Part III, Subpart ii, Chapter 1, Section B. Mail Management
Section B. Mail Management
Overview
|In this Section |This section contains the following topics: |
|Topic |Topic Name |See Page |
|5 |Establishing Mail Control |1-B-2 |
|6 |Classifying Mail |1-B-3 |
|7 |Handling Incoming Mail |1-B-5 |
|8 |Handling Miscellaneous Mail |1-B-9 |
|9 |Handling Outgoing Mail |1-B-13 |
5. Establishing Mail Control
|Introduction |This topic contains policies for establishing mail control, including |
| | |
| |locating the claims folder |
| |placing mail under Share control, and |
| |establishing controls and updating records before referring mail |
| |. |
|Change Date |September 30, 2010 |
|a. Locating the Claims |During incoming mail review |
|Folder | |
| |determine the existence and location of the claims folder, and |
| |create and establish a folder in the Control of Veterans Records System (COVERS), if none exists. |
| | |
| |References: For more information on |
| |delegation of responsibility for mail control, see M21-1MR, Part III, Subpart ii, 1.A.4, and |
| |COVERS, see the COVERS User Guide. |
|b. Placing Mail Under |Screen and place incoming mail under Share control within seven calendar days of receipt in the division. |
|Share Control | |
| |Reference: For more information on using Share controls, see the Share User Guide. |
|c. Establishing Controls|Before referring any mail for claims folder association |
|and Updating Records | |
|Before Referring Mail |establish and annotate an end product (EP), and |
| |update the Corporate record as needed. |
| | |
| |Reference: For more information on using MAP-D, see the MAP-D User Guide. |
6. Classifying Mail
|Introduction |This topic contains information about classes of mail. |
|Change Date |September 30, 2010 |
|a. Classes of Mail |The table below describes the four classes of mail. |
|Mail Class |Description |
|In Process |Consists of all mail that is |
| | |
| |under Share or Modern Award Processing – Development (MAP-D) control, or |
| |otherwise controlled as specified in this section. |
|Incoming |Pertains to benefit claims or inquiries |
| |originates from outside the Veterans Service Center (VSC), and |
| |includes the following four subclasses of mail: |
| |action |
| |file |
| |priority, and |
| |unidentified. |
| | |
| |Reference: For more information on handling incoming mail, see M21-1MR, Part III,|
| |Subpart ii, 1.B.7. |
Continued on next page
6. Classifying Mail, Continued
|a. Classes of Mail (continued) |
|Mail Class |Description |
|Miscellaneous |Is unidentifiable as an initial claim that |
| |requires the building of a folder, or |
| |indicates association with an existing claims folder, and |
| |includes the following five subclasses of mail: |
| |military file |
| |no record |
| |pending transfer in (PTI) |
| |pending transfer out (PTO), and |
| |search. |
| | |
| |Reference: For more information about handling miscellaneous mail, see M21-1MR, |
| |Part III, Subpart ii, 1.B.8. |
|Outgoing |Consists of all mail that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) releases to |
| |elements outside of the VSC, and |
| |includes the following three subclasses of mail: |
| |express |
| |intraoffice, and |
| |regular/routine outgoing. |
| | |
| |Reference: For more information about handling outgoing mail, see M21-1MR, Part |
| |III, Subpart ii, 1.B.9. |
7. Handling Incoming Mail
|Introduction |This topic contains information about handling incoming mail, including |
| | |
| |descriptions of incoming mail |
| |handling procedures for incoming mail |
| |handling mail that could result in a reduction of benefits, and |
| |establishing controls to minimize overpayments. |
|Change Date |September 30, 2010 |
|a. Descriptions of |The table below describes the four categories of incoming mail. |
|Incoming Mail | |
|Mail Category |Description |
|Action |All forms and letters |
| | |
| |not considered priority mail, and |
| |received from outside of the VSC. |
|File |BDN-generated award or denial letters received from the following Information |
| |Technology Centers (ITCs): |
| | |
| |Hines, and |
| |Philadelphia. |
Continued on next page
7. Handling Incoming Mail, Continued
|a. Descriptions of Incoming Mail (continued) |
|Mail Category |Description |
|Priority |Claims that require priority processing are those received from individuals who |
| |are |
| | |
| |terminally ill |
| |Veterans very seriously injured in service, not in receipt of benefits |
| |under extreme financial hardship |
| |former POWs |
| |survivors of former POWs |
| |homeless, or |
| |under Tiger Team jurisdiction (age 70 and older or in a claim-pending status more |
| |than one year). |
| | |
| |Notes: |
| |Regional office (RO) management may decide to include additional types of mail in |
| |this category. |
| |The Department of Defense (DoD) or an experienced Triage Team member, such as a |
| |Rating Veterans Service Representative (RVSR), will determine whether the Veteran |
| |who submitted the claim was very seriously injured in service. |
|Unidentified |Items that do not identify the Veteran or cannot be associated with a Veteran. |
Continued on next page
7. Handling Incoming Mail, Continued
|b. Handling Procedures |The table below contains procedures for handling incoming mail. |
|for Incoming Mail | |
|Mail Category |Procedure |
|Action |Follow established procedures for |
| | |
| |routing, including the routing of mail received without a file number, and |
| |processing. |
|File |Transfer directly to the file bank without placing under control. |
|Priority |Batch separately by team, and |
| |deliver directly to the coach. |
|Unidentified |Break down numerically by terminal digit, and |
| |transfer to the Veterans Service Representative (VSR) to take steps to identify |
| |it. |
|Note: If an address is provided on unidentifiable mail, return the mail to the sender requesting the Veteran’s |
|identifying information. Additionally, provide the sender with a return envelope. |
Continued on next page
7. Handling Incoming Mail, Continued
|c. Handling Mail That |The Veterans Service Center (VSC) must timely control and process any information indicating a change that could |
|Could Result in Reduction|result in a reduction of benefits. This includes |
|of Benefits | |
| |a notice of death |
| |a notice of a change in dependency |
| |mail related to a matching program per M21-1MR, Part X |
| |a notice of hospitalization requiring a reduction in compensation or pension, and |
| |a notice of incarceration for felony. |
|d. Establishing Controls|If the VSC cannot take immediate action on mail containing information that could result in the reduction of |
|to Minimize Overpayments |benefits, it will |
| | |
| |establish appropriate controls to ensure that action is initiated within 30 days |
| |establish a 30-day suspense for development or a 65-day suspense for due process, and |
| |take timely follow-up actions to minimize overpayments. |
| | |
| |Notes: |
| |To monitor timeliness in completing action on these cases, the VSC will establish and maintain an end produce (EP)|
| |690, which must remain pending with the controlling EP until all actions are completed. |
| |The date of claim for the EP 690 for |
| |First or third party information is the date of receipt in the RO, and |
| |Messages generated as a result of matching programs is the date shown on the message, or if no date is shown, the |
| |date of the review. |
8. Handling Miscellaneous Mail
|Introduction |This topic contains information about handling miscellaneous mail, including |
| | |
| |descriptions of miscellaneous mail |
| |procedures for handling miscellaneous mail, and |
| |handling undeliverable mail. |
|Change Date |September 30, 2010 |
|a. Descriptions of |The table below describes the five categories of miscellaneous mail. |
|Miscellaneous Mail | |
|Mail Category |Description |
|Military File |General correspondence that |
| | |
| |pertains to matters over which VA has administrative responsibility |
| |may be of value as supporting record material if a claim is filed at a future date|
| |does not refer to a claim for benefits, and/or |
| |does not include a return address. |
|No Record |Mail which a file clerk has attempted to associate with a claims folder in the |
| |local file bank, but there is no indication of a |
| | |
| |Share record |
| |claims folder, or |
| |File Charge Card, VA Form 3025. |
|PTI |Mail for which the corporate record shows that the |
| | |
| |folder location is at another RO, and |
| |jurisdiction is with the receiving RO. |
Continued on next page
8. Handling Miscellaneous Mail, Continued
|a. Descriptions of Miscellaneous Mail (continued) |
|Mail Category |Description |
|PTO |Mail for which the corporate record shows the location and jurisdiction at another|
| |RO. |
|Search |Mail defined as controlled active mail in which a file clerk has attempted to |
| |associate with a claims folder, but there is an indication that the claims folder |
| |is charged out of files. |
|Undeliverable |Correspondence sent by VA to a claimant or third party and subsequently returned |
| |by the Post Office due to an insufficient or invalid address, expired forwarding |
| |order, or inability to identify the addressee. |
|b. Procedures for |The table below contains procedures for handling miscellaneous mail. |
|Handling Miscellaneous | |
|Mail | |
|Mail Category |Procedure |
|Military File |Organize the material in alphabetical order by the calendar year, and |
| |maintain it in the military file. |
| | |
| |Note: At the end of each calendar year, close the military file and dispose of it |
| |under RCS VB-1, Part 1, Section III, Administrative, Item No. 03-132.200. |
| | |
| |Reference: For more information on military file mail, see |
| |M21-1MR, Part III, Subpart ii, 4.H.25, and |
| |M21-1MR, Part III, Subpart ii, 4.H.26. |
|No Record |Initial and annotate the top area of the mail with |
| | |
| |“NR” for No Record, and |
| |the current date. |
Continued on next page
8. Handling Miscellaneous Mail, Continued
|b. Procedures for Handling Miscellaneous Mail (continued) |
|Mail Category |Procedure |
|PTI |If the mail constitutes a request for genealogical or general information from a |
| |folder located in a Federal Records Center (FRC), request the folder using VA Form |
| |70-7216a, Request for and/or Notice of Transfer of Veterans Records. |
| | |
| |Note: Complete procedures for PTI mail are explained in M21-1MR, Part III, Subpart |
| |ii, 5.F. |
|PTO |Transfer the mail out. |
| | |
| |Note: Complete procedures for PTO mail are explained in M21-1MR, Part III, Subpart |
| |ii, 5.E. |
|Search |Transfer directly to the person designated as “searcher.” |
| | |
| |Reference: For more information on procedures for active mail searches, see M21-1MR,|
| |Part III, Subpart ii, 4.B.9. |
|Undeliverable |When essential mail is returned as undeliverable, follow the procedures in the |
| |following block to try to locate a valid address. |
Continued on next page
8. Handling Miscellaneous Mail, Continued
|c. Handling |If mail is returned as undeliverable, take the action described in the following table to develop for a better |
|Undeliverable Mail |address. |
|Step |Action |
|1 |Review the claims folder to ensure the current address of record was used. |
|2 |Check to see whether the United States Postal service (USPS) attached a yellow forwarding address |
| |sticker to the envelope. |
|3 |Perform a SINQ to determine if either the pending issue or master record has a different, more |
| |recent address from that of the returned mail. |
|4 |Access Automated Medical Information Exchange/Compensation and Pension Record Interchange |
| |(AMIE/CAPRI) to determine if VHA has a more current address. |
| |If the last date of medical treatment was after the claimant’s last contact of record in the |
| |claims folder, the VHA record may contain a more recent address. |
|5 |Utilize an Internet web address locator service, such as ChoicePoint, to identify the current |
| |mailing address. |
| |ChoicePoint is available only to individuals specifically authorized for access to this service. |
| |A list of the websites searched should be documented in the claims folder. |
|6 |Using a Share inquiry, determine whether Social Security has a better address. |
|7 |Check to see whether benefits are being paid by direct deposit. If so, fax or mail a copy of the |
| |letter to the beneficiary’s financial institution that provides VA authority to obtain address |
| |information. |
| |For sample language to use in the letter to the financial institution, see M21-1MR, Part X, 8.5. |
|8 |Is a new address is identified? |
| |Yes: send the mail to the new address. |
| |No: reverse file the mail and resend at a later date if a valid address is identified. |
9. Handling Outgoing Mail
|Introduction |This topic contains information about handling outgoing mail, including |
| | |
| |descriptions of outgoing mail, and |
| |procedures for handling outgoing mail. |
|Change Date |September 30, 2010 |
|a. Descriptions of |The table below describes the three categories of outgoing mail. |
|Outgoing Mail | |
|Mail Category |Description |
|Express |Mail that the addressee must receive by the most expedient means. |
|Intraoffice |All items that require delivery to other operating elements within the RO. |
|Regular/ |Letters and forms that |
|Routine/ |VA sends to a person or place outside the RO, and |
|Permanent Transfer-Out |do not require expedited delivery, and |
|(PTO) |items such as |
| |mail for Veterans, dependents, and beneficiaries, and |
| |interoffice mail for VA medical facilities, other ROs, the Records Management Center |
| |(RMC), or Central Office (CO). |
Continued on next page
9. Handling Outgoing Mail, Continued
|b. Procedures for |The table below contains procedures for handling outgoing mail. |
|Handling Outgoing Mail | |
|Mail Category |Procedure |
|Express |Establish control |
| |hand deliver to the mailroom |
| |use an air bill from the express mail contract carrier, and |
| |follow written express mail procedures published by the operating element responsible |
| |for mailroom services. |
| | |
| |Note: The VSC is responsible for maintaining a supply of air bills. |
|Intraoffice |Mark mail clearly to include the appropriate mail routing symbol. |
|Regular/ |Separate mail into two batches according to the last two digits: |
|Routine |00-49, and |
| |50-99 |
| |arrange the mail in each batch by double-terminal-digit sequence (last four numbers) |
| |mark mail clearly to show the |
| |destination |
| |name of recipient |
| |location of the RO, and |
| |routing symbol, if appropriate, and |
| |batch separate categories of mail, as |
| |notices of death with file at Records Processing Center (RPC) (376) |
| |action mail, and |
| |file mail, excluding transmittals, OF 41s or corporate records. |
| | |
| |Note: Send RMC mail daily with an OF 41, Routing and Transmittal Slip, signed by the |
| |Veterans Service Center Manager (VSCM) or designee no lower than Coach. Review the |
| |material and certify that it belongs in the claims folder. |
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