Lay Statements & Buddy Statements: How to fill the gaps in your VA claim

0:00 Introduction
0:52 What is lay evidence? How can it be helpful in VA claims?
1:55 What are you trying to establish with a lay statement?
3:58 Can only veterans write lay statements?
6:58 How do you submit a lay statement to VA?
9:05 How much weight do lay statements carry in a VA claim?
11:17 Are there situations where lay statements are particularly helpful?
12:37 What is VA’s rule about favorable evidence?
16:18 Using lay statements to counter unfavorable medical evidence
20:39 Competent and Credible Lay Statements
22:58 Common mistakes in lay statements
26:34 Using lay statements to fill in the gaps
29:00 What if VA says your lay statement not credible or not competent
30:14 Recap & concluding comments
Feel free to ask questions, give us feedback, or request new veterans' law topics below! And don't forget to SUBSCRIBE so you won’t miss future videos.

[@californiamw]

Thank you CCK, always great info... please continue to submit videos on all steps of the VA claims process...

[@CCK_Law]

@Californiamw, thank you so much for the feedback! We are glad you find our videos helpful. We will continue to post them to TH-cam as well as our Facebook page: facebook.com/ChisholmChisholmAndKilpatrick/

[@princelepres]

Great 👍 info‼️ Thanks for supporting our fellow disabled veterans. Blessings 🙏

[@gtoexpress8111]

Statements should be and affidavit of facts that way it becomes facts by the legal definition and should be given more weight than a general statement because the writer swears an oath that the statement is true and accurate

[@ritaholden4591]

Thank ya'll so much for these videos! !!! How about a statement from his mom? She is the only one who knew him well before and after

[@CCK_Law]

@Rita Holden, thanks for watching! We are happy to hear you find our videos helpful! Anyone with personal knowledge of the events being discussed within a veteran’s claim can write a lay statement. This can include spouses, family members, friends, coworkers, other service members, and the veteran themselves.

[@marygantalao2264]

how to obtain my cp exam report, where i reside in the philippines the regional offices are closed due to covid

[@brandonsouza6375]

I have a lay statement from myself that I would like to have reviewed by you before I submit it to the VA to appeal a proposed decision to lower my disability rating from 50% to 20%. Where might I send it?

[@thewoodman8772]

While station at Travis AFB in 1972 & 73 I was present on the Tarmac as required as a Base Police Training Sergeant when POW, Injured and KIA service members returned to the U.S . Of significance was the KIA returned and the family members crying and directing their anger toward me demanding to know how I could do this to their son or father. Also knowing many caskets contained body parts and couldn't tell the family. I also called out the Base Chaplin for family members . . . Any way, would this give cause for a claim of PTSD ?

[@OGMagnum]

should these statements be witnessed or notarized?

[@anitameyer9319]

My husband had a C&P exam in early January and he has not heard anything other than waiting on the veterans military records from 1957-1964. He never received a copy of the C&P exam conducted in January … what should he do?

[@rnedmundo]

What's your experience with sleep apnea secondary to obesity caused by multiple physical issues such as back & Neck, shoulder, knees.

[@LaToya_C.]

My C&P was done by an outsourced facility. How can I get a copy of that examination report?

[@CCK_Law]

@lcashley, To get a copy of the final report from your exam, you can,
contact your local VA regional office; call VA at 800-827-1000 and request an appointment to view your file; or
have your representative request a copy on your behalf. cck-law.com/blog/how-get-copy-va-c-p-exam

[@eugenelandry8262]

Do Buddy statements have to be notarized??

[@oldtimetreasures]

How do you obtain copies of exams?

[@californiamw]

U can always contact your Regional Officer... possibly a form to fill out.. good luck

[@anonymanonymity8859]

Is there a certain VA form for lay statements or just a statement written or typed on a paper?

[@californiamw]

I actually had them scanned (statement from wife, co worker, and supervisor)... and uploaded online into my va file on EBenefits ...

[@Kephers7]

My friend whom i served with wrote on an email and then added his name and contact info, same with my wife.

[@makameli8881]

@@Kephers7 what was the outcome

[@mr.cleanone3900]

What if your so called “ buddy’s” are the cause off your mst. Depression, anxiety ect?

[@smithcx]

Do you have information about OSA?

[@CCK_Law]

Hello Clarence! We have a TH-cam video on Sleep Apnea, which you can find here: th-cam.com/video/nwmooCupLus/w-d-xo.html
Or if you'd like to read more about Sleep Apnea ratings in our blog, you can find that here: cck-law.com/blog/how-does-va-rate-sleep-apnea/

[@frankripley5188]

Years? What a crock!