How to write a statement

On the left, is information to help you write your statement to the panel. It tells you all the things you should try to put in your statement and how to begin.

On the right is the statement Rose sent to the panel looking at her appeal. We have included it to show you what sorts of details about your condition you should include in your statement.

Help for you	Rose's Statement
Explain why you are writing.	I am writing to you to explain my reason for appealing the decision to award me the lower rate of care of DLA.
Tell them what rate you think you should be entitled to. If you don’t know, just say ‘I believe I am entitled to more’. Go to page x for more information about the different rates.	I am appealing the decision as I believe that I am entitled to the middle rate of care. I have ulcerative colitis and severe depression and this means that I need a lot of help during the day.
Explain the main symptoms or difficulties you have because of your illness or disability.Remember to explain how they affect you.	I find moving around painful and hard because I have pain in my limbs, and am unsteady on my feet. I need to go to the toilet frequently, and afterwards I feel sick and exhausted. I often soil myself. Because of my depression, I often can’t face getting up, so I stay in bed - sometimes all day, except when I have to go to the toilet.
If you have difficulty walking, it is most useful to talk about distances in terms that mean something to you. For example, it is better to say 'Walking around the community centre causes me pain' than 'I can only walk for 50 metres'.	Just walking from my room to the bathroom, or up or down the stairs causes me pain and can make me very tired.
If you feel better on some days than on others, explain what help you need on both. If you can, say how frequently you have better days and bad days.	On better days (approximately 3 days a week) I will get up and go downstairs to sit in a chair. I never do very much because I am very tired. When my sister is with me she helps me to get up and go downstairs.
If you can, spell out what help you get - or what help you would get in an ideal world. Explain what problems you have with each part of looking after yourself.	I am not steady on my feet and getting into the bath is very painful and feels dangerous, so I don’t do it unless my sister is there to help me. I cannot wash my hair because it causes a lot of pain in my arms, so I need help. I cannot dry myself properly because I cannot bend to reach my legs or feet. Usually I just wash my face.
Tell them if you have ever been hurt (or might have been hurt), because of your illness, tell them. You also need to tell them if you have hurt somebody else because of your illness.You should also say if you have ever hurt yourself on purpose.	Last year I fell when trying to get out of the bath – I wasn’t badly hurt, but it shook me up.
Is there anything you don’t do because you don’t have the help you need?	Some days I don’t wash at all because I don’t have any help.
If there is any other evidence that backs up what you are saying, refer to it.	The letter from my social worker, Karen Beardsley, confirms this.
If not getting the help you need causes other problems, it is very useful to say so. They won’t make the connection for themselves.	Being dirty makes me feel depressed, so I don’t like to go out or see anyone.
It is important that they understand how often you need help. So if there is something you need help with, say how often it happens.	Because of my colitis, I have to go to the toilet 5 or 6 times during the day. Most of the time I do get to the toilet in time, but sometimes – approximately twice a week – I don’t make it.
Remember to say everything – even things that you find embarrassing. It will be a lot easier to write it down than to say it in the hearing. Going into a lot of detail may seem unnecessary, but it will help the panel understand your condition.	Even when I do get to the bathroom on time, because of the blood and mucus, I often need to wash myself and change my clothes afterwards.It’s painful for me to wash and dress without help and I’m often very tired and do not have the energy.
If you have any problems cooking, or if you don’t really cook for yourself properly, tell them and explain why.	I can’t cook a proper meal for myself. Even opening a tin and putting the hob on is painful. I make a microwave meal or some toast, or don’t eat at all.
If you anyone helps you by reminding or encouraging you to do things, tell them about it. If you don’t get this help, but need someone to remind you or encourage you to do something, tell them that.	My sister cooks for me sometimes, and phones me most days to remind me to eat or encourage me to make something.
If you disagree with anything in the papers they sent you, you need to tell them what was wrong and why this isn't right.	The report from the DWP doctor said I could cook a proper meal, but that isn’t true. I haven’t even tried to cook properly since I dropped a pan of boiling water on my foot last year, and hurt myself.
When you have finished writing the statement, read it back through more than once. Does it say everything you want it to say?