M21-1 Manual / Part II, Subpart ii, Chapter 3

Claims Jurisdiction and Transfer

M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, Chapter 3

Overview

In This Chapter

This chapter contains the following topics:

Topic	Topic Name
1	Jurisdiction of Claims
2	Transfer of Paper Claims Folders

1. Jurisdiction of Claims

Introduction

This topic contains information on jurisdiction of claims, including

general policy for jurisdiction of claims
jurisdiction of claims involving a special mission or circumstance, and
determining jurisdiction of claims involving multiple special missions or circumstances.

Change Date

June 23, 2026

II.ii.3.1.a. General Policy for Jurisdiction of Claims

A claim is generally assigned by the National Work Queue (NWQ) to the geographical area where the Veteran or survivor maintains a permanent address and is generally under the jurisdiction of an office/station known as a regional office (RO). At times the jurisdiction will specifically fall under a pension management center (PMC).Notes:
Jurisdiction of a claim includes jurisdiction of the paper claims folder if one exists, unless instructions state otherwise.
An RO or PMC maintains jurisdiction for folders stored at the Federal Archives and Records Center.
Generally, a PMC will handle claims involving
pension benefits
claims for survivors benefits, and
accrued benefits.
References: For more information on,
office locations, see the Facilities Locator and Leadership Directory
geographical alignment of ROs and PMCs, see M21-1, Part I, Subpart ii, 1.B.2.b, and
jurisdiction of requests for higher-level review, see M21-5, Chapter 5, Topic 1.d.

II.ii.3.1.b. Jurisdiction of Claims Involving a Special Mission or Circumstance

NWQ will distribute claims involving a special mission or circumstance according to jurisdiction and ranking rules determined by the Office of Field Operations (OFO). Proper routing may require the use of special issue indicators and corporate flashes. If a station receives a claim that does not fall under their jurisdiction, authorized personnel may transfer the claim to the correct station in accordance with OFO guidelines.The table below indicates what station has jurisdiction of a claim that involves a special mission or circumstance.

Special Mission or Circumstance	Jurisdiction
Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) employee-Veteran, relative of employee, or a national service officer	restricted access claims centers (RACCs).Important: The St. Paul RACC has jurisdiction for all claims for Medal of Honor Pension (MOHP), and MOHP for a surviving spouse. Claims processors must ensure the following corporate flashes have been affixed to the record to ensure proper routing: Restricted Access – St. Paul RACC, and Medal of Honor. Reference: For more information on RACCs, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.B.
live compensation claims and legacy appeals involving a foreign residence residence in enemy territory, and cases involving an Army Post Office or a Fleet Post Office address	Pittsburgh RO has jurisdiction of rating and non-rating claims unless otherwise indicated.Notes: Jurisdiction is determined according to the Veteran’s residence, not the residence of a dependent. A transient is not considered to be residing in a foreign country. *Exceptions: When a Veteran files a claim for Chapter 18 benefits and the child lives in a foreign territory, the claim will be worked by the Pittsburgh RO. Manila RO has jurisdiction of rating claims for the Philippines. San Diego Benefit Eligibility Support Team (BEST) has jurisdiction of non-rating claims for the Philippines. Reference*: For more information on foreign residence, see M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 3.B.
live compensation claims and legacy appeals involving residence in a U.S. Territory	Jurisdiction for U.S. Territory compensation claims and legacy appeals is as follows: Honolulu RO has jurisdiction for American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands (Rota, Saipan and Tinian), and San Juan RO has jurisdiction for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
all in-service death claims	Philadelphia RONotes: The Philadelphia Veterans Service Center (VSC) has sole jurisdiction over all original in-service death claims, to include in-service death claims received from multiple claimants prior to the adjudication of the original claim. The Philadelphia PMC has jurisdiction over all non-original in-service death claims received after the adjudication of the original claim. Reference: For more information on in-service death claims, see M21-1, Part XII, Subpart i, 1.C.
pension and survivor claims in which the primary beneficiary or claimant resides in a foreign country, or any payee whose income affects entitlement to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, receives the income in a foreign currency	The Philadelphia PMC has jurisdiction of original Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) claims, all burial claims, and any claim where service-connected (SC) death is an issue including claims from the Philippines. The St. Paul PMC shares jurisdiction of all other foreign countries with the Milwaukee PMC to include pension and DIC claims where SC death was already granted with the exception of claims from the Philippines. The Milwaukee PMC has jurisdiction of all remaining claims from the Philippines that do not meet the criteria for the Philadelphia PMC. *References*: For more information on PMC jurisdiction of non-foreign residence claims or specific jurisdiction of claim type, see M21-1, Part I, Subpart ii, 1.B.2.b, and eligibility for benefits based on Philippine service, see M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 4.A.2.
higher-level reviews and legacy appeals for pension and survivor claims	decision review operations center
rating action related to Polish and Czechoslovakian Veterans who file a claim for service connection (SC), or apply for health care under 38 U.S.C. 109	Wilmington RO *Exception: A claim from a Polish or Czechoslovakian Veteran with no service in the U.S. Armed Forces should be denied for no qualifying service by the RO that receives the claim. Note: VA does not* assign a folder or number to these claims. Reference: For more information on Polish and Czechoslovakian Veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, see M21-1, Part XIII, Subpart i, 3.G.1.b.
claims involving Public Law (PL) 97-37, Section 156, Restored Entitlement Program for Survivors (REPS)	Jurisdiction is split between the various ROs or PMCs, and a special processing unit at the St. Louis RO. *Note*: The office having jurisdiction of the deceased Veteran’s claims folder is responsible for determining basic eligibility and forwarding the claim (but not the deceased Veteran’s claims folder) to the St. Louis RO.Reference: For more information on jurisdiction of claims involving REPS, see M21-1, Part XII, Subpart ii, 3.A.
Philippine cases involving Veterans of the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines while such forces were in the Armed Forces of the U.S. (July 26, 1941, through June 30, 1946) Special Philippine Scouts (enlisted between October 6, 1945, and June 30, 1947), and Alleged or Recognized Guerrilla Service (before July 1, 1946)	Manila RO has exclusive and permanent jurisdiction unless otherwise indicated. Exceptions: The Philadelphia PMC has jurisdiction of original DIC claims, all burial claims, and claims where SC death is an issue. The Milwaukee PMC has jurisdiction of all remaining PMC claims (to include claims for DIC where SC death was already granted) based on service by Veterans within the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines. The San Diego BEST has jurisdiction of non-rating compensation claims. *Reference*: For more information on eligibility for benefits based on Philippine service, M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 4.A.2.
cases involving incompetent Veterans	If a court has appointed a fiduciary for an incompetent Veteran, jurisdiction lies with the RO or PMC for the area in which the appointing court is located.
claims for SC based on radiation exposure where the existence of a radiogenic disease has been verified	Jackson ROReferences: For more information on how the Jackson RO receives jurisdiction of a radiation claim, see M21-1, Part VIII, Subpart iii, 4.A.2.a, and radiation claims processing, see M21-1, Part VIII, Subpart iii, 4.A.2, and M21-1, Part VIII, Subpart iii, 4.B.2.
claims and legacy appeals for SC based on exposure to mustard gas or Lewisite	Muskogee ROReference: For more information on claims for SC based on exposure to mustard gas or Lewisite, see M21-1, Part VIII, Subpart iii, 3.A.2.
claims and legacy appeals for SC based on exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune that meet specific criteria	Louisville ROReference: For more information on the criteria determining jurisdiction of Camp Lejeune issues, see M21-1, Part VIII, Subpart iii, 8.A.1.c.
forfeiture cases	St. Paul RACC *Reference*: For more information about forfeiture cases, see M21-1, Part X, Subpart iv, 3.B, and 38 CFR 3.900.
residents of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, or St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C.	Roanoke RO *Reference*: For more information on claims from residents of the Armed Forces Retirement Home or St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., see M21-1, Part VI, Subpart iii, 5.
Veterans with any service prior to July 16, 1903	Philadelphia PMC
entitlement to compensation under the former general law, the Act of 1862, as amended protection of the general law rate provided by former PL 788, 74th Congress entitlement to Reserve Officer’ Retirement Pay under PL 262, 77th Congress, and entitlement under a special act of Congress authorizing payment to a particular person	Philadelphia PMCReferences: For more information on general law cases, see 38 U.S.C. 1152, and entitlement under a special act, see 38 CFR 3.801 38 CFR 10.20, and 38 CFR 11.109.
Chapter 31 educational benefits based on service in allied forces	Philadelphia PMC
Chapter 18 benefits for certain children with disabilities born of Vietnam and certain Korean service Veterans	Denver RO *Exception: When a Veteran files a claim for Chapter 18 benefits and the child lives in a foreign territory, the claim will be worked by the Pittsburgh RO. Reference*: For more information on handling of claims for benefits under Chapter 18, see M21-1, Part VIII, Subpart i, 3.A-E.

Notes:

Do not transfer a paper claims folder to a special mission station unless
- a special mission claim has been established, or
- instructions indicate the special mission station must maintain the folder.
Claims and/or claimants involving litigated issues may be subject to special review or processing. Special instructions for identification and processing identified cases will be issued by VA Central Office (VACO) and may involve use of special issue indicators, corporate flashes, or other claim attributes.

References: For more information on

claim attributes that affect routing, see M21-4, Appendix C
use of corporate flashes, see
- M21-1, Part III, Subpart i, 2.F.1.b, and
- M21-4, Appendix C.2
special issue indicators, see M21-1, Part III, Subpart i, 2.F.2, and
transferring a claim, see the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) Core User Guide.

II.ii.3.1.c. Determining Jurisdiction of Claims Involving Multiple Special Missions or Circumstances

The table below indicates what station has jurisdiction of a claim that involves multiple special missions or circumstances.

Special Mission(s) or Circumstances	Jurisdiction
Integrated Disability Evaluation System, along with any other special mission	Providence RO, and Seattle RO *Exception*: A RACC claim from an employee of the Providence RO would be handled by the Seattle RO and vice versa.
Benefits Delivery at Discharge, along with any other special mission	The special mission RO.
C-123 aircraft, along with one of the following special missions: mustard gas radiation Camp Lejeune, or VACO Special Issue 2	St. Paul RO
Camp Lejeune, along with VACO Special Issue 2	Louisville RO
foreign, along with one of the following special missions: C-123 aircraft mustard gas radiation Camp Lejeune, or VACO Special Issue 2	Pittsburgh RO
mustard gas, along with one of the following special missions: radiation Camp Lejeune, or VACO Special Issue 2	Muskogee RO
radiation, along with one of the following special missions: Camp Lejeune, or VACO Special Issue 2	Jackson RO
Manila jurisdiction, along with any other special mission	The special mission RO. If translation or fraud issues need to be addressed, the special mission station will contact NWQ to have the claim transferred.
San Juan jurisdiction, along with any other special mission	The special mission RO. If translation is needed, the special mission station will contact NWQ to have the claim transferred.
RACC, along with foreign	RACC
RACC, along with Camp Lejeune	RACC *Exception*: A claim from an employee of the St. Paul RACC would be handled by the Louisville RO.
RACC, along with one of the following special missions: C-123 aircraft, or VACO Special Issue 2	RACC *Exception*: A claim from an employee of the St. Paul RACC would be handled by the Milwaukee RO.
RACC, along with one of and the following special missions: mustard gas, or radiation	The special mission RO. *Exception*: A claim from an employee at the special mission RO would be handled by the RACC.
In-service death, along with any other special mission	Philadelphia RONotes: The Philadelphia VSC has sole jurisdiction over all original in-service death claims to include in-service death claims received from multiple claimants prior to the adjudication of the original claim. The Philadelphia PMC has jurisdiction over all non-original in-service death claims received after the adjudication of the original claim.

Reference: For more information on RACCs, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 2.B.

2. Transfer of Paper Claims Folders

Introduction

This topic contains information about the general policies for the transfer of paper claims folders, including

general restriction on transfers of paper claims folders
Federal records center (FRC) facility codes for folder requests
requesting transfer of paper claims folders from an FRC, and
following up on requests from an FRC.

Change Date

June 23, 2026

II.ii.3.2.a. General Restriction on Transfers of Paper Claims Folders

VA has transitioned to an electronic claims processing environment and with the exception of some restricted access records, no longer maintains paper claims folders. When an RO requests a paper claims folders that is stored at a Federal records center (FRC), the claims folder will be sent to the scanning facility for digitization. Paper claims folders should not be sent to any location other than an authorized scanning facility, unless otherwise directed by OFO. Exception: RACCs are authorized to receive and maintain paper claims folders from an FRC if the file
has been designated as a restricted record, and
is not eligible for digitization.
Note: All paper claims folders previously stored at the VA Record Center and Vault have been digitized and are available in VBMS.References: For more information on historical rules for the
permanent transfer of paper claims folders, see the attachments
Historical_M21-1III_ii_5_SecD_2-19-19.docx, and
Historical_M21-1III_ii_5_SecE_2-19-19.docx, and
temporary transfer of paper claims folders, see the attachment Historical_M21-1III_ii_5_SecF_1-14-18.docx.

II.ii.3.2.b. FRC Facility Codes for Folder Requests

The FRC station code is shown on the BIRLS FOLDER LOCATION tab in Share. The table below contains FRC location codes and which specific location to send the folder request to.

FRC Station Code	Location	Transfer Date	Folder Request Location
010	Boston	not applicable (N/A)	010 Boston
011	Pittsfield	N/A	011 Pittsfield
020	Bayonne	ALL	059 Lee's Summit
021	Philadelphia	1954 – 1985	059 Lee's Summit
030	Washington National Records Center	1952	These records are no longer owned by VA. To request a copy of a record at this location, contact William Seibert(314) 801-0909william.siebert@nara.gov.
030	Washington National Records Center	February - July 1955
030	Washington National Records Center	1962 – 1978	060 Lenexa
040	Atlanta	1973 & Prior	060 Lenexa
040	Atlanta	1974 - 1994 (from ROs 317, 318, 322)	011 Pittsfield
040	Atlanta	1974 - 1994 (from ROs 316, 319, 320, 323, 327)	060 Lenexa (exceptions noted in next two rows)
040	Atlanta	1986 from RO 316	011 Pittsfield
040	Atlanta	1993 from RO 323	011 Pittsfield
050	Chicago	Prior to 1973	011 Pittsfield
051	Dayton	N/A	051 Dayton
052	Kingsridge	N/A	052 Kingsridge
059	Lee’s Summit	N/A	059 Lee’s Summit
060	Lenexa (previously Kansas City)	Prior to 1973	011 Pittsfield
061	St. Louis National Personnel Records Center (NPRC)	1956 - 1959 (from ROs 335, 339)	011 Pittsfield
061	St. Louis NPRC	1959 - 1966 (from RO 376)	011 Pittsfield
061	St. Louis NPRC	1960 - 1969 (from ROs 335, 339, 340, 341, 345, 442)	011 Pittsfield
061	St. Louis NPRC	1967 - 1973 (from RO 331)	011 Pittsfield
061	St. Louis NPRC	1970 - 1974 (from ROs 339, 340, 341, 345, 436, 437, 438, 442)	011 Pittsfield
070	Ft. Worth	Prior to 1977	011 Pittsfield
070	Ft. Worth	1977 - 1993	059 Lee's Summit
080	Denver	ALL	059 Lee's Summit
090	San Francisco/San Bruno	N/A	090 San Francisco/San Bruno
091	Laguna Niguel (previously Perris)	Prior to 1967	011 Pittsfield
091	Laguna Niguel	1968 – 1992	059 Lee’s Summit
100	Seattle	N/A	100 Seattle

Note: FRCs 020, 070, and 080 are no longer active repositories. Reference: For more information about FRCs, see Federal Records Center Locations.

II.ii.3.2.c. Requesting Transfer of Paper Claims Folders From an FRC

Requests for transfer of a paper claims folder from an FRC are submitted through the National Archives and Records Administration’s Archives and Records Centers Information System (ARCIS). ARCIS key users must follow the steps below to request the transfer of a paper claims folder:

navigate to the Folder Location screen in VBMS and click on the claims folder to display the FARC Accession number
log into ARCIS and initiate a request for the claims folder
create the Physical Claims File Requested tracked item, and
upload a copy of the request into the corresponding electronic claims folder (eFolder).

Notes:
The FRC usually delivers the claims folder to the scanning vendor within 10 business days.
ARCIS access is limited to key users who have been trained by the Office of Mission Support through mandatory and refresher training.
Reference: For information on how to use ARCIS, to include log-in and passwords, see the ARCIS website.

II.ii.3.2.d. Following up on Requests From an FRC

If the folder is not received within 10 business days of the original ARCIS request, key users must follow up on the request via email to the ARCIS mailbox and take the following actions

in the email include
- the VBA district (e.g., Northeast District) in the SUBJECT line, and
- the Veteran’s name and file number in the body, and
- document the action by uploading a copy of the sent mail to the eFolder.
Important: Remember to update the Physical Claims File Requested tracked item to reflect the follow-up. Reference: For contact information, see Federal Records Center Locations.

Source: VA M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual, M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, Chapter 3 (U.S. government work, reproduced for reference). Browse all sections →