A lay statement for an aid and attendance claim is not a legal brief. It is a plain description, in the witness's own words, of what they have seen the veteran need help with day to day.1 Whether you write it yourself, have the person who did the hands-on work write it, or pay someone to draft it is a real choice, and the answer depends on who actually saw what.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

What the statement can carry

It can describe tasks: getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, eating, bathroom trips, moving around the house, and whether someone has to stay within reach. It should say how often the help is needed and what happens when it is not given. It does not replace the medical exam or the doctor's form. Those carry the medical findings. The statement fills in the daily picture that a short exam on a good day can miss.2

Write it yourself when

You were in the house for the daily work and can describe it without guessing. Write in plain sentences, one task per line, with how often each task happens. Avoid words like always or never unless they are true and you can explain what you saw that supports them.

Have the hands-on person write it when

The person who did the bathing, dressing, or transfers has seen more than you have. Their statement should be in their own words and signed by them. Do not write it for them and do not tell them what to say. If they are paid for that work, say so plainly in the statement rather than leaving it for a reader to discover.

Pay someone to draft it when

Writing blocks the family, or no one in the household saw the daily work in enough detail. A paid drafter can organize what the witness tells them, but the facts and the signature must belong to the witness. Ask any drafter two things before they start: what they will put in the statement, and whether they will read it back to the witness before it is signed. If the answer is that the draft will be built from the claim form alone, do not use that drafter.

Check before anyone signs

  • The statement names the veteran and says how the witness knows him.
  • Each task is described with its frequency, not just a general word like helps.
  • Nothing is stated as fact that the witness only assumed.
  • The description matches what the medical records say, without overstating it.
  • You keep a complete copy before it goes into the claim.
  • The submission instructions on VA.gov are read for the version of the form in use on the day you file.1

Where to get a second read

If you want someone outside the family to check the wording before it goes in, the offices listed on Local Help: St. Louis Offices are a place to start. A second read checks the wording only. The facts and the signature still belong to the witness.

Each footnote is listed with its VA.gov source on the Sources page.

  1. VA.gov, instructions for lay and witness statements submitted with a VA claim.
  2. VA.gov, Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits, including the exam form instructions.