The vast majority of veterans are underrated by the VA. Are you in that category, too? If so, you don’t have to stay that way. There are processes for submitting a “bulletproof” claim to the VA and getting the rating you deserve.
Many veterans are scared of applying for a VA disability increase because it sounds so complex and because they have been denied in the past. But certain forms of evidence can strengthen your claim and get the VA to take you seriously. One of these types of evidence is known as a buddy letter.
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What’s a Buddy Letter?
Buddy letters are written by people close to you to demonstrate the nature and intensity of your medical condition. They can be written by a spouse who has seen how your PTSD has made you moody and irritable, reclusive, and unable to sleep through the night. They can be written by co-workers who have seen you grimace when you try to lift with your back injury. They can be written by fellow veterans who worked with you in the vicinity of burn pits and have developed lung problems similar to yours.
They can also be written by friends, adult children, caregivers, religious leaders, or teachers.
Won’t My Personal Statement Be Enough?
In many cases, yes! A personal statement is a detailed autobiographical description of how your condition developed and how it has affected your life. When submitted with your medical records, service records, and a nexus letter from a doctor, a well-written personal statement often provides all the lay evidence needed to get you an increased VA rating.
However, in certain cases, more lay evidence can be helpful for making your case with the VA.
Would My Claim Benefit from a Buddy Letter?
Here are some questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to include a buddy letter with your claim.
Are There Gaps in Your Medical Record?
In some cases, a veteran may not have sought a diagnosis or treatment for their condition. This could be because they were in combat and there was no time to seek help from a medic. It could also happen in environments where the veteran was discouraged from seeking medical help because it showed weakness.
In these cases, a buddy letter can add valuable lay evidence affirming the incident that caused the condition and the way the condition affected the veteran.
Has Your Medical Record Been Lost (or Improperly Recorded)?
In some cases, medical records can be destroyed or lost. In other cases, some medical notes may not have been recorded properly in the first place. If records containing your diagnosis and treatment are no longer available, a buddy letter can provide credible evidence that your health condition is legitimate.
Would a Before and After Comparison Help Prove Your Health Condition?
One good way to show the impact of a medical condition on your life is to get a written statement from someone who knew you before and after the condition developed. A buddy letter can provide this context, detailing how your service-related condition has impacted your life. A buddy letter can be particularly helpful for supporting mental health claims, such as PTSD.
Do’s and Don’ts of a Buddy Letter
Do’s
- Do ask someone who has personal knowledge about your condition and the way it affects your life.
- Do review all buddy letters before submitting them with your other documentation. Make sure the letters do not contradict each other. Otherwise, your buddy letters could get your claim denied.
Don’ts
- Don’t submit a buddy letter that is overly long or emotional. The VA has a lot of cases to review, so they are looking for “short and sweet” letters. Buddy letters should contain observable facts—not an emotional purge. If something in the letter advances your case, it should stay in. If not, it should be deleted.
- Don’t submit a letter that contains insulting language about the VA. Remember that a person—not a machine—will evaluate your case. The last thing you want your buddy letter to do is make the reviewer mad. Make sure the buddy letter is respectful.
- Don’t have a minor write your buddy letter. A buddy letter must be written by someone who is at least 18 years old.
The Four Components of a Winning Buddy Letter
If someone is writing a buddy letter for you, they should do the following:
1. Explain How They Know You
In this section, the buddy describes the nature of your relationship and how and when it started.
Example:
My name is Jane Doe. I’m writing this statement on behalf of John Doe, who is my husband. I have known John since August of 2001, when we met at the restaurant where I used to work. We were married one year later (August of 2002). We have interacted daily since then, except when John was on military deployments.
2. Explain How Your Condition Developed
The buddy should describe what they have witnessed regarding your condition and the incident/event that led to it.
Example:
When I first met John, he never had any hearing-related difficulties but then, in 2003, he started working on the flightline with heavy exposure to jet noise. By 2008, he started complaining of a buzzing in his ear. I am very confident that his tinnitus was related to the noisy environment on the flight line.
3. Describe Your Symptoms
The buddy should explain what they have observed with your symptoms and how your symptoms may have changed over time..
Example:
After the buzzing noise started, I noticed that John seemed sidetracked or preoccupied when I would talk to him. We had a group of friends that we enjoyed going out with every weekend, but he stopped wanting to go out with them as often because he said he couldn’t keep up with the conversation. His tinnitus also made it hard for him to sleep. I would often wake up at 2 or 3 am to see him wide awake. He complained of waking up due to his tinnitus three or four times per week.
John’s sleeplessness made him more irritable. He would lose his temper more often with me and the kids—something he rarely did before the buzzing noise started. He would often talk with me about his fear that the noise would never go away. This fear made him anxious, and the anxiety made it harder for him to sleep.
Our marriage has been significantly more challenging since he developed tinnitus, to the point that we have sought marriage counseling.
4. Sign and Date the Letter
The buddy should close with a statement certifying that their letter is true “to the best of my knowledge and belief.” They should then sign and date the letter.
Example:
“I certify that my statements on this form are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.”
Signed, Jane Doe, February 26, 2025
How Do I Talk to Someone about Writing a Buddy Letter for Me?
Direct your buddy to use VA Form 21-10210. 1 Everyone who writes a buddy letter on behalf of a veteran needs their own form. (Don’t try to cram multiple letters onto one form.)
You can show them the four-part example above or give them a buddy letter template from VA Claims Academy.
Save Time and Get a Better Buddy Letter with a Template
VA Claims Academy provides many of the resources you will need to file for an increased VA disability rating. We’ve spent years studying what works and what doesn’t and created an invaluable collection of templates and other materials to help you submit more effective evidence. Ask about our plug-and-play buddy letter templates and other veteran disability claim assistance.
1 https://www.va.gov/find-forms/about-form-21-10210/