How to organize a VA buddy letter

A VA buddy letter is a witness’s account of what they personally know or observed. VA calls its formal route the Lay/Witness Statement (VA Form 21-10210), and VA’s evidence guide says lay evidence may be considered depending on the claim. This guide helps you organize words; it does not decide what evidence your claim needs or replace the official form.

Build the letter from the witness’s point of view

Start with the relationship, the period of contact, and the setting. Then separate what the witness personally saw, heard, or experienced from what another person later told them. Use an approximate period when that is the honest memory. An uncertain date is better than a precise date invented to make the draft sound complete.

A four-part outline

1. Relationship and time: how the witness knows the person and when they had contact.
2. Firsthand observations: a specific activity, event, or change the witness actually remembers.
3. Everyday effect: a concrete effect the witness personally observed, if any.
4. Limits: what the witness cannot confirm, does not remember, or learned from someone else.

Clearly fictional example

Fictional example — not a real veteran’s statement and never a fact to copy: “I am an imaginary former coworker of Jordan Lee. In this fictional example, I worked beside Jordan during the 2018 evening shift. I remember Jordan leaving the loading area early on several occasions and telling me they needed a break. I did not see what caused the difficulty, and I do not know what happened outside work.”

The example shows the difference between relationship, observation, and a stated limit. Replace every detail with facts the real witness can explain in their own words. Delete the example before using a draft.

Review before completing the official process

Read the statement aloud with the witness. Check whose voice it uses, whether each detail is firsthand, and whether dates match records the witness actually holds. Remove “always,” “never,” diagnoses, or medical explanations the witness cannot support. This website does not sign or submit a statement. Complete required identifiers, certification, and submission through the current VA process.

Open the free VA buddy letter worksheet or start a saved buddy letter project. For individualized evidence or representation questions, find a VA-accredited representative.