M21-1 and 38 CFR changes, week of May 25, 2026

Added

• Certain diagnostic activities may require that the examiner be able to provide treatment or follow-up care and, as such, are considered outside of the scope of VA examination practice.
• When an examination cannot be performed by a contract examiner, include a note in the REMARKS field in the Compensation and Pension Record Interchange (CAPRI) examination request.
• reviewing evidence before determining whether an examination or opinion is necessary, see
• routing location comments
• examination type comments, and
• tool’s recommendations must be explained as a remark in the examination request.
• inputting examination requests, see

and 9 more added passages

Removed

• Certain diagnostic activities may require the examiner be able to provide treatment or follow-up care and, as such, are considered outside of the scope of VA examination practice.
• Annotate in the Compensation and Pension Record Interchange (CAPRI) REMARKS section when an examination cannot be performed by a contract examiner.
• Example of required annotation
• reviewing evidence before determining an examination or opinion is necessary, see
• routing location and examination list comments
• examination type details, and
• tool’s recommendations must be explained as a remark in the examination request’s body.
• steps to inputting examination requests, see

and 12 more removed passages

Added

• May 27, 2026
• limit consideration only to a particular mental disorder diagnosis or theory of SC identified by the claimant, and
• sympathetically read the claim as including any chronic acquired mental disorder consistent with the analysis described in the previous block.
• , 23 Vet.App.
• M21-1, Part VIII, Subpart iv, 1.D.2.j
• M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.A.2.f
• handling a change in diagnosis of an SC disability, see
• M21-1, Part V, Subpart ii, 3.D.1.f

and 34 more added passages

Removed

• removal of the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score from the
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
• (DSM) and assigning evaluations based on prior GAF score
• November 26, 2024
• limit consideration only to a particular mental disorder diagnosis or theory of SC identified by the claimant;
• sympathetically read the claim as including any chronic acquired mental disorder consistent with the analysis above.
• , 23 Vet.

and 34 more removed passages