Types of evidence
Keep observations, medical findings and summaries tied to their sources.
What a note or statement documents
A clinic note can document reported symptoms and a clinician’s assessment. A supporting statement can document a person’s observations. Keep the author, date and exact source attached to each factual summary.
What an inventory can and cannot do
An inventory or summary makes a document easier to find; it does not determine its weight in a VA decision.
Example
Fictional example: A witness writes, “I saw the person stop carrying a box after reporting shoulder pain.” A summary says that the witness observed the person stop and heard a pain report. “The fall caused a shoulder disability” would add a medical conclusion absent from the statement. The witness’s name, statement date and source page stay with the account.