# Secondary Condition Statement

Helps you describe, in your own words, how one service-connected condition causes or worsens another condition. Use it when you want to tell the VA what you observe about the relationship between two conditions before a Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam or when submitting a claim for a secondary condition.

## Prompt

## Context
You are helping a veteran write a personal statement describing how [PRIMARY SERVICE-CONNECTED CONDITION] causes or aggravates [SECONDARY CONDITION]. This statement is the veteran's own factual account of their observations and daily experience. It is not a medical nexus opinion. A licensed clinician provides the nexus opinion; this statement supports that opinion with the veteran's facts.

The veteran's name for reference: [VETERAN NAME]. Branch and years of service: [BRANCH AND SERVICE DATES]. The primary condition was service-connected on [SC DATE OR APPROXIMATE]. The secondary condition began or worsened around [SECONDARY ONSET DATE OR PERIOD].

## Task
Draft a personal statement (one to two pages) that:
- Describes the primary condition: what it feels like day to day, limitations it causes.
- Describes the secondary condition: when it started, what it feels like, how it has changed over time.
- Explains, in the veteran's own observations, the connection they notice between the two: for example, how the primary condition's limitations force movements or postures that worsen the secondary, or how medications for the primary condition cause the secondary.
- States specific examples with approximate dates or time periods.
- Uses plain, first-person language throughout.

## Standards
This statement must contain only facts the veteran supplies. Do not invent symptoms, severity levels, dates, exam findings, or diagnoses. Do not write a medical nexus opinion, a diagnosis, or any statement implying a clinician-level conclusion about causation. The statement organizes the veteran's own observations; the nexus determination belongs to a licensed clinician. Do not predict a disability rating or guarantee any outcome.

Remind the veteran at the end of the statement that representation and claim preparation are regulated under 38 CFR, that accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO) help for an initial claim is free, and that they should have an accredited VSO review this statement before filing. Warn against unaccredited claim preparers who charge illegal fees for initial claims.

If any named variable is missing or the described relationship between the conditions is unclear, ask before drafting.

## Variables

- PRIMARY SERVICE-CONNECTED CONDITION
- SECONDARY CONDITION
- VETERAN NAME
- BRANCH AND SERVICE DATES
- SC DATE OR APPROXIMATE
- SECONDARY ONSET DATE OR PERIOD

## Input checklist

- [ ] The name of your primary service-connected condition and the date or approximate period it was service-connected.
- [ ] The name of the secondary condition you are connecting, and when you first noticed it or when it got worse.
- [ ] Your own observations of how the primary condition leads to or worsens the secondary: be specific about what you do, how your body compensates, or what medications you take.
- [ ] Approximate dates or time periods for key changes, not just current symptoms.
- [ ] Privacy: keep your Social Security number and VA file number out of the prompt. Share only the facts you are comfortable putting into an AI tool.
- [ ] Plan to have an accredited VSO review this statement before submitting it. A medical nexus opinion must come from a licensed clinician, not from this statement.

## Verification checklist

- [ ] Check that no symptom, severity level, exam finding, or diagnosis was invented by the AI. Every medical detail must come from your own records or your own experience.
- [ ] Confirm the statement contains no medical nexus conclusion. It must describe your observations, not state that one condition caused the other as a matter of medical fact.
- [ ] Check that no disability rating, percentage, or prediction of claim outcome appears anywhere in the statement.
- [ ] Read for exaggeration: every sentence must reflect your actual experience, not the worst possible version of it.
- [ ] Verify every date and time period against your own records before submitting.
- [ ] Have an accredited VSO or VA-accredited attorney review the statement before it is filed. Verify any rule or form requirement on VA.gov, because policies change.
- [ ] Do not file this statement as a substitute for a medical nexus opinion from a licensed clinician.

## Sample output

Sample output. Generated by AI from sample inputs:

Personal Statement of Marcus Hale
Re: Secondary Condition (Left Knee Degenerative Joint Disease) Arising from Primary Service-Connected Condition (Lumbar Disc Disease)

I served in the Army as a logistics NCO from 2001 to 2012. My lumbar disc disease was service-connected in 2014. I am writing this statement to describe, in my own words, what I observe about how my back condition affects my left knee.

My lower back condition causes me constant pain across my lower back and into my left hip. On most days I cannot stand straight for more than ten minutes before the pain forces me to shift my weight. Over the years I have noticed that I carry most of my weight on my left leg and lean forward to reduce the pressure on my lower back. My wife pointed this out to me in 2017, and I began paying closer attention.

My left knee pain started gradually around 2016. I first noticed it when walking to my car. By 2019 it was constant on stairs. I have not had a knee injury. The only change I can identify is the way I walk and stand because of my back. I walk with a forward lean and I favor my left side. I believe, from my own observation, that the way my back forces me to move has put unusual stress on my left knee over time. I am not stating this as a medical conclusion. That is for a doctor to determine. I am describing what I observe.

I currently take medication for my back pain. One of the side effects listed on the medication is joint inflammation. I cannot confirm whether this affects my knee, but I am noting it so my doctor can consider it.

I am asking the VA to consider my left knee condition as secondary to my service-connected lumbar disc disease.

Note: This statement reflects my own observations and is not a medical opinion. I plan to have this reviewed by an accredited Veterans Service Officer before submitting. Accredited VSO help for an initial claim is free under 38 CFR. I encourage any veteran reading this to work with an accredited VSO or VA-accredited attorney and to avoid unaccredited claim preparers who charge fees for initial claims.

## Customization notes

This prompt works for any secondary condition relationship: orthopedic compensation patterns, medication side effects causing a new condition, or a mental health condition worsening a physical one. Adjust the observations block to match the specific mechanism the veteran notices. For an appeal rather than an initial claim, update the opening to reference the prior denial and what the veteran wants the VA to reconsider. Always route the final statement through an accredited VSO before filing.

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From The VA & Benefits Navigator Library at vetslearn.com/libraries/va