Independent medical examinations (IME) Medical examination reports are heavily relied on by VA adjudicators and judges in their decision making, which is why obtaining an Independent Medical Examination is often critical to successfully appealing VA decisions. Typically, the VA is required to schedule claimants a medical examination to determine their degree of impairment for a given condition. These examinations are conducted by either providers hired by the VA or providers that are hired by companies that represent the VA. Unfortunately, not all of these examination reports are favorable towards the veteran, and they are often performed by providers that have no military experience and lack the understanding of the abuses on the body while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. In order to contest an unfavorable medical examination report, a claimant should submit their own medical examination report discrediting the unfavorable report. IMEs are done by one or more medical experts who are not employees of VA, in order to provide an unbiased opinion on the disability.

A VA Nexus letter is a detailed report created by a neutral, third-party provider, that are not employees of the VA, that explicitly links a veteran's disability or current medical condition to one or more events that occurred during their military service. Its purpose is to help a veteran seek service-connected compensation in opposition to the Veterans Affairs' rejection of a recently or previously submitted claim.