Revised December 7, 2016
II.i.1.A.1.aIntent of CM
Centralizing conversion of incoming paper to an electronic medium in the Centralized Mail (CM) process is intended to
- eliminate paper handling by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) personnel at regional offices (ROs)
- reduce the number of times mail is handled in any medium
- expedite uploading of claims, evidence, and other mail to electronic claims folders (eFolders)
- improve customer service and claims processing timeliness through improved mail control processes, and
- implement first in, first out (FIFO) workflow for all mail received.
Reference: For more information on CM, see the CM webpage.
II.i.1.A.1.bRoles and Responsibilities in the CM Process
The intake processing center (IPC) is responsible for initial screening, control, and uploading to the appropriate eFolder of mail received in the CM portal.Reference: For more information on IPC roles and responsibilities, see M21-1, Part I, Subpart ii, 1.A.1.b.
II.i.1.A.1.cDefinitions of CM Terms
For definitions of terms related to CM processing, see the table below.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
received date | The date the mail is received at the scanning vendor is displayed in the CM portal as the received date.The table below outlines what date is displayed in the CM portal. If mail is received... Then the receipt/received date is the date ... |
by the RO and sent to the vendor | stamped by the RO. |
directly at the vendor | applied to the resulting scanned/converted image by the vendor. Note: If an earlier date of receipt is discovered, the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) allows the user to edit this data field. Reference: For more information on editing document properties in VBMS, see the VBMS Core User Guide. |
FIFO | FIFO refers to the practice of processing documents according to oldest date received rather than by type of document.Note: The oldest date received is based on the CM portal entry date. |
| A packet or package pertains to a mail bundle for a single claimant and may contain one or more documents. |
document | Documents are single files of one or more pages/images and are part of a packet or package. |
image | The optical reproduction of the document/page contained in a packet or package. |
United States Postal Service (USPS) Priority Mailbox | A standard box normally used for shipping mail to the scanning vendor in the CM process. |
bankers box | A standard, white box normally used to ship paper claims folders and service treatment records (STRs). |
Reference: For more information on earliest date of receipt, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.B.
2Receipt, Separation, and Routing of Physical Mail in an RO Mailroom
This topic provides an overview of processing physical mail received in an RO mailroom, including
- sources of physical mail received at the RO
- separating and routing physical mail
- shipping mail to scanning vendors, and
- proper identification of undeliverable mail containing Federal tax information (FTI).
Revised May 4, 2022
II.i.1.A.2.aSources of Physical Mail Received at the RO
The USPS automatically sends mail to the scanning vendor when the claimant uses the centralized mail address provided in all development letters.Physical mail received by the ROs may come from various sources, including, but not limited to
- Veterans service organizations (VSOs)
- walk-in via Public Contact Team (PCT)
- an appellant attending a hearing
- other courier services, including
- United Parcel Service (UPS)
- FedEx
- DHL, and
- other private messenger services
- VA satellite offices, including
- out-based offices
- Benefits Delivery at Discharge, and
- Integrated Disability Evaluation System intake centers
- USPS mail addressed to the previously published RO address, prior to the establishment of CM, and
- USPS undeliverable mail.
II.i.1.A.2.bSeparating and Routing Physical Mail
When physical mail is received by the RO, the mail clerk opens, date stamps, and separates the mail by VA business lines and/or addresses including
- Veterans Service Centers (VSCs)
- pension management centers (PMCs)
- decision review operations centers (DROCs)
- Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA)
- fiduciary hub (hub)
- Education Service
- Insurance Service
- Loan Guaranty Service
- Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
- Veteran Readiness and Employment Service
- National Cemetery Administration
- Human Resources Management
- Director’s office, and
- co-located VSOs.
Once separated, use the table below to route the physical mail.
| If mail ... | Then ... |
|---|---|
requires routing to
| follow the procedures in M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 1.A.2.c to ship to the appropriate scanning vendor.Note: Ship Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) requests to the scanning vendor for processing in the CM portal.References: For more information on
|
is related to all other business lines | mail or forward (if interoffice) the documents to the appropriate business line. |
is undeliverable mail containing Federal tax information (FTI) |
|
Note: Do not ship undeliverable mail containing FTI to the scanning vendor.References : For more information on
- handling undeliverable essential mail, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.C
- FTI, see M21-1, Part XIV, 4.A
- safeguarding FTI, see M21-1, Part XIV, 4.B.1, and
- the proper identification of undeliverable mail containing FTI, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 1.A.2.d.
Note: Printing a document or otherwise creating a physical copy of an electronic document to facilitate scanning or upload into an electronic records repository is not permitted.
Exception: If FTI is scanned into the portal in error, print the document(s) from the portal and scan into the restricted eFolder. Print the document and click the DOWNLOAD COMPLETE button to remove the document from the portal. Upon printing and scanning, follow the
-
procedures for storing and destroying FTI in M21-1, Part XIV, 4.B.2, and
-
general safeguarding procedures in M21-1, Part XIV, 4.B.1.
Reference: For more information on date-stamping mail, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.B.
II.i.1.A.2.cShipping Mail to Scanning Vendors
Once the mail is separated, follow the steps in the table below to ship the mail to the scanning vendor.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Return the mail in the original envelope or staple the envelope to the front of the mail. |
| 2 | Securely bundle mail prior to placing it in the shipping box.Note: Only use rubber bands for packages too large for clips or staples. |
| 3 | To indicate for the vendor separation of packets for multiple claimants use a
|
| 4 | Place bundled mail into a medium-sized, flat-rate USPS Priority Mailbox __(11’’ x 8 ½” x 5 ½” inside).Important:
|
| 5 | Fill the container to approximately 90-percent capacity and add filler material. Ensure there is enough cushioning so items will not shift. |
| 6 | Insert VA Directive 6609 into the shipping container.Note: The directive cites the penalties for violation of Privacy and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Acts. |
| 7 | Use clear, plastic shipping tape that bears the words United States Postal Service Mailing to
Do not use
|
| 8 | Label the top of the box CM (for "centralized mail"). |
| 9 | Use the table below to determine the appropriate address to ship the mail to for scanning. If themail will be processed by … Then ship the mail to …** |
| a VSC or DROC | Department of Veterans Affairs Claims Intake Center |
| a PMC | Department of Veterans AffairsPension Intake CenterPO Box 5365Janesville, WI 53547-5365 |
| a hub | Department of Veterans AffairsFiduciary IntakePO Box 5211Janesville, WI 53547-5211 |
| BVA | Board of Veterans AppealsClaims Intake CenterPO Box 5229Janesville, WI 53547-5229 |
Note : Place the address label inside a sealable, clear jacket, which USPS provides.
Notes:
-
Use the tracking service USPS offers when shipping CM for scanning.
-
Each mailroom must maintain a log of tracking numbers for future reference.
-
There is no requirement to prepare the Document Control Sheet referenced in M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 1.B, when shipping CM for scanning.
II.i.1.A.2.dProper Identification of Undeliverable Mail Containing FTI
Letters containing FTI are mailed in blue envelopes or manila envelopes. All letters mailed in blue envelopes always contain FTI. Letters mailed in manila envelopes may not always contain FTI. Therefore, a review of the envelope or letter may be required to determine whether undeliverable mail contains FTI.The table below provides examples of text that might appear in undeliverable mail containing FTI.Note : The examples below are not an all-encompassing list. — Examples
1 — 
— 
| 2 |
|
|---|---|
| 3 |
|
| 4 |
|
| 5 |
|
| 6 |
|
| 7 |
|
3Submitting Documents Via QuickSubmit
This topic provides information about submitting documents via QuickSubmit for inclusion in the eFolder, including
- availability and proper use of QuickSubmit
- form validation, and
- confirming successful submission.
Revised April 6, 2026
II.i.1.A.3.aAvailability and Proper Use of QuickSubmit
QuickSubmit, which has replaced the Direct Upload tool, is a VA-approved claims and document submission service available for submitting documents to the CM portal for inclusion in the eFolder. QuickSubmit may be used by
- PCT personnel
- VSOs
- VHA personnel, and
- claimants.
Important:
- Once a submission is uploaded, do not mail the original, as this will create duplicates in the eFolder.
- Send only one claimant’s information per submission. Sending more than one claimant’s information in a single submission risks the
- misplacement of one claimant’s information into another claimant’s eFolder, and
- unintentional release of personally identifiable information.
Note: In addition to QuickSubmit, claimants and VSOs may utilize other VA claims submission service websites for submission of claims and evidence.Reference: For more information on using QuickSubmit, see the QuickSubmit User Guide.
II.i.1.A.3.bForm Validation
QuickSubmit added a feature called Form Validation Service (FVS), which scans uploaded forms for completeness and checks for accuracy against information previously provided by the user.FVS will notify the individual using QuickSubmit if missing information or discrepant data has been identified and allow the user to make corrections. The corrections are documented by FVS on an auto-generated VA Form 21-4138, Statement in Support of Claim, and uploaded to the eFolder, along with the original document.Both the original submission and the VA Form 21-4138 with corrected information will have a QuickSubmit source date stamp, as shown in M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 3.A.3.d.References: For more information on
- FVS functionality, see the QuickSubmit Form Validation Training Guide, and
- using QuickSubmit, see the QuickSubmit User Guide.
II.i.1.A.3.cConfirming Successful Submission
After submitting documents to the scanning vendor, senders must
- verify in QuickSubmit that all steps of submission have been successful, and
- review the eFolder to ensure the submission was completely uploaded to the claims folder.
End of Part II, Subpart i, Chapter 1, Section A