Part II, Subpart i, Chapter 2, Section DHandling Specific Types of Mail

Revised July 10, 2015

II.i.2.D.1.a#Handling Claims for Ancillary Benefits

Upon receipt of an application form for the ancillary benefits listed below, follow normal procedures in M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.A for reviewing mail. Ancillary benefit application forms include

• VA Form 21-4502 ,Application for Automobile or Other Conveyance and Adaptive Equipment (Under 38 U.S.C. 3901-3904)
• VA Form 26-4555 ,Application in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation Grant (Title 38 U.S.C. Section 2101(a) or 2101(b)), and
• VA Form 10-8678 ,Application for Annual Clothing Allowance.

Note: An end product (EP) 290 is normally established for ancillary benefits unless received as part of an original claim for other benefits, in which case an EP 110 or 010 series would be used. References: For more information on

• EPs, see M21-4, Appendix B
• automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment, see M21-1, Part XIII, Subpart i, 2.A
• annual clothing allowance (under 38 U.S.C. 1162), see M21-1, Part XIII, Subpart i, 8.A, and
• awarding specially adapted housing or special home adaptation, see M21-1, Part XIII, Subpart i, 2.B.

2Handling Survivor's Benefit Claims

Revised September 11, 2025

II.i.2.D.2.a#Handling Claims for Survivor Benefits

Receipt of one of the forms listed below indicates a claim for survivor’s benefits. Use the centralized mail (CM) portal to route the claim to the appropriate pension management center (PMC), upon receipt of

• VA Form 21P-534a, Application for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation by a Surviving Spouse or Child - In-Service Death Only
• VA Form 21P-534EZ, Application for DIC, Survivors Pension, and/or Accrued Benefits
• VA Form 21P-535, Application for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation by Parent(s) (Including Accrued Benefits and Death Compensation When Applicable)
• VA Form 21P-530EZ, Application for Burial Benefits (Under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 23)
• VA Form 21P-601, Application for Accrued Amounts Due a Deceased Beneficiary, or
• VA Form 21P-0847, Request for Substitution of Claimant Upon Death of Claimant.

Exception : Only non-original in-service death claims, generally received on VA Form 21P-534a , are routed to the PMC. For original in-service death claims see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 3.1.b. 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 EP 130 and EP 140, see the M21-4, Appendix C
• appropriate PMC routing in CM, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.A.5.c
• inquiring the corporate record and determining established EPs, see the Share User Guide
• handling receipt of Form SSA-24 ,Application for Survivors Benefits (Payable Under Title II of the Social Security Act), as an attachment to VA Form 21P-534a, VA Form 21P-534EZ, or VA Form 21P-535, see M21-1, Part XII, Subpart i, 4.A, and
• handling survivor's claims received through the Social Security Administration, see M21-1, Part XII, Subpart i, 4.A.

3Handling Mail Showing Potential Under/Overpayment

This topic contains instructions for handling mail showing potential under/overpayment, including

• establishing timeliness controls on potential under/overpayments, and
• when to establish timeliness controls on potential
  • overpayments, and
  • underpayments.

Revised July 17, 2023

II.i.2.D.3.a#Establishing Timeliness Controls on Potential Under/Overpayments

When information is received that suggests a potential under/overpayment may exist, add the Potential Under/Overpayment special issue to allow for monitoring of timeliness in completing action on potential under/overpayments. Exception: The use of the Potential Under/Overpayment special issue is not required while processing pension and survivor claims.

II.i.2.D.3.b#When to Establish Timeliness Controls on Potential Overpayments

Add the Potential Under/Overpayment special issue when information is received from one of the following sources indicating potential overpayment:

• the beneficiary or a third party
• a message generated as a result of a matching program as described in M21-1, Part XIV, or
• an 800 series work item.

Examples of mail that could result in a reduction or discontinuation of benefits include

• mail related to one of the matching programs discussed in M21-1, Part XIV, or
• a notice of
  • drill pay
  • return to active duty
  • fugitive felon
  • death
  • incarceration
  • a change in the status of a beneficiary’s dependent(s), or
  • hospitalization that requires adjustment of a beneficiary’s award under
    • 38 CFR 3.551, or
    • 38 CFR 3.552.

References: For more information on

• placing 800 series work items under EP control, see
  • M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.C, and
  • M21-4, Appendix B
• adjusting awards based on drill pay, see M21-1, Part VI, Subpart ii, 3.C
• fugitive felon award adjustments, see M21-1, Part XIV, 8.2
• notice of incarceration, see M21-1, Part VI, Subpart iii, 1.A.3
• adjustments based upon school attendance, see M21-1, Part VII, Subpart ii, 1.B, and
• accessing reports of hospital and nursing home admission, see M21-1, Part X, Subpart iii, 1.A.

II.i.2.D.3.c#When to Establish Timeliness Controls on Potential Underpayments

Add the Potential Under/Overpayment special issue when information is received from one of the following sources indicating potential underpayment:

• a message generated as a result of a matching program as described in M21-1, Part XIV, or
• an 800 series work item.

Example: An Audit Error Worksheet (AEW) for entitlement to Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay or Combat Related Special Compensation.Note : Do not apply the Potential Under/Overpayment special issue to claims received from the beneficiary, to include requests for reinstatement of compensation. References: For more information on

• controlling AEWs, see M21-1, Part VI, Subpart ii, 4.E.1.c
• placing 800 series work items under EP control, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.C.2.d
• reinstatement of compensation following a release from active duty, see M21-1, Part X, Subpart v, 2.B, and
• special issue indicators, see M21-4, Appendix E, 2.a and b.

4Handling Waiver Requests

Revised September 27, 2022

II.i.2.D.4.a#Handling Waiver Requests

Upon receipt of a request for a waiver of debt, determine if a Receivables Balance is shown on the AWARD INFORMATION tab on the CORPORATE INQUIRY AWARD/RATING screen in Share.Example :Use the table below to determine the actions to take when handling waiver requests.

References: For more information on

• the CORPORATE INQUIRY screen in Share, see the Share User Guide , and
• general award payment information, see 38 CFR 3.700.

1. Screening and Handling Restricted-Access Mail From Employees and Their Relatives

This topic contains information on screening and handling restricted-access mail from employees and their relatives, including

• identifying restricted-access mail
• who has jurisdiction over restricted-access mail
• National Work Queue (NWQ) routing of claims to restricted access claims centers (RACCs)
• use of the RACC cover sheet for proper mail routing, and
• RACC mail handling responsibilities.

Revised October 20, 2021

II.i.2.D.5.a#Identifying Restricted- Access Mail

Mail from the following claimants requires restricted-access handling:

• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) employees
• designated family members of VBA employees
• Veterans service organization employees
• VA interns
• participants in VA work-study programs, and
• high-ranking government officials.

Reference: For more information on identifying individuals whose claims require restricted-access handling, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.B.

II.i.2.D.5.b#Who Has Jurisdiction Over Restricted-Access Mail

With few exceptions, mail related to claims filed by VBA employees and their relatives require restricted-access handling by the St. Paul Restricted Access Claims Center (RACC) for compensation claims, and by the St. Paul PMC RACC for pension and survivor claims. Reference: For more information on claims handled by RACCs, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.B.

II.i.2.D.5.c#NWQ Routing of Claims to RACCs

Follow the instructions in the National Work Queue (NWQ) Playbook, under the heading Restricted Access Claims Center (RACC) Claims Routing , upon receipt of a claim or legacy appeal that

• falls under the jurisdiction of a RACC, and
• is subject to NWQ routing.

II.i.2.D.5.d#Use of the RACC Cover Sheet for Proper Mail Routing

Mail routing within the CM portals is normally based upon the zip code from which correspondence originated. RACC employees attach cover sheets to all outgoing correspondence. Additionally, Public Contact teams at all regional offices (ROs) provide these cover sheets to employee/family member claimants upon request. The cover sheets override zip codes and automatically route the incoming mail to the appropriate RACC CM queue. In cases where non-RACC ROs receive RACC mail, the RO employee will reassign the mail within their CM queues to the appropriate RACC CM queue per M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.A.5.c, Steps 3-5. References: For more information on

• claims handled by RACCs, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.B
• initial screening of mail, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.A.1, and
• reassigning mail to other ROs’ CM work queues, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.A.5.

II.i.2.D.5.e#RACC Mail Handling Responsibilities

When a RACC receives mail from a VBA employee or a VBA employee’s relative as listed in M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.B from another RO, it must

• review the claims folder to determine whether a claim is pending, and (if necessary)
• continue any claims processing activities initiated by the other RO.

6Processing FOIA and PA Requests

This topic provides information on processing FOIA/PA requests, including

• processing FOIA and PA requests, and
• use of VA Form 20-10206, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or Privacy Act (PA) Request.

Revised November 16, 2020

II.i.2.D.6.a#Processing FOIA and PA Requests

During initial screening, the intake processing center (IPC) routes Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)/Privacy Act (PA) requests through the CM portal to the Record Management Center’s (RMC’s) mail queue without taking any system actions. Exception : There are some situations where system actions are required. Use the table below to determine the actions to take when exceptions to the process described in the preceding paragraph apply.

Note: The CM portal does not normally contain congressional FOIA/PA requests. RO Congressional Liaisons may refer congressional staff to RMC for qualifying requests.

II.i.2.D.6.b#Use of VA Form 20-10206

VA Form 20-10206, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or Privacy Act (PA) Request, is available for a claimant, a claimant’s authorized third-party representative, a claimant’s authorized POA, or other individual to use to request records. Important: Use of this form is not a requirement but is encouraged as the preferred method to request records under FOIA or PA.

7Routing Mail to Other Business Lines

Revised November 6, 2024

II.i.2.D.7.a#Procedures for Routing Mail to Other Business Lines

Use the table below to determine the proper procedure for routing mail to other business lines.