Lay Statements That Win
Who This Book Is For
- Veterans with gaps in service medical records
- Veterans explaining how symptoms affect daily life
- Family or friends helping write a lay statement
- Veterans whose symptoms weren’t documented in service
What You'll Get
- Templates you can adapt to your case
- The exact format VA raters expect
- Confidence your statement hits the right points
- Real examples to model your statement
What You'll Learn
- What to include—and what to leave out
- Phrases that match VA rating criteria
- Avoid mistakes that get statements ignored
- Real examples of statements that won claims
From the Book
The VA rater reading your claim spends about 15 minutes on your entire file. In those 15 minutes, they're looking for specific things. Your lay statement is often the only place where you get to speak directly to that rater. No medical jargon, no doctor playing telephone—just you explaining what happened and how it affects you.
Most veterans write lay statements like they're writing their commander—brief, tough, minimizing problems. That's exactly wrong. The VA needs details. They need you to paint a picture of your worst days, not your best. They need specific examples, not general statements. This book shows you how to write statements that raters remember.
What Readers Are Saying
"Very clear, easy to follow guide that also provides detailed instructions and a template on how to draft an effective lay letter. This booklet was to the point and very helpful. Thank you to the author."
Related Questions
Related Tips
More Resources
- View All Books — Complete VA Claim Starter Pack series
- Free Templates — Ready-to-copy letters and worksheets
- Guides — Step-by-step tutorials for your claim
Ready to get started?
Write personal statements that get results. Fill gaps in your records, tell your story clearly, and make the VA listen.
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