Statements & Raven Scribe
Tell your story in Pathfinder, review summaries for accuracy, and draft VA personal statements, buddy letters, and lay evidence with Raven Scribe and Statement Builder.
Tell your story in plain language
Use ordinary words, separate what you personally know from medical conclusions, keep uncertainty visible, and review your Pathfinder conversation summary before continuing.
Frequency, duration, severity, and functional impact
Use frequency, duration, severity, and functional impact to organize an honest symptom pattern, then add recovery time, treatment response, variability, and concrete examples.
Do I need an account to use Statement Builder?
The original non-AI Statement Builder remains usable without AI processing. Saving account-bound work and using optional AI features can require sign-in; a supporter entering through an invitation follows the controls on that invitation.
What's the difference between a lay statement and a buddy letter?
A personal lay statement tells what the veteran or claimant personally experienced. A buddy or witness statement tells what another person personally observed. Both should identify the writer's basis of knowledge, use concrete facts, and avoid medical or legal conclusions beyond the writer's competence.
Should I leave AI Polish on or off?
AI Polish is optional and off by default. It requires sign-in and AI consent, and it should be used only as a clarity edit that the writer compares with the original and corrects before use.
What does the Quality Score measure?
A Statement Builder quality indicator is a drafting prompt, not a measure of credibility, evidence weight, legal sufficiency, service connection, rating, or likely outcome. A lower or higher display should not drive a filing decision.
Can I print a Statement Builder draft for a notary?
Review names, dates, facts, page breaks, signature needs, and the complete exported file before printing or downloading. An export is a draft until the writer decides to use it and does not submit anything to VA.
Survivor Statement (Surviving Family Member)
A personal lay statement records the veteran's own firsthand observations. Keep the veteran's voice, supported uncertainty, and concrete effects; do not turn a draft into a diagnosis or a fact the writer did not report.
Buddy Letter (Supporter)
A buddy or witness statement records another person's firsthand observations in that writer's own words. The veteran can request and organize it, but software should not script the witness or decide how many statements are sufficient.
AI Polish Toggle
Use AI Polish only after the original factual draft exists. Compare every sentence with the source answers and remove any added certainty, symptom, date, relationship, diagnosis, frequency, or conclusion.
Statement Quality Score
Use the quality display as a checklist for readability and missing drafting details, not as proof. VA determines evidence weight and the writer remains responsible for accuracy.