Free VA Buddy Letter Generator for Veterans.Create a VA Buddy Statement in Minutes.
The people who see your condition every day can strengthen your VA claim. Our AI turns their observations into a structured buddy letter — a real VA buddy statement, no legal expertise needed. Skip searching for a VA buddy letter example and generate one tailored to your claim in minutes.
What Is a Buddy Letter for a VA Claim?
Also known as: VA buddy statement, layman statement, lay statement
A buddy letter (also called a VA buddy statement, layman statement, or lay statement) is a written statement from someone who knows the veteran — describing symptoms, behavior changes, and daily limitations they've personally observed. Instead of searching for a VA buddy letter example to copy, our AI generates a personalized buddy letter based on what you've actually witnessed.
What Buddy Letters Can Describe
- Corroborating symptoms — confirming the veteran's account of pain, anxiety, sleep issues, or other conditions you've witnessed
- Describing personality changes — documenting how the veteran has changed since service (mood, social withdrawal, anger, avoidance)
- Documenting daily limitations — explaining activities the veteran can no longer do, or struggles with, that you've personally observed
- Witnessing incidents — describing specific events, flare-ups, or episodes you've seen firsthand
How It Works
The veteran starts the request, and the buddy completes a simple questionnaire. Our AI handles the rest — no legal or medical knowledge needed.
Veteran Initiates a Request
The veteran starts a buddy letter request in VeteranAI. They select their condition and provide basic context about what they need the letter to support.
Friend or Family Member Gets a Link
VeteranAI generates a secure link the veteran can share. The buddy — a spouse, parent, battle buddy, coworker, or anyone who has observed the veteran's condition — opens the link to begin.
Guided Questionnaire
The buddy answers simple, guided questions about what they've observed: changes in behavior, limitations, symptoms, and how the veteran's condition affects daily life. No legal or medical expertise needed.
AI Generates the Statement
Our AI structures the buddy's answers into a properly formatted lay statement using observation-based language the VA expects. Download it and submit it with the veteran's claim.
Ask Six—our AI assistant—whether a buddy letter, personal statement, or nexus letter would best support your specific claim.
Better Than a Buddy Letter Example — A Real VA Buddy Statement
A properly formatted VA buddy statement — not a generic buddy letter example you found online. Every buddy letter is tailored to the veteran's condition and built from the buddy's real observations.
VA-Formatted Structure
Your buddy letter follows the format VA raters are trained to evaluate. It's organized by observation type — not a random letter, but a structured statement that addresses what the rater looks for in third-party evidence.
Built for VA ratersObservation-Based Language
Buddy letters need to describe what the writer has personally observed — not medical opinions or diagnoses. Our AI uses first-person observation language that carries weight with the VA without overstepping.
Credible, not clinicalNo Legal Expertise Needed
The buddy doesn't need to understand VA law, medical terminology, or claims strategy. They just answer questions about what they've seen. VeteranAI handles the structure, formatting, and language.
Anyone can do itReady to Submit
The finished buddy letter is ready to download and submit with the veteran's VA claim immediately. No back-and-forth, no appointments, no waiting for a professional to draft it.
Done in minutesGot Questions? Ask Six.
Six is our AI chat assistant trained on VA disability claims. Ask about buddy letters, who should write one, what to include, or anything about building your claim.
A Strong Buddy Letter Makes Your VA Claim Harder to Deny
Medical records show a diagnosis. A VA buddy statement shows what life actually looks like. Don't waste time copying a buddy letter example — let VeteranAI generate a real buddy letter from the people around you, structured and ready for the VA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question not listed here? Reach out to us
What is a buddy letter for a VA claim?
A buddy letter (also called a layman statement or lay statement) is a written statement from someone who knows the veteran — a spouse, family member, friend, battle buddy, or coworker — describing what they have personally observed about the veteran's condition. It tells the VA what medical records can't: how the veteran's disability affects their daily life as seen by the people around them.
Who can write a buddy letter?
Anyone who has personally observed the veteran's condition can write a buddy letter. Common writers include spouses, parents, siblings, children, battle buddies, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. The writer doesn't need any medical or legal expertise — they just need to describe what they've seen in their own words.
What should I include in a buddy letter?
A strong buddy letter should describe: specific changes you've observed in the veteran's behavior or abilities, how their condition affects daily activities (work, socializing, hobbies, self-care), the frequency and severity of symptoms you've witnessed, any personality changes since military service, and specific examples or incidents that illustrate the impact. VeteranAI guides you through each of these areas so nothing gets missed.
How is a buddy letter different from a personal statement?
A personal statement is written by the veteran themselves, describing how their condition affects their own daily life. A buddy letter is written by someone else — a friend, family member, or fellow service member — describing what they have observed about the veteran's condition from an outside perspective. Both are valuable evidence, and submitting both strengthens a VA claim.
Do buddy letters actually help VA claims?
Yes. The VA is required to consider lay evidence, and buddy letters provide the kind of real-world, observation-based testimony that medical records alone can't capture. They corroborate the veteran's account, document symptoms that may not appear in clinical settings, and show how the condition affects the veteran in everyday life. Claims with strong buddy letters are harder for the VA to deny.
How long does it take to generate a buddy letter?
The buddy answers a guided questionnaire in about 10–15 minutes. VeteranAI's AI then generates a properly formatted lay statement immediately — ready to download and submit with the veteran's VA claim. No appointments, no waiting for a professional to draft it.