The Importance of Subjective Evidence for VA Disability Claim

Need help with medical consulting to support your VA disability benefits? We may be able to help! Get started today!

Video Disclaimer

Vet Comp & Pen Medical Consulting, LLC. (VCP) does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of the information contained in this video. Nothing contained or provided in the video is intended to constitute advice or to serve as a substitute for the advice of a licensed healthcare provider, attorney, or agent accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to assist with the filling of disability claims. Any reliance you place on this information is strictly at your own risk.

Always seek the advice of your qualified medical provider, attorney, or VA agent, to address individual circumstances. This video is for general information purposes only. All uses of the term “you” are for illustrative purposes regarding a hypothetical veteran. VCP disclaims any control over, relationship with, or endorsement of the ideas expressed by viewers of this content.

Video Description

VA lay statements are probably the most underrated and undervalued pieces of evidence by veterans seeking disability benefits. Most veterans that apply for disability benefits do not submit a lay statement in support of their claim when they file for a disability. This in my opinion is not the right way to go.

Your rating is determined by your symptoms which is subjective evidence, not objective. It’s how you experience the disability, what it does to your life, the frequency of the pain, how it causes loss of function, these are all things that you as the veteran experiencing the disability can attest to. You don’t have to be a doctor to know how a disability negatively affects your life.

In some cases, subjective evidence can prove service connection of a disability. You know that you experienced symptoms the whole time it’s just not in your medical record so write it on a statement.

At Vet Comp and Pen medical consulting we know the value of lay statements, we see how it positively affects veterans all the time. We know that if a veteran is service-connected for a condition their rating depends usually on the symptoms documented on a lay statement. The trick is understanding the power of it and understanding the limitations of it.