C&P exam for arm or hand nerve problems: what to expect and how VA rates it.

Start here

1. Read what the examiner checks and which rating rules apply.
2. Use the question and example below to make notes about your own symptoms, timing, and daily activities.
3. Check your records and treatment list. Use the interactive tool to review the same condition.

How VA rates arm or hand nerve problems

Start with the diagnosis in your records. If you are unsure, ask which condition, joint, or nerve the examiner is checking. Keep notes on your symptoms and daily limits; a symptom alone does not identify the right rating table.

What may happen in the exam room

• The examiner may check grip, pinch, arm and wrist strength, reflexes, and your ability to feel a light touch.
• They may look for shrinking muscles and skin changes, and ask what has become harder at work or home.

What the measurements tell you

• The nerve or nerve group, right or left arm, and which hand you use most.
• Recorded strength, reflexes, feeling, muscle changes, and remaining movement. A movement angle alone does not set a nerve rating.

Questions the examiner may cover

• Which arm, hand, or fingers are affected?
• Which nerve or nerve group is named in your records?
• What happens when you grip, type, button clothing, lift, or carry?
• How often does it happen, how long does it last, and what can you still do?

How to explain your answer

Use your own facts. The example below is made up to show the level of detail that can help; leave out anything that does not apply to you.

What the question means

Which arm or hand is affected, what do your records say, and what happens during everyday tasks?

The nerve name, affected side, exam findings, and actual loss of function matter. Describe symptoms and timing, but do not choose a severity level from frequency or a pain score alone.

Build your answer

I notice [symptoms] in [arm, hand, or fingers]. My records name [nerve or diagnosis, or I am unsure]. During [task], [what happens] after [time or amount]. It lasts [duration] and happens [frequency]. I need [breaks, help, or adjustment]. I can still [activities]. I usually use my [right/left] hand.

Example answer (made-up situation)

My right hand tingles while I type, often after about 20 minutes. I pause before continuing. Twice last week I dropped a mug, but I can still carry a lighter cup with both hands. I am right-handed. My clinic note names the median nerve; I brought that note because I do not know how the examiner would describe the severity.

Explain what changes in daily life

Describe both what you can do and what becomes difficult. Include how often it happens and how long it lasts.

• Describe pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, or dropping objects in your own words. Explain each arm separately.
• Give one usual-day example and one worse-period example. State how long you can do the task, why you stop, and what helps.
• Use the diagnosis and test findings from your records. Say when you do not know the cause or severity.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Choosing a nerve from a picture or guessing the diagnosis from tingling alone.
• Calling frequent pain “severe incomplete paralysis” without the full clinical findings.
• Treating the right arm as dominant automatically or adding every nerve percentage together.

Records to get ready before the exam

• Exam notes naming the nerve or neck nerve group and the affected side.
• Treatment, surgery, therapy, and relevant imaging records.
• EMG (electrical muscle test) or nerve-test results if already available. These tests are not always needed for diagnosis.
• A short dated record of symptoms and the tasks they interrupt.

Preparation notes

• Follow the examiner’s directions. Describe your actual limits; do not practice producing a particular test result.
• If the nerve is unclear, ask: “Which nerve or group is affected, on which side, and where is that written in my records?”
• If both arms are affected, describe each separately. VA combines qualifying ratings and may use the bilateral factor; the percentages are not simply added.

Important context

Diagnosis not selected. Your copy includes preparation steps, without guessing a percentage. Return here when you have the diagnosis to include its rating rules.