written witness statement example letter

She has problems doing tasks with her hands, and her arthritis has gotten worse in the two years that I have been helping her. I come to her house every day for three hours. I have been taking care of Judy Brown for two years. Below is a caregiver sample letter for a disability applicant with rheumatoid arthritis. They can be paid professionals, like in-home care nurses, or unpaid relatives who help you out with various tasks. Letters From CaregiversĬaregivers are often very good sources for letters of recommendation. Here are some examples of disability letters from caregivers, relatives, and employers that illustrate when a witness statement can help an application for Social Security benefits. Sample Disability Statement Witness Letters The witness should mention how long they've known you for, how frequently they see you, and in what capacity (such as employer, relative, or caregiver). Statements where the person just repeats what you've told them and doesn't add any new information aren't very helpful.įor example, a caregiver who helps you organize your medication every week because you can't remember which pills to take could write a useful letter about how your forgetfulness affects your ability to complete basic tasks.ĭisability letters should also include basic identifying information that lets the SSA know the person's relationship to you. Personal witness statements should include concrete examples of your impairment that the witness has seen directly. What Should Be Included in Witness Letters? You won't help your case by adding a dozen witness statements to your file if none of them provide new, first-hand information about your limitations. Instead, consider which one or two people know the most about your impairment, and submit letters from them.

If your spouse wants to write a disability letter, make sure they stick to specific examples of how your condition limits you, such as causing a change in who performs household chores or pays the bills.ĭon't send Social Security as many letters as you can collect from everyone you know. Spouses seem like a natural choice to ask for a disability recommendation, but they aren't always the most objective observers, and the SSA might discount their testimony because they have a financial stake in the outcome of your case. Examples of potentially persuasive witnesses include: Who Should Write My Witness Letters?Īnybody that you've known closely for a long time (say, several years) is a good candidate to ask for a personal statement disability letter. While you have the opportunity to discuss your activities in detail in the questionnaire included with your application, having confirmation of your limitations from people who have first-hand knowledge of your condition can be a powerful tool to help win your case.

The SSA wants to know about any struggles you have with your activities of daily living, because it makes sense that something you have trouble doing at home would be as difficult, if not more so, to do at work. What Is a Witness Letter and Why Is It So Important? Witness statements can be helpful to your disability application if you ask the right people and if the letter contains the kind of information that the Social Security Administration (SSA) cares about. But few applicants take the extra step of asking caregivers, relatives, or employers to write a disability letter-also called a third-party witness statement-even though it can give Social Security important insight into potentially disabling conditions. Many disability applicants know that they have to gather medical records and detail their activities of daily living in order to help win their disability case.

Written witness statement example letter