&P exams?
This can depend on several factors such as:
The company you’re working with and their contracted rates
The scope of the exam
The type of exam (general medicine versus TBI assessment, etc.)
If you worked what classifies as a full day or a half day
Your specialty
Whether or not you are providing the space
Supply and demand
Exams may be paid either by exam, as a half-day rate, or as a full-day rate, depending on the situation. A full-day rate doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be booked solid with patients for that entire day, especially if you have a no-show situation or the company you work with doesn’t fill the schedule. It may only require you to work an hour more than what counts as a half-day (but check for the specific opportunity you’re considering).
With the amount of variability, it’s hard to specify a certain range. We’ve seen some physicians reporting 1100-1500/day (and reporting that the full day isn’t necessarily an 8-5 situation but shorter hours, potentially with breaks), but depending on the factors above, particularly with some of the more specific exams and specialties, it could also be closer to $2500/day.
Conclusion
A day spent conducting C&P exams may happen in your usual clinical setting of your private practice, but the exams themselves, as well as the patient relationships, differ from the traditional doctor-patient relationship. The work is structured, though scheduling can be flexible, and there is no on-call with lower liability risks. This side gig (or even main gig!) can be a great way to use your clinical expertise to support veterans, as well as to build up a new area of clinical expertise or shift to a lower stress practice environment. This side gig is typically a better fit for physicians for a longer term commitment versus a one-off side gig opportunity.
Additional related resources for physicians
If you’re interested in this side gig, sign up for our free matching database (physician only) for alerts on relevant opportunities. These opportunities fill up quickly, so we recommend having an updated CV on file, as it will be required during the initial parts of the onboarding process.
Related PSG resources: