Part I, Subpart ii, Chapter 1, Section C Pension Management Center (PMC) Procedures — M-21-1

Revised February 14, 2025

I.ii.1.C.1.aType of Work Performed by the PMCs

The pension management centers (PMCs) perform work related to pension awards and all survivors claims. Limited disability compensation issues may be processed at the PMCs. The type of pension work performed by the PMCs includes

Veterans and Survivors Pension claims
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) claims
burial benefits
accrued benefits/request for substitution
income adjustments, including adjustments based on VA Form 21P-8416, Medical Expense Report
changes in dependency for pension and/or DIC awards
awards of special monthly pension
Federal tax Information (FTI) matches related to upfront verification and post award audits for pension and/or DIC awards
Social Security verification matches
Social Security number matches
prison and fugitive felon matches
adjustments based on VA Form 20-6560, Notice of Benefit Payment Transaction , or VA Form 20-8270, C & P Master Record-Audit Writeout not requiring a rating decision
incompetency and competency determinations
Loan Guaranty claims based on service-connected (SC) death, and
hospital adjustments to pension awards.

Notes:

Part of the Committee on Waivers and Compromises (COWC) is consolidated at regional offices (ROs) that contain PMCs.
PMCs generally have jurisdiction over accrued claims and requests for substitutions resulting from pension and/or survivor claims. Veterans Service Centers (VSCs) have jurisdiction of accrued and requests for substitution resulting from disability compensation claims. Exceptions are noted in M21-1, Part XI, Subpart ii, 3.E.17.a.

References: For more information on

the jurisdiction of original in-service death claims, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 3.1.b
in-service death claim labels for end product (EP) 130 and 140, see M21-4, Appendix C
COWC procedures, see, M24-3, Chapter 08, and
jurisdiction of the PMCs, see M21-1, Part I, Subpart ii, 1.B.2.b.

I.ii.1.C.1.bType of Work Not Performed by the PMCs

The PMCs do not perform work which requires establishing service connection for living Veterans. VSCs must process these claims.

I.ii.1.C.1.ceFolders

The PMCs maintain electronic claims folders (eFolders) in the FTI File Repository (FFR) within the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS). This allows images scanned from original source documents to be stored electronically.Documents and forms which are generated or received that contain FTI must be imaged and stored in the FFR and can be viewed via the FTI DOCUMENTS tab in VBMS.

I.ii.1.C.1.dMandatory Use of eFolders

It is mandatory that VSCs review the eFolder in VBMS before contacting PMCs to request PMC-related documentation, or respond to PMC claim inquiries. PMCs will not provide information by telephone if the documentation needed is in the eFolder. If an RO is unable to answer a PMC inquiry after reviewing the eFolder, the RO should request PMC personnel at one of the following e-mail addresses to respond to the inquiry:

VAVBAPHI/RO/Pension Center (Philadelphia)
VAVBAMIW/PMC/PCTC (Milwaukee), or
VAVBASPL/RO/Pension (St. Paul).

I.ii.1.C.1.eCompensation Claims Received After Veterans Pension Entitlement Is Established

VSCs are responsible for processing claims for compensation, even if the claimant is receiving pension.When a PMC receives a compensation claim in the Centralized Mail (CM) portal, the PMC will transfer the claim to the appropriate VSC CM portal queue.Reference : For more information on CM, see

I.ii.1.C.1.fClaims for Both Compensation and Veterans Pension

When a Veteran claims entitlement to both Veterans Pension and compensation benefits, separate EPs are required to control for the compensation and pension claims. Each EP is then processed separately by the PMC and VSC. Reference: For more information on concurrent compensation and pension rating claims, see M21-4, Appendix B.1.g and h.

I.ii.1.C.1.gPension-Related EP 330 Established by Automation

Hospital reports generated by automation are established as an EP 330. The date of claim is the corresponding date of hospital admission. All pension-related hospital adjustments established by automation will have an appropriate claim label corresponding to the specific hospital report and adjustment needed. The table below describes the claim labels associated with each type of hospital report.

Type of Hospital Report	Claim Label
Special Report for aid and attendance (A&A)	PMC A &A Admission Report, or PMC A &A Discharge Report
Pension Report (admission/discharges)	PMC Improved Pension Admission Report PMC Improved Pension Discharge Report PMC Section 306 Pension Admission Report , or PMC Section 306 Pension Discharge Report
Re-Admission Report	PMC A &A Re-Admission Report PMC A &A Re-Admission Discharge Report PMC Improved Pension Re-Admission Report PMC Improved Pension Re-Admission Discharge PMC Section 306 Pension Re-Admission Report , or PMC Section 306 Pension Re-Admission Discharge
Contract Nursing Home (CNH) Report (admission/discharges)	PMC CNH Admission Report, or _PMC CNH Discharge Report _

I.ii.1.C.1.hReviewing and Disposing of EP 330 for Pension- Related Hospital Reports

The Milwaukee and St. Paul PMCs are responsible for making hospital adjustments to pension awards and disposing of EP 330. Upon receipt of an EP 330, the claims processor shall access the Compensation and Pension Record Interchange (CAPRI) to review the hospital report and determine if a hospital adjustment is required. Refer to VBMS notes for information about the location of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center at which the hospitalization occurred.Use the table below to determine proper disposition of EP 330.

If a hospital adjustment is ...	Then ...
required	upload all relevant records from CAPRI to include the hospital report and all admission and/or discharge summaries, to the eFolder, and when reduction is required, clear EP 330 and establish EP 600 to issue due process a rating is required, change EP 330 to EP 120 before sending claim to rating activity, or restoring benefits due to discharge or authorized absence of 30 days or more, change EP 330 to EP 135.
not required	annotate No Action Necessary (date of admission or date of discharge) in VBMS notes, and clear EP 330.

If a hospital adjustment is ...

Then ...

required

upload all relevant records from CAPRI to include the hospital report and all admission and/or discharge summaries, to the eFolder, and
when
- reduction is required, clear EP 330 and establish EP 600 to issue due process
- a rating is required, change EP 330 to EP 120 before sending claim to rating activity, or
- restoring benefits due to discharge or authorized absence of 30 days or more, change EP 330 to EP 135.

not required

annotate No Action Necessary (date of admission or date of discharge) in VBMS notes, and
clear EP 330.

Important: Do not upload CAPRI records to the eFolder.

Note: Cancellation of EP 330 is only appropriate when a previous EP 330 was established for the same period of hospitalization. When canceling the EP, the user must annotate the reason in VBMS notes.

References: For more information on

granting A&A during hospitalization, see M21-1, Part IX, Subpart ii, 1.B.2
restoring an award after discharge, see M21-1, Part X, Subpart iii, 1.D.6, and
sending due process, see M21-1, Part X, Subpart iii, 1.D.1.f.

I.ii.1.C.1.iBurial Claims

Although most burial claims are automated, there are certain claims that will require manual processing. Those burial claims will reroute to the Philadelphia PMC for review and processing.A burial claim received in the CM portal at an RO will be transferred to the Philadelphia PMC queue. If physical mail is received, forward the mail to the scanning vendor. References: For more information on

CM, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 1.A
Veterans Claims Intake Program, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 1.B, and
jurisdiction of the PMCs, see M21-1, Part I, Subpart ii, 1.B.2.b.

I.ii.1.C.1.jClaims for Parents’ DIC

Parents’ DIC claims are under the jurisdiction of the PMC.VSCs will forward these claims, to the appropriate PMC, for resolution of the Parents’ DIC claim.References: For more information on

the jurisdiction of
- original Parent’s DIC claims (excluding a special mission) and subsequent claims once an SC death decision is granted, see M21-1, Part I, Subpart ii, 1.B.2.b, and
- original in-service death claims, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 3.1.b, and
in-service death claim labels for EP 130 and EP 140, see M21-4, Appendix C.

I.ii.1.C.1.kMatching Program Reports Processed by PMCs

The PMCs receive and process all reports from matching programs involving pension and survivor benefit recipients. Matches involving compensation entitlement must be processed at a VSC. Reference: For more information on matching program processing, see M21-1, Part XIV, 1.

2PMC Reporting Requirements

Revised September 12, 2022

I.ii.1.C.2.a. PMC Reporting Requirements — PMCs are required to provide Pension and Fiduciary Service with periodic reports and logs. The table below describes which reports and logs are due and when they are due. — Report/Log — Frequency of Reporting — Reference

erroneous payments log	quarterly	M21-1, Part VI, Subpart i, 2.B
training compliance report	quarterly	M21-3, Part II, A.6.b
FTI internal inspections report	triannually	M21-1, Part XIV, 4.B.5

Disposition of PMC Documents Scanned Into the FFR

This topic contains information on the following topics, including

requirements for destruction of PMC documents scanned into the FFR
disposition of
- documents that require retention, and
- previously scanned documents
quality assurance reviews during the scanning process
document retention requirement for scanned documents
weekly accuracy logs for quality assurance reviews of scanned documents, and
sample weekly scanning accuracy log.

Revised January 6, 2022

I.ii.1.C.3.aRequirements for Destruction of PMC Documents Scanned Into the FFR

The following requirements exist for the destruction of PMC documents scanned into the FFR.

The Records Management Officer must
- comply with the directives of VBA Letter 20-08-63, VBA Policy on Management of Veterans’ and other Governmental Paper Records, and VA Directive 6371, Destruction of Temporary Paper Records, and
- sign documentation for each grouping of documents destroyed (for example, trailer, pallet, container, room, box, and so on, as appropriate).
Contracts to destroy records should include specific clauses to ensure that personally identifiable information and other sensitive temporary records are properly secured prior to destruction.
Destruction of records must be completed by pulping, macerating, shredding, or otherwise definitively destroying the information contained in the records in accordance with VBA Letter 20-08-63.

Important: Records pertaining to FTI should be

destroyed in accordance with M21-1, Part XIV, 4.B.2.g, and
logged in accordance with M21-1, Part XIV, 4.B.2.j.

I.ii.1.C.3.bDisposition of Documents That Require Retention

All service treatment records and personnel records, including all media (such as microfiche, compact discs, x-rays, and photos) will be removed from the records management box and transferred to the VA Records Management Center.

I.ii.1.C.3.cDisposition of Previously Scanned Documents

All PMC documents previously scanned into the old Legacy Content Manager under appropriate quality assurance procedures (and were later migrated to FFR), whether scanned by a vendor or VA, may be destroyed without further review.

I.ii.1.C.3.dQuality Assurance Reviews During the Scanning Process

PMC Capture Units will conduct quality reviews each week during the scanning process. The following sample selection procedures apply for each weekly review:

randomly select a sufficient number of imaged document batches in order to ensure a weekly sampling of 385 documents, and
perform a 100 percent review of the documents in each batch until 385 documents have been reviewed for that week's sampling.

The following accuracy requirements apply for each valid sample review of scanned documents on a weekly basis:

a 99 percent or higher accuracy rate is required, and
for any week that the accuracy rate is below 99 percent, all documents scanned during that sample week must be reviewed before any documents may be destroyed.

Scanning sites will correct any scanning errors found during quality assurance reviews.

I.ii.1.C.3.eDocument Retention Requirement for Scanned Documents

PMC Capture Units must retain all paper documents scanned into FFR that meet the criteria for destruction for 90 days, after which they will be destroyed, according to the guidance contained in M21-1, Part I, Subpart ii, 1.C.3.a.

I.ii.1.C.3.fWeekly Accuracy Logs for Quality Assurance Reviews of Scanned Documents

PMC Capture Units will maintain a weekly scanning accuracy log for a period of three years. A supervisor at the PMC Capture Unit who has direct knowledge of the process shall certify the accuracy of the scanning log. Reference: For a sample weekly accuracy scanning log, see M21-1, Part I, Subpart ii, 1.C.3.g.

I.ii.1.C.3.gSample Weekly Scanning Accuracy Log

A sample weekly scanning accuracy log for quality assurance reviews during the process of scanning documents into the FFR is shown below. This is an image of a sample scanning accuracy log.

End of Part I, Subpart ii, Chapter 1, Section C

Part I, Subpart ii, Chapter 1, Section CPension Management Center (PMC) Procedures