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Overheard a paralegal say something that stuck with me about DBQ wording
I was in the Fresno VA office waiting room last month, and one paralegal told another that writing 'claimant reports difficulty sitting' gets denied way more than 'claimant requires position changes every 20 minutes.' She said the second one paints a picture for the rater. I think about that every time I help someone describe their back pain on a DBQ now. Has anyone else tweaked their phrasing and seen a faster decision or is it just luck?
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schmidt.amy5d ago
Oh boy, that paralegal is half right but I think she's confusing good writing with some magic trick. The real thing is that raters look for specific language that matches the rating criteria, not just fancy descriptions. Plain facts like "needs to stand up every 20 minutes" help them check the box, but no phrasing alone is going to speed up a decision if the medical evidence isn't there.
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