M21-1 Manual / Part II, Subpart i, Chapter 1, Section A

Centralized Mail (CM) Intake

M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, Chapter 1, Section A

Overview

In This Section

This section contains the following topics:

Topic	Topic Name
1	Overview of the CM Process
2	Receipt, Separation, and Routing of Physical Mail in a Regional Office (RO) Mailroom
3	Submitting Documents via QuickSubmit

1. Overview of CM Process

Introduction

This topic provides an overview of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) CM processing, including

intent of CM
roles and responsibilities in the CM process, and
definitions of CM terms.

Change Date

December 7, 2016

II.i.1.A.1.a. Intent 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.b. Roles 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.c. Definitions 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.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.

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.
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.
packet, or package	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.

2. Receipt, Separation, and Routing of Physical Mail in an RO Mailroom

Introduction

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).

Change Date

May 4, 2022

II.i.1.A.2.a. Sources 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.b. Separating 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

a VSC
a PMC
a hub
a DROC, or
BVA

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
processing mail in the CM portal, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.A, and
RO processing of FOIA/PA requests in the CM portal, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.D.

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)

scan the document(s) to the restricted FTI repository following the safeguarding procedures for FTI, and
follow the guidance pertaining to undeliverable essential mail.

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.c. Shipping 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

Return the mail in the original envelope or staple the envelope to the front of the mail.

Securely bundle mail prior to placing it in the shipping box.Note: Only use rubber bands for packages too large for clips or staples.

To indicate for the vendor separation of packets for multiple claimants use a

sheet of paper between packets, or
place each packet in a manila folder.

Place bundled mail into a medium-sized, flat-rate USPS Priority Mailbox(11’’ x 8 ½” x 5 ½” inside).Important:

If the volume of mail is larger or smaller than the recommended box, a different-sized container may be used as long as it is an official USPS container (box, envelope, and so on).
Use a standard, white bankers box when the volume of mail exceeds the capacity of multiple medium-sized, flat-rate boxes.
Do not ship claims folders and/or STRs via USPS or in USPS boxes. Follow the instructions in M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 1.B for shipping claim folders and STRs in approved bankers boxes.

Fill the container to approximately 90-percent capacity and add filler material. Ensure there is enough cushioning so items will not shift.

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.

Use clear, plastic shipping tape that bears the words United States Postal Service Mailing to

seal the box top and bottom seam, and
reinforce the edges.

Do not use

cord
string
twine
masking tape, or
cellophane tape.

Label the top of the box CM (for "centralized mail").

Use the table below to determine the appropriate address to ship the mail to for scanning.

If the mail will be processed by …	Then ship the mail to …
a VSC or DROC	Department of Veterans Affairs Claims Intake Center PO Box 5235 Janesville, WI 53547-5235
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.d. Proper 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

3. Submitting Documents Via QuickSubmit

Introduction

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.

Change Date

April 6, 2026

II.i.1.A.3.a. Availability 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.b. Form 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.c. Confirming 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.

Source: VA M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual, M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, Chapter 1, Section A (U.S. government work, reproduced for reference). Browse all sections →