Folder Maintenance

Overview

In This Section

This section contains the following topics:

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1. Maintenance for eFolders

Introduction

This topic contains information to assist Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) end users with maintaining an eFolder in VBMS, including

• VBMS new mail indicator
• converting documents to portable document format (PDF) and uploading to the eFolder
• associating an eFolder note
• indexing a document in VBMS
• using the document’s subject as a note
• manually removing the banner that indicates documents are pending scanning
• redacting eFolder documents containing criminal investigation reports, and
• other VBMS functionality available to maintain the eFolder.

Change Date

March 30, 2026

II.ii.2.A.1.a. VBMS New Mail Indicator

When new evidence or correspondence is uploaded into a claimant’s electronic claims folder (eFolder), an icon representing a new envelope will appear in the NEW MAIL column of the work queue and eFolder.

This icon, hereafter referred to as the “new mail indicator,” should be cleared on all documents upon completion of initial development. All subsequent new documents should be opened and reviewed for relevant information. This action should be completed by any employee handling the eFolder.

Example:

Note: The new mail indicator may be cleared on multiple documents by first selecting each document and choosing the Mark as Open option in the ACTIONS drop-down menu.

Reference: For more information on the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) new mail indicator, see the VBMS Core User Guide.

II.ii.2.A.1.b. Converting Documents to PDF and Uploading to the eFolder

When a document is generated or received outside of VBMS it must be converted into a portable document format (PDF), if it is not already in this format, and uploaded into the eFolder.

Use the table below to convert and upload a PDF.

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Important:

• Responses from corporate mailboxes related to claims development must be uploaded to the eFolder to avoid duplication of effort by future claims processors.
• To prevent file name conflicts, save the PDF document with a unique filename by using the
• claimant’s initials,
• type of document, and
• date of upload.
• If a file name conflict occurs, choose the KEEP BOTH, REPLACE EXISTING or CANCEL UPLOAD button that appears in the prompt box, as applicable.

Example: A Hypertension Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) for Jamie Veteran, uploaded on October 7, 2017, could be named jvHTN100717.pdf.

Notes:

• Converting Microsoft Word documents and e-mails to PDF for upload to the eFolder reduces the processing delays associated with printing and shipping a paper copy to the scanning vendor.
• Claims processors must use Adobe Acrobat Pro to do a single-step PDF conversion; Microsoft OneNote should only be used when Adobe Acrobat Pro is unavailable.
• Legacy appeal-related documents must include an appropriate, secondary category type label. Secondary category type labels are available under the CATEGORY - TYPE: ALTERNATE field.

References: For more information on

• uploading eFolder documents, see the VBMS Core User Guide
• handling misfiled documents, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.2.a, and
• requesting document deletion, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.2.b.

II.ii.2.A.1.c. Associating an eFolder Note

To document information or recent actions taken on a claim, users may add a note from any screen in VBMS that displays the ADD NOTE icon. Associating a note to a Veteran or claim determines whether or not the note will be temporary or permanent. A note associated to a Veteran is always permanent, and claim-associated notes can be temporary or permanent.

Notes can be added and viewed to document information or recent actions taken on a claim. Notes should reflect actions that are not captured by a tracked item or development letter.

Examples: Notes can be used to document

• unsuccessful attempts to contact the Veteran, or
• the reason for postponement of a routine future exam.

A permanent, claim-associated note in VBMS is required to document

• the rationale for changing the date of claim (DOC) of an end product (EP)
• an explanation for
• establishing an EP 930, and
• cancelling an EP 930, and
• the details of an EP 930 or quality review error correction, which must include the
• specific corrective action(s) taken
• date of the action(s) taken, and
• station number of the regional office (RO) that took the action(s).

Note: Any VBMS user can view permanent notes associated to a Veteran’s claim; however, temporary notes associated to a specific claim are deleted when the claim is closed or completed. Depending on access rights, only the original creator of the note, the user assigned to the claim, and persons with supervisor or administrator roles can view temporary notes.

Important: Do not type anything in a note that would be seen as inappropriate or offensive by the Veteran, the general public, or the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. State the facts only, not opinions. Permanent notes become part of the Veteran’s record at midnight on the day the note was created and are subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Reference: For more information on associating an eFolder document note to a claim, see the VBMS Core User Guide.

II.ii.2.A.1.d. Indexing a Document in VBMS

When uploading a document into an eFolder, index the document in accordance with the Document Identification and Date of Receipt Guide.

Important:

• DBQs that are completed by Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or non-VA health care providers outside the Compensation & Pension examination process and submitted by the claimant must be indexed as Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) – Veteran Provided.
• Legacy appeal-related documents have secondary category type labels that can be affixed under the CATEGORY - TYPE: ALTERNATE field, with the following options:
• Notice of Disagreement (NOD)
• Statement of the Case (SOC)
• Substantive Appeal to Board of Veteran’s Appeals, and
• Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

Note: Documents of an Unknown type must be relabeled. If a category and type cannot be determined, use the subject line to briefly describe the document.

References: For more information on how to

• properly label a document, see the Document Identification and Date of Receipt Guide, and
• edit document properties in VBMS, see the VBMS Core User Guide.

II.ii.2.A.1.e. Using the Document’s Subject as a Note

To aid in easy identification of document(s) commonly used when processing a claim, use the document’s subject line as a note field. This allows for easy identification of important documents when viewing the entire eFolder under the DOCUMENTS tab in VBMS.

The table below provides the subject lines for several common documents.

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Reference: For more information on changing the subject line for a VBMS document, see the VBMS Core User Guide.

II.ii.2.A.1.f. Manually Removing the Banner That Indicates Documents Are Pending Scanning

A banner indicating documents are pending scanning appears when an RO creates a Document Control Sheet (DCS) and ships material to a scanning vendor. On rare occasions, the banner will remain visible after the material has been scanned and uploaded to the eFolder.

Follow the instructions in the VBMS Core User Guide to close the pending scanning status. Leave a permanent, claim-level note providing justification for the action taken.

References: For more information on

• setting the pending scanning status, see the VBMS Core User Guide, and
• reviewing DCSs, see the VBMS Core User Guide.

II.ii.2.A.1.g. Redacting eFolder Documents Containing Criminal Investigation Reports

Documents in the eFolder containing criminal investigation reports must be replaced with a redacted copy. To properly redact eFolder documents,

• download a copy of each document containing criminal investigation reports
• redact all personally identifiable information (PII) not pertaining to the Veteran
• upload each redacted copy using the same category type, source, and date of receipt as the original document. The subject line should read Redacted copy of original document, and
• request deletion of the original, un-redacted document(s).

The claims processor must leave a note explaining the action taken. Use the table below to determine the content of the note and who is responsible for leaving it.

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Note: If the subject line of the document must contain other required language, use annotations to identify the uploaded document as a redacted copy of the original.

References: For more information on

• using annotations, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.1.h
• electronic document redaction, see the instructions for redacting sensitive content on Adobe’s website, and
• requesting deletion of a document, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.2.b - d.

II.ii.2.A.1.h. Other VBMS Functionality Available to Maintain the eFolder

VBMS-Core contains a variety of tools and functionality that allow a claims processor to organize and maintain the eFolder. Use of these features are strongly recommended, but may also be required by individual manual references and other guidance.

The VBMS Core User Guide contains instructions on how to use features such as

• associating documents to a specific claim
• bookmarking an eFolder document
• annotating a document
• tagging a document with no legal, administrative, or historical value for a claim as having no evidentiary value, and
• managing duplicate copies of the same document and designating best copy, certified copy, or establishing effective date.

Note: When annotating an award for record-keeping purposes, enter information into the remarks section of the document that briefly provides the reasons for the required action.

References: For more information on

• adding bookmarks and associating documents to a claim, see the VBMS Core User Guide
• adding remarks to an award, see the VBMS Awards User Guide
• the material that requires removal from a claims folder, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.B, and
• managing duplicate documents, see the VBMS Core User Guide.

2. Handling Documents That Are Misfiled or Require Amendment and/or Deletion

Introduction

This topic contains information to assist VBMS end users with maintaining an eFolder in VBMS, including

• handling a misfiled electronic document identified in VBMS
• requesting a document deletion in VBMS
• validating the request for document deletion
• preparing a document for deletion by the VBMS Office of Information Technology (OIT)
• establishing a local mailbox for document error report submissions
• eFolder document amendment
• removing an incorrectly scanned document
• merging documents in VBMS, and
• splitting documents in VBMS.

Change Date

March 30, 2026

II.ii.2.A.2.a. Handling a Misfiled Electronic Document Identified in VBMS

Upon identification of a misfiled document in VBMS, take action to relocate the document to the correct claims folder.

Use the table below when handling a misfiled electronic document identified in VBMS.

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Note: The RO must notify the Privacy Officer when misfiled documents are released during a FOIA request.

References: For more information on how to

• move an eFolder document in VBMS, see the VBMS Core User Guide, and
• handle a misfiled sensitive document, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.B.

II.ii.2.A.2.b. Requesting a Document Deletion in VBMS

Once a document is finalized in VBMS it cannot be deleted without requesting assistance from the VBMS Office of Information Technology (OIT). There are several reasons a document may need to be removed from the eFolder. This includes when a document was

• incorrectly finalized (but not sent), and
• incorrectly uploaded and contains PII that violates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior.

Follow the steps in the table below when requesting deletion of a document from an eFolder in VBMS.

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Note: Duplicate copies of medical records, exam worksheets, and VA Form 27-0820, Report of General Information, should not be deleted from an eFolder and should be managed using VBMS functionality, as discussed in M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.1.h.

Exception: When the document requiring deletion contains Federal tax information, follow the guidance in M21-1, Part XIV, 4.B.2.d.

Reference: For more information on managing a duplicate document, see

• M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.1.g, and
• VBMS Core User Guide.

II.ii.2.A.2.c. Validating the Request for Document Deletion

To validate the request for document deletion, an approving official must authorize the deletion of any document that is associated with an eFolder in VBMS.

The approving official must follow the steps in the table below when a VBMS Request for Document Deletion Form is received.

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II.ii.2.A.2.d. Preparing a Document for Deletion by VBMS OIT

The supervisor who approves the document deletion request from a claims processor must

• change the document subject line to Approved for Deletion, and
• transfer the document to the Unassociated Documents queue.

Important: VBMS OIT will periodically run a report on the Unassociated Documents queue to locate and remove the documents that have been identified for deletion. For this reason, supervisors must use the specific subject line identified in this block.

Notes:

• VBMS OIT may contact the supervisor if additional information is needed before processing the request.
• Each VBMS Request for Document Deletion Form should be saved electronically in a central location at each RO, for use as
• reference material when answering questions from VBMS OIT, and
• a record of how the document deletion decision was made.

Reference: For more information on editing a document’s subject line, see the VBMS Core User Guide.

II.ii.2.A.2.e. Establishing a Local Mailbox for Document Error Report Submissions

All ROs must each designate, at minimum, five PDF editors to receive and complete station requests to amend documents in the VBMS eFolder. The editors must have Adobe Pro installed on their computers to perform the necessary edits.

Each RO must have a centralized mailbox for VBMS end users to submit a Document Error Report to the designated PDF editors. Follow the steps in the table below when establishing a local mailbox for Document Error Report submissions.

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II.ii.2.A.2.f. eFolder Document Amendment

VBMS end users must follow the steps in the table below after discovering an eFolder maintenance issue that requires the

• removal of a specific page from a document
• splitting of a misfiled document, and/or
• merging of multiple documents into a single document.

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Important: At the discretion of RO management, claims processors with Adobe Pro may be authorized to take the necessary corrective actions without requiring the submission of a Document Error Report to the local RO mailbox.

II.ii.2.A.2.g. Removing an Incorrectly Scanned Document

PDF editors, or claims processors given the authority to perform the corrective actions, will determine if an incorrectly scanned document needs to be removed from the eFolder. This action will be taken once the claim processor has completed the VBMS Request for Document Deletion Form and e-mailed the form to the specified mailbox.

Notes:

• The document must be moved to the Unassociated Documents queue in VBMS while awating approval.
• PDF editors are responsible for accessing and clearing out pending Document Error Reports on a weekly basis.

Reference: For more information on working with unassociated documents, see the VBMS Core User Guide.

II.ii.2.A.2.h. Merging Documents in VBMS

PDF editors, or users with Adobe Pro who have been given permission by RO management to make the required changes, must follow the steps in the table below when merging multiple eFolder documents into a single merged document.

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Reference: For more information on the responsibilities of PDF editors, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.2.g.

II.ii.2.A.2.i. Splitting Documents in VBMS

PDF editors, or users with Adobe Pro who have been given permission by RO management to make the required changes, must follow the steps in the table below when splitting a document into multiple eFolder documents.

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Reference: For more information on the responsibilities of PDF editors, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.2.g.

3. Missing Claims Materials That Were Previously of Record

Introduction

This topic describes the actions to take when claims materials that were previously of record go missing, including

• identifying missing claims materials that were previously of record, and
• replacing missing claims materials that were previously of record.

Change Date

November 21, 2024

II.ii.2.A.3.a. Identifying Missing Claims Materials That Were Previously of Record

In some situations, there may be indications that claims materials were previously of record and viewed by RO personnel. Identify lost claims of this type through review of claim notes and other identifiers in the corporate record.

Consider a claim lost if there is an electronic record of a pending claim but the claims folder contains no documents related to the claim.

References: For more information on

• lost NODs, see M21-5, Chapter 6, Section B, 5
• handling allegations that claims materials were misplaced in the Centralized Mail (CM) system, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.4, and
• claims submitted through VA claims submission service websites that are not properly transmitted to the eFolder, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.5.

II.ii.2.A.3.b. Replacing Missing Claims Materials That Were Previously of Record

Follow the steps in the table below upon identification of missing claims materials that RO personnel may have previously viewed.

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Note: If, within one year of the date of the letter referenced in Step 4, a claimant resubmits a claim that VA lost, use the date of receipt of the initial (lost) claim as the DOC when reestablishing EP control. Otherwise, use the date of receipt of the resubmitted claim.

4. Claims Materials That Are Misplaced in the CM System

Introduction

This topic contains information on allegations from claimants or their representatives of lost claims associated with the CM system, including

• fax confirmation page the CM scanning vendor provided to claimants, and
• resubmission of
• a lost claim with copy of the fax confirmation page, and
• alleged lost claims absent the VA date-stamped fax confirmation page.

Change Date

November 30, 2020

II.ii.2.A.4.a. Fax Confirmation Page the CM Scanning Vendor Provided to Claimants

The scanning vendor provided a single confirmation page to claimants when the vendor received documents via the designated intake fax number.

The confirmation page

• was faxed back to the claimant’s fax number, and
• consisted of a VA date-stamped copy of the first page of the claimant’s fax transmission.

Note: The first page of a claimant’s fax transmission was generally, but not necessarily, a cover sheet.

Reference: For more information on the intake fax number for the CM scanning vendor, see the How to File a VA Disability Claim webpage.

II.ii.2.A.4.b. Resubmission of a Lost Claim With Copy of the Fax Confirmation Page

Claimants may resubmit a lost claim, but the claim must be accompanied by a copy of the original fax confirmation page referenced in M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.4.a.

To retain the original DOC, the following must be provided in addition to a copy of the original fax confirmation page:

• statement from the claimant or the appointed representative attesting to timely filing of the original documents, and
• copies of all the originally faxed documents that match the page count from the original fax confirmation page.

Example: If the confirmation page shows 10 pages received, including the cover sheet, more than 9 pages of resubmitted documents will not be accepted as eligible to receive the original VA date stamp provided by the CM vendor.

Reference: For more information on the confirmation page provided to claimants by CM vendors, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.4.a.

II.ii.2.A.4.c. Resubmission of Alleged Lost Claims Absent the VA Date- Stamped Fax Confirmation Page

If a CM vendor fax confirmation page with a VA date stamp is not provided by the claimant alleging a lost claim, then the original DOC associated with the alleged lost claim cannot be accepted.

References: For more information on the

• confirmation page provided by the CM vendor, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.4.a, and
• resubmittal of a lost claim with a copy of the confirmation page, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.4.b.

5. Claims Materials Submitted Using a VA Electronic Application Process That Fails to Upload to the eFolder

Introduction

This topic contains information on locating missing claims documents submitted using a VA electronic application process, including

• identifying claims submitted using a VA electronic application process that failed to upload to the eFolder
• allowing time for automatic retransmission of documents that failed to upload
• requesting retransmission of claims documents that failed to upload, and
• notifying a Veterans service organization (VSO) that claims documents submitted through Digits-2-Digits (D2D) failed to upload.

Change Date

February 5, 2021

II.ii.2.A.5.a. Identifying Claims Submitted Using a VA Electronic Application Process That Failed to Upload to the eFolder

In rare situations, a technical error in the Enterprise Veterans Self Service (EVSS) system, which supports electronic transmission of claims material through VA claims submission service websites, results in the failure of a claims document to upload to the eFolder. These cases can be identified by

• an automatically established EP
• an eBenefits claim label, and
• the absence of claims documents for the current claim in the eFolder.

Notes:

• Claims documents submitted through the Digits-2-Digits (D2D) submission process cannot be recovered when transmission failure occurs. Upon identifying such a case, follow the instructions in M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.5.d.
• Claims submitted through D2D can be identified by the D2D claim labels.

II.ii.2.A.5.b. Allowing Time for Automatic Retransmission of Documents That Failed to Upload

In most situations, if claims documents failed to upload through EVSS to the eFolder, the documents will be retransmitted within two weeks without any RO action.

Follow the steps in the table below when a claim is received without supporting claims documents.

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Important: Ensure the claim goes to Ready to Recall – Yes status.

References: For more information on

• creating a tracked item in VBMS, see the VBMS Core User Guide, and
• the appropriate tracked item for claims documents failing to upload, see M21-4, Appendix D.1.

II.ii.2.A.5.c. Requesting Retransmission of Claims Documents That Failed to Upload

Follow the steps in the table below if claims documents fail to upload after the 15-day period referenced in Step 2 of the procedure outlined in M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.A.5.b, ends.

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II.ii.2.A.5.d. Notifying a VSO That Claims Documents Submitted Through D2D Failed to Upload

The D2D application submission process does not have functionality to re-transmit documents that have failed to upload. Follow the instructions in the table below when claims documents submitted through D2D fail to upload.

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Notes:

• Telephone contact can be substituted for e-mail notification and is encouraged. Document successful contact on VA Form 27-0820.
• Upload all e-mail(s) or VA Form(s) 27-0820 to the eFolder, if applicable.

References: For more information on

• creating a tracked item in VBMS, see the VBMS Core User Guide, and
• the appropriate tracked item for claims documents failing to upload, see M21-4, Appendix D.1.