VA Form 21-10210, formally known as the Lay/Witness Statement, is the official document used to submit testimony from someone other than the veteran regarding a disability claim. While medical records provide the clinical data, this form allows spouses, friends, fellow service members, or family to “fill in the gaps” by describing the veteran’s daily struggles or confirming events that occurred during service. It is a critical tool for establishing the human context of a disability, often acting as the tipping point for claims that lack extensive service treatment records.
When to Use This Form
- Corroborating In-Service Stressors: Use this when a veteran experienced a traumatic event or injury during service (such as combat or an accident) that was not officially documented in their medical or personnel files, but was witnessed by a fellow service member.
- Describing Daily Severity: Use this when a veteran’s medical records do not fully capture the frequency or intensity of their symptoms, allowing a spouse or roommate to detail how the condition limits the veteran’s ability to function on a day-to-day basis.
- Establishing Service Connection for PTSD: This form is essential for “buddy statements” that support a PTSD claim by validating the stressor event or detailing behavioral changes observed by family members after the veteran returned from deployment.
- rebutting a Proposed Reduction: If the VA proposes to reduce a rating based on a single medical exam, lay statements can be used to prove that the condition has not actually improved in the veteran’s daily life.
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