Inside the exam room
1. You will be asked privately about symptoms, treatment, other diagnoses, and medicine. Explain what changed and whether treatment helps.
2. A physical exam depends on your condition and the exam request. Identify surgery or scars. Raise any privacy or comfort concerns.
3. You will be asked what difficulties remain. Explain the limitations and identify treatment records.
How VA rates erectile dysfunction
Describe problems getting or keeping an erection and the treatment you use. A 0% rating can still lead VA to review separate special monthly compensation; it does not guarantee that payment. VA rates erectile dysfunction under 38 CFR § 4.115b, DC 7522 at 0% schedular, whether or not the penis has changed shape. The schedule directs VA to review entitlement to special monthly compensation under 38 CFR § 3.350; eligibility depends on the records and VA’s decision.
What each rating percentage means
Match the whole description with your exam and records. A single symptom or illustration does not decide your rating.
| Rating | What the rule requires |
|---|---|
| 0% | DC 7522: erectile dysfunction, whether or not the penis has changed shape |
| SMC review | The schedule directs review for special monthly compensation under 38 CFR § 3.350; no outcome is guaranteed |
Check these details in your records
The examiner uses a condition form called a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ). Compare these items with your own records and explain what actually happens in daily life.
- Erectile dysfunction, whether or not the penis has changed shape0%DC 7522; review for SMC under 38 CFR § 3.350
What may happen in the exam room
- The examiner asks when the problem started and reviews your records
- They do a physical examination only if medically appropriate
- Review of cause, treatment, and associated conditions or medication
What the measurements tell you
- The diagnosis and when the problem began
- What changed after treatment
- Any change in shape or scars recorded by your health care professional
- Any related loss of ability to use a reproductive organ, if recorded by your health care professional
Questions the examiner may cover
- When did symptoms begin?
- What treatment has been tried?
- Are symptoms associated with a diagnosed condition, surgery, injury, or medication?
- Is deformity or scarring recorded?
Questions to expect
What difficulty persists, and what treatment was tried?
Explain: Describe onset, frequency and treatment response privately. Identify recorded causes, surgery and medicines without guessing a cause.
Rating connection: Current DC 7522 assigns 0% for erectile dysfunction with or without deformity; evaluation for special monthly compensation is a separate question.
Are other reproductive conditions documented?
Explain: Identify relevant diagnoses or surgery and treatment records.
Rating connection: Other conditions may use different codes. A 0% schedular evaluation and eligibility for additional compensation are not the same decision.
Your answer outline
I first noticed [actual difficulty] around [approximate period]. It occurs [frequency or pattern]. I have tried [prescribed treatment or no treatment], with [actual effect]. My clinician has [recorded a cause, or the cause is still unclear].
Mark approximate dates and counts as estimates.
My notes: ________________________
Service connection records
1. How is this connected to your service?
For a direct claim, identify your current disability, what happened in service, and evidence linking them. Being on active duty or orders alone does not prove that link.
- Write the 5 Ws and how: who was there; what happened; when; where; why you were there; how the problem began. Add duty status, treatment, witnesses, and records. Mark uncertain dates as estimates.
- Guard or Reserve: find your orders, dates, duty type, and any line-of-duty records. Active duty, training, and drills have different rules.
- Secondary condition: it may start after service. Identify the service-connected condition and evidence that it caused or worsened this problem. A medical opinion may help explain the link.
- Started before service? Record what changed during service. Presumptive condition? Check the required diagnosis and service history; qualifying claims do not require separate proof of a link.
- Already service connected and seeking an increase? Focus on what has worsened and the records showing it.
If you do not know the cause, say so. Do not guess a medical connection.
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.
- Use words you are comfortable with to describe the problem.
- Describe onset, persistence, and treatment response accurately.
- Do not assume a medical cause that is not recorded.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Expecting a paid percentage in the rating table under current DC 7522
- Assuming SMC is automatic
- Inventing a secondary relationship without medical evidence
Records to get ready before the exam
- Male Reproductive Organ Conditions DBQ
- Urinary and reproductive health specialist’s notes
- Medication history
- Surgery or treatment records
- Medical opinion if claiming a secondary relationship
Preparation notes
- You may request a professional, private examination setting.
- Answer only what is asked and describe the record accurately.
Official rating rule and code numbers
Use this source to check the full rule and its medical terms: 38 CFR 4.115b, DC 7522. Source review recorded 2026-09-04.
Could one health problem have caused another?
A condition VA has already linked to your service may cause another health problem or make it worse. VA calls this secondary service connection. Having both conditions does not prove the link. Your records need to show a current diagnosis and explain how the first condition or its treatment affected the second.
- Start with your records. Find the current diagnosis, the condition VA already linked to service, and evidence from someone qualified to explain the connection.
- Ask about cause and worsening. Did the first condition or its treatment cause the new disability, or make an existing disability worse? These are different questions. The rules call them causation under 38 CFR § 3.310(a) and aggravation under § 3.310(b). If both are raised by your records, the medical opinion should address both; answering only the cause question may not be enough (El-Amin).
- If treatment may be involved, collect the dates. List the medicine or surgery prescribed for the condition VA linked to service, the side effect, and the new diagnosis. Bring pharmacy records and dates when treatment started or stopped. A provider must explain the connection in your case; taking a medicine alone does not prove it.
- If weight gain may be involved, ask how it fits. Weight gain or obesity can be a step between the first condition and another diagnosed disability under VAOPGCPREC 1-2017. Obesity itself does not receive a VA disability rating.
- You do not need absolute certainty. VA uses the “at least as likely as not” standard and the reasonable-doubt rule under 38 CFR § 3.102. Ask a VA-accredited representative how the evidence applies to your claim.
- The same symptom cannot be counted twice. This is the rule against pyramiding in 38 CFR § 4.14. Mental-health diagnoses generally share one § 4.130 rating when they affect the same work and social abilities. Trouble sleeping may be a symptom rather than a separate disability.
- Check whether VA already assumes a link to service. Some conditions qualify based on where or when you served. These are called presumptive conditions. Examples can include chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, hypertension after qualifying herbicide exposure, and type 2 diabetes. Sleep apnea (OSA) is not a PACT Act presumptive. Check eligibility before seeking a medical opinion about the link.
- An exam form and a medical opinion do different jobs. A Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) records the diagnosis and how severe it is. It may not explain why it is linked to service, often called a nexus. A VA-accredited veterans service organization (VSO) can help you file at no charge.
If another prescribed treatment may have caused a problem, ask your health care provider to record what happened and explain the connection in your case.
Sources: 38 CFR § 3.310 · 38 CFR § 4.14 · VA-accredited representatives
Other health problems to ask about
Use these notes to ask your provider about problems you already have. Your records must explain the connection. VA decides whether the condition is linked to service.
ED can affect mood and relationships. If depression or an anxiety disorder is diagnosed, ask your provider whether ED caused it or made it worse. Feeling upset alone does not establish a separate diagnosis. Mental-health symptoms already covered by another rating cannot be counted twice.
Sources: NIH: possible effects of ED
Choose the related health problems you want to discuss. Your preparation packet will include the notes you select and the full condition guides available for them.