What is lay evidence, and how can veterans use it for their VA disability benefits claim?

If you're a veteran getting ready to file a claim for VA disability benefits, you'll want to get familiar with lay evidence while you prepare for your claim. There are a couple different types of evidence that veterans can use to bolster their claim, from competent evidence to actual medical documents and then of course, lay evidence, which we'll get into below.

You want your medical evidence to work for you and not against you (if done poorly, it can lower your rating or prevent service-connection entirely!). Getting the right combination of different evidence types is really make or break when it comes to VA disability benefits.

Here's everything that veterans need to know about lay evidence:

What is lay evidence?

When it comes to VA disability benefits claims, lay evidence is simply written statements from people who know the veteran with the ability to confirm the veteran's condition and impacts on their life.

Veterans can get lay evidence statements from…

• Friends

• Family members

• Fellow service members

• Coworkers

Validating important details such as…

• The timeline of the veteran's condition

• The physical and mental health impacts of the condition

• The veteran's daily functioning 

How lay evidence can benefit your VA disability benefits claim

Lay evidence can be a great addition to a veteran's VA disability benefit because it includes outside perspectives and validation regarding their experience. With more input from multiple sources, the claim for service-connection becomes more compelling for the VA.

Just remember: Similar to a personal statement, lay evidence can be a great supporting addition to your claim – but it does NOT replace the need for actual medical records. The VA needs documented proof with competent evidence (read more on that here). So, you'll need actual treatment records from a doctor. 

We craft compelling medical documentation for veterans

Lay evidence can be a great addition to a well-documented claim – but you're going to need expertly crafted medical documentation to really prove that your condition deserves service-connection. We are private medical evidence providers who help veterans with Nexus Letters, DBQs, chart reviews, and other medical documents to get optimal results from the VA. View our services here or sign up for a chart review to get started.