What this means
This topic describes special handling of paper claims folders after a Board decision that meets the criteria for review by the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The Board marks the folder so staff protect the record's integrity. It also provides a certification for a designated official before the folder returns to the main file bank or is transferred.
How this may help with a claim
If your records mention these labels or a record-integrity certification, use the topic to understand their purpose and who completes them. They concern protection of the paper record. They do not establish that an appeal was filed with the Court, supply the Court's eligibility criteria or set a filing deadline.
What to review in your file
The front label is placed by the Board on a qualifying paper claims folder. Its text says the Board has decided an appeal subject to Court review and that special procedures must protect the folder's integrity. The instruction says regional offices should not stock this label; it is not a label the claimant is instructed to prepare.
The Board also labels the left and right flaps in each volume and places a label over the center records in each volume when the decision meets the Court-review criteria. The same no-stocking instruction appears for both. The two illustrated examples are absent from this presentation, so their exact additional wording and appearance are not supplied here.
Before return to the main file bank or transfer, the source calls for the VSCM, PMCM or designee to complete the local certification. Its statement identifies the regional office, says the folder was kept in a secured area, and certifies to the official's best knowledge and belief that nothing was added to or deleted from the record identified for Court review. The form also has date, signature and title lines. A blank template is not evidence that certification occurred in a particular case.
Important limits
These March 2, 2020 instructions concern paper folders and staff handling after the described Board decision. They do not provide the full rules for Court jurisdiction, electronic records or record correction. The flap and center-label images are not reproduced or transcribed; only the front label and local certification text are available here. No missing image instruction has been inferred.
Search terms when useful
Phrases that may help when searching your claim file or this library.
- Board paper-folder special handling labels
- Court-review record integrity certification
- Secured folder before return or transfer
- Missing flap and center-label examples
Original VA guidance
The official VA text of this section
Official section title: Board Identification of Special Handling
This page reproduces the VA text. Use the official VA source for any images and linked documents.
1. Board Identification of Special Handling
Introduction
This topic contains information about how the Board identifies paper claims folders for special handling after its decision, including
- Board notices for
- the front of the paper claims folder
- the left and right flaps of the folder
- the center folder, and
- example of local certification of record integrity.
Change Date
March 2, 2020
6.C.1.a Board Notice for the Front of the Paper Claims Folder
The Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) affixes the following label to the outside of a paper claims folder that meets the criteria for review by the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC).
Note: ROs should not stock this label.
Example:
Scroll sideways to see the full table.
| ATTENTION THE BOARD OF VETERANS APPEALS HAS MADE A DECISION ON THIS APPEAL WHICH IS SUBJECT TO REVIEW BY THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR VETERANS CLAIMS SPECIAL PROCEDURE TO PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF THE FOLDER MUST BE FOLLOWED |
6.C.1.b Board Notices for the Left and Right Flaps of the Folder
The Board also places the following labels on the left and right flaps in each volume of the paper claims folder when its decision meets the criteria for review by CAVC.
Note: ROs should not stock this label.
Example:
6.C.1.c Board Notice for the Center of the Folder
The Board places the following label over the records in the center in each volume of the paper claims folder when a decision meets the criteria for review by CAVC.
Note: ROs should not stock this label.
Example:
6.C.1.d Example of Local Certification of Record Integrity
The Board provides the following statement for completion by the VSCM, PMCM, or designee before returning the paper claims folder to the main file bank, or before its transfer.
“ I certify that this VA records folder was maintained in a secured area at the VA Regional Office ___________ and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, nothing was added to or deleted from the record identified as subject to review by the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.”
______________
Date
_____________________________
Signature and Title of Certifying Official