M21-1 Manual / Part II, Subpart iii, Chapter 3, Section A

Claims Establishment

M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, Chapter 3, Section A

Overview

In This Section

This section contains the following topics:

Topic	Topic Name
1	Establishing Claims in the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) and Share
2	Establishing a Request for a Hearing
3	Centralized Mail (CM) Automatic Claim Establishment

1. Establishing Claims in VBMS and Share

Introduction

This topic contains information about establishing claims, including

types of claims excluded from establishment in VBMS
preparing for claims establishment
determining the end product (EP) for initial rating-related claims, and
establishing claims in
- VBMS, and
- Share.

Change Date

August 22, 2025

II.iii.3.A.1.a. Types of Claims Excluded From Establishment in VBMS

The Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) is used to establish

all initial claims for compensation
pension and survivor claims
claims where the claimant has a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-appointed fiduciary, and
most claim types for which a VBMS record already exists.

Exceptions: The following claims should be established using Share:
any claim where the claimant is an organization, unless the organization is a state cemetery, and
discovered legacy appeals where the appellant is not a child, spouse, or parent of the Veteran.
Reference: For more information on end product (EP) codes for compensation, pension, and fiduciary operations, see M21-4, Appendix B, 2.

II.iii.3.A.1.b. Preparing for Claims Establishment

The table below describes the steps of claims establishment and the references for guidance on these actions.

Step	Action	Reference
1	Check for a previously established claims folder number.	M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 1.A.1.c.
2	Determine the current claims folder location and request scanning of paper claims folders (if necessary).	M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 1.A.2.d, and M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 1.A.2.f.
3	Review the VBMS exclusions to determine the system in which to place the claim under control.	M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 3.A.1.a.
4	Place EP under control using the appropriate system.	For VBMS, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 3.A.1.d, and Share, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 3.A.1.e.

Important:

Establish EP control only upon receipt of a substantially completed form.
Most pension and survivor claims should now be established in VBMS, as indicated in M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 3.A.1.a.
Military service information, such as branch of service and date of release from active duty for a service member’s current period of service must be updated in VBMS before establishment of any pre-discharge claim.

References: For more information on

the types of claims excluded from establishment in VBMS, see the exceptions listed in M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 3.A.1.a
handling an incomplete claim, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.C
processing an intent to file (ITF) and incomplete ITFs, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 2.A
general description of a pre-discharge claim, see M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.A.1.a, and
updating military service information, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 3.B.3.

II.iii.3.A.1.c. Determining the EP for Initial Rating-Related Claims

To administer proper EP control for rating-related claims, determine if the claimant

previously filed for benefits, or
is filing an original claim (first initial claim).

Follow the steps in the table below to determine the appropriate EP for rating-related claims.

Step

Action

Open Share and select the CORPORATE INQUIRY command..

Enter the claimant’s Social Security number (SSN) or claims folder number into the FILE NUMBER OR SSN field and click the SUBMIT button.

Click on the AWARD/RATING box in the menu bar and navigate to the RATING INFORMATION tab. Has the claimant previously received a rating determination?

If yes, go to the next step.
If no, go to Step 5.

Determine if any of the claimed issues have been previously denied. For each issue that has been previously denied, follow request for application procedures located in M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 2.G.1 before going to the next step. Important:

If the claim for a previously denied issue is received on VA Form 20-0995, Decision Review Request – Supplemental Claim, route it to the decision review operations center mail queue, where it will be processed as provided in M21-5, Chapter 4, 2.
If all the claimed issues have previously been denied, no further action in this table is required.

Click the READY button to return to the main Share screen.
Select the Beneficiary Identification & Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) INQUIRY command and click the SUBMIT button.

Select the INACTIVE COMP & PEN tab. Determine if there any entries in the

DIAGNOSTIC table
ENTITLEMENT CODE field, or
Reason for Termination or Disallowance field.

Example:

If entries ...	Then use ...
exist	a rating EP from the 020 series.
do not exist	an original rating EP from the 110 series, if there are seven or fewer claimed contentions, or 010 series, if there are eight or more claimed contentions.

References: For more information on

establishing and maintaining EP control, see M21-4, Appendix B, 1.b, and
available EP codes for compensation, pension, and fiduciary operations, see M21-4, Appendix B, 2.

II.iii.3.A.1.d. Establishing Claims in VBMS

Follow the steps in the table below to establish a claim in VBMS.

Step

Action

Navigate to the Veteran’s profile and select New Claim from the ACTIONS drop-down menu.

On the NEW CLAIM screen verify the following:

the claimant’s first and last names are correct
the CONTACT INFORMATION field is current, including the
- address
- telephone number, and
- e-mail, and
check for open claims in the EXISTING CLAIMS field.

Notes:

If a rating claim is already pending
- update the contentions, and
- manage evidence.
Contact information updates must be made using the EDIT VETERAN function, as indicated in M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 3.B.1.b.

Complete the required CLAIM INFORMATION fields (indicated by red asterisk), all applicable optional fields, and click SUBMIT.

For certain EPs, VBMS will ask if the claim was submitted on a VA Form 21-526EZ, Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits, dated August 2011 or later.

If no is selected, a Section 5103 notice will generate and must be sent to the claimant.
If yes is selected, VBMS will transition to the CONTENTIONS screen.

Enter the claimant’s contentions, completing the required fields as described in M21-1, Part III, Subpart i, 2.F.2.

Use the table below to document the claims establishment process.

If processing the mail in a(n) ...	Then ...
paper format	annotate the claim document with the EP establishment date, and initials of the individual establishing the EP.
electronic format	an annotation is not required, but the creation of a VBMS note documenting the EP established is recommended.

Return to the VETERAN PROFILE screen and select Manage Evidence in the ACTIONS drop-down menu. Example:

Add each piece of mail or mail packet by

selecting the ADD unsolicited tab
entering the required information and clicking the ADD EVIDENCE button, repeating until all evidence has been entered, and
selecting COMPLETE.

Example:

References: For more information on

establishing claims in VBMS, see the VBMS Core User Guide
pre-discharge claims establishment, see M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.B.2
how claims folders and numbers are established, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 1.A.1.b
processing power of attorney (POA) appointments, see M21-1, Part I, Subpart i, 2.C.1
date of claim regarding
- ITF, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 2.A
- informal claims, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 2.H
- original claims, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.A.4.c
- correct date of claim, see M21-4, Appendix B, 1.c
- definition of date of receipt, see 38 CFR 3.1(r)
- identifying date of receipt, to include documents received in the Centralized Mail (CM) portal, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.B.1, and
- pre-discharge claim date of claim, see M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.B.2
adding unsolicited mail, see the VBMS Core User Guide
processing name change requests, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 3.B.2, and
receiving notice of a change of contact information or direct deposit, see
- M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 3.B.1.a and b, and
- M27-1, Part I, 3.10.

II.iii.3.A.1.e. Establishing Claims in Share

Follow the steps in the table below to establish a claim in Share.

Step

Action

Does a BIRLS record exist?

If yes, go to the next step.
If no,
- follow guidance in M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 1.A.1.c to ensure a duplicate record would not be created
- create a record using the BIRLS ADD command, and
- go to the next step.

Select the CLAIMS ESTABLISHMENT C+P command on the Share READY screen and using the table below, submit the information needed to start the claims establishment process in Share.

Required Fields	Optional
FILE NUMBER	MIDDLE NAME AND SUFFIX
BENEFIT TYPE	DATE OF BIRTH
PAYEE NUMBER	SERVICE NUMBER
CLAIM TYPE	BRANCH OF SERVICE
FIRST NAME	EOD AND RAD
LAST NAME	REGIONAL OFFICE

Example: Note: The command establishes an EP for a pending claim or appeal.

Complete the following actions while on the VETERAN'S IDENTIFICATION DATA screen:

review the data for accuracy and completeness
correct any erroneous data and enter any missing data, and
select CONTINUE ESTABLISHMENT.

Example:

Using the table below to complete the PENDING ISSUE/CORPORATE CONTROL ESTABLISHMENT screen.

Field Name	Description
INCREMENTAL	Select a third digit incremental/modifier other than zero, if the claim meets the criteria outlined in M21-4, Appendix B, 1.f. Note: The default third digit incremental (also called a modifier) is zero.
ADDRESS TELEPHONE, and EMAIL	Update based on current correspondence (as necessary).
DATE OF CLAIM	For claims establishment purposes, the date of claim is the earliest date of receipt in any VA facility, to include scanning vendor sites and through VA claims submission service websites. Identify this date from the earliest VA date stamp or equivalent.
SUSPENSE DATE	Set suspense date to 15 days from the current date.
SECTION/UNIT	Enter 21 for compensation and pension claims.
POWER OF ATTORNEY SEARCH AUTHORIZED POA ACCESS, and CADD AUTH'D	Update POA information (if applicable).
SUPPRESS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT LETTER	Ensure the SUPRESS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT LETTER field is deselected.

Select CREATE ESTABLISHMENT.

Update any appropriate corporate flashes, as required by M21-4, Appendix E.

Open the Veteran’s record in VBMS and from the CLAIMS drop-down menu select Claim Established in Share.

Enter the Veteran’s claimed contentions, completing the required fields as described in M21-1, Part III, Subpart i, 2.F.2.

Return to the VETERAN PROFILE screen.
Select Manage Evidence in the ACTIONS drop-down menu.

Example:

Add each piece of mail or mail packet by

selecting the ADD unsolicited tab
entering the required information and clicking the ADD EVIDENCE button, repeating until all evidence has been entered, and
selecting COMPLETE.

Example:

Use the table below to document the claims establishment process.

If processing the mail in a(n) ...	Then ...
paper format	annotate the claim document with the EP establishment date, and initials of the individual establishing the EP.
electronic format	an annotation is not required, but the creation of a VBMS note documenting the EP established is recommended.

Route for scanning to appropriate location.

Important:

Establish EP control only upon receipt of a fully completed claim.
The Veterans Appeal Control and Locator System (VACOLS) must be checked to determine if the contentions claimed, if applicable, are controlled under an active appeal.
Most pension and survivor claims should now be established in VBMS, as indicated in M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 3.A.1.a.

Note: A BIRLS record exists for each Veteran or other beneficiary for whom one of the following types of files has been established:

CLAIMS
NOD
CH 35
VR&E, and
CH 30.

References: For more information on

the types of claims excluded from establishment in VBMS, see the exceptions listed in M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 3.A.1.a
processing an ITF and incomplete ITFs, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 2.A
determining if a scanning request is necessary, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 1.A.2.f
how claims folders and numbers are established, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 1.A.1.b
confirming a BIRLS record exists and BIRLS ADD, see
- M21-1, Part II, Subpart ii, 1.A.1.c and d, and
- the Share User Guide
controlling legacy appeals and determining if claimed contentions are controlled under an active legacy appeal, see M21-5, Chapter 6, Section B
date of claim regarding
- ITF, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 2.A
- informal claims, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 2.H
- correct date of claim, see
  - M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.A.4.c, and
  - M21-4, Appendix B, 1.c
- definition of date of receipt, see 38 CFR 3.1(r)
- identifying date of receipt, to include documents received in the CM portal, see M21-1, Part II, Subpart i, 2.B.1, and
- pre-discharge claims, see M21-1, Part X, Subpart i, 6.B.2
processing POA appointments, see M21-1, Part I, Subpart i, 2.C.1
updating electronic systems for POA, see M21-1, Part I, Subpart i, 2.C.2
POA codes, see M21-1, Part I, Subpart i, 2.C.3
updating corporate flashes, see the Share User Guide, and
processing unsolicited mail, see the VBMS Core User Guide.

2. Establishing a Request for a Hearing

Change Date

November 30, 2020

II.iii.3.A.2.a. Establishing Requests for a Hearing

Upon request, a claimant is entitled to a hearing on any issue involved in a claim. Follow the steps below to control a request for a hearing by adding a special issue indicator and tracked items in VBMS.

Step

Action

Open the claimant’s profile in VBMS, and
select New Claim from the ACTIONS drop-down menu.

When necessary, update the claimant’s information, including

address
telephone number, and
POA.

Determine if the hearing is for a legacy appeal or pending claim.

If the hearing is for …	Then …
a pending legacy appeal	select the EP 170, and add the Local Hearing special issue indicator to each contention that requires a hearing.
a legacy appeal that has not been established	establish EP 170, and add the Local Hearing special issue indicator to each contention that requires a hearing.
a pending claim	select the EP controlling the issue that requires the hearing, and add the Local Hearing special issue indicator to each contention that requires the hearing.
an issue that is no longer pending as part of a legacy appeal or claim	follow request for application procedures located in M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 2.G. No further action in this table is required.

Add a tracked item that corresponds to the type of hearing request with a one-day suspense period.

Add a note providing details of the hearing request using the following format: [Type of hearing (informal, DRO, pre-decisional, etc.)] hearing request via [method of request (phone call, written correspondence, on VA Form 21-0958, etc.)] received on [date request was received].

From the PROFILE screen, select Manage Evidence in the ACTIONS drop-down menu. Example:

Add each piece of mail or mail packet by

selecting the ADD unsolicited tab
entering the required information and clicking the ADD EVIDENCE button, repeating until all evidence has been entered, and
selecting COMPLETE.

Example:

Note: Legacy appeals-related hearing information must also be input in VACOLS. References: For more information on

regional office (RO) hearings, see M21-1, Part X, Subpart v, 1.D
informal conferences/hearings, see
- M21-5, Chapter 5, 3
- M21-5, Chapter 7, Section C.5, and
- 38 CFR 3.2600
VACOLS review and updates, see M21-5, Chapter 6, Section A.1.d
adding special issue indicators to a contention, see the VBMS Core User Guide
creating tracked items, see the VBMS Core User Guide
the appropriate tracked item for hearing requests, see M21-4, Appendix D, 1.b, and
managing unsolicited mail, see the VBMS Core User Guide.

3. CM Automatic Claim Establishment

Introduction

This topic contains information about CM automatic claim establishment, including

Auto-Establish process
Auto-Establish functionality
exclusions to the Auto-Establish process
identifying Auto-Establish claims, and
reporting consistent errors with Auto-Establish claims.

Change Date

January 12, 2026

II.iii.3.A.3.a. Auto-Establish Process

Auto-Establish is an automatic process taking traditional paper compensation claims filed on VA Form 21-526EZ that have been received and scanned into the CM portal and

extracting data from the form, and
automatically establishing the claim in VBMS.

Note: A claim submitted on VA Form 21-526EZ to the CM portal using QuickSubmit will also go through the Auto-Establish process.

II.iii.3.A.3.b. Auto-Establish Functionality

A VA Form 21-526EZ that arrives at the CM vendor is scanned and the data fields are extracted. The data is used to

establish an appropriate EP
list contentions
add special issue indicators and corporate flashes, and
manage the evidence list that is displayed in VBMS.

The VA Form 21-526EZ and all mail received with the form are uploaded to the claimant’s electronic claims folder (eFolder). Note: Auto-Establish will assign the claim to a segmented lane by adding the associated lane’s special issue indicator to the first contention on the EP.

II.iii.3.A.3.c. Exclusions to the Auto-Establish Process

Auto-Establish will establish the majority of compensation claims submitted on VA Form 21-526EZ. When a claim submitted on VA Form 21-526EZ cannot be automatically established, it will remain in the CM portal for manual processing. Some factors that will require a claim to be manually established include:

incomplete VA Form 21-526EZ
duplicate records or claims folders for the Veteran
system unavailability, and
submitting a claim with VA Form 21-22, Appointment of Veterans Service Organization as Claimant's Representative, or VA Form 21-22a, Appointment of Individual as Claimant's Representative.

References: For more information on
duplicate records consolidation, see M21-1, Part XIV, 6.3, and
identifying and handling incomplete applications, see
M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.A.4, and
M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, 1.C.

II.iii.3.A.3.d. Identifying Auto-Establish Claims

Auto-Establish claims have three attribute categories that can be used to identify them. One attribute from each category will be present on an Auto-Establish claim.
Exception: The name of the scanning vendor, SMS, will always appear as both the SYSTEM SOURCE and UPLOADING USER ROLE. Utilize the table below to identify the possible attributes in each category.
Category Examples
Date stamp Claim forms can be submitted by sending paper documents to the intake facility or by submitting electronic documents using VA-approved document submission services such as QuickSubmit (previously the Direct Upload tool). Auto-Establish claim forms will bear one of two distinct date stamps depending on the method of submission. Example: Below is an example of a date stamp placed on a paper form that has been digitally scanned. Example: Below is an example of a date stamp placed on a document submitted using the Direct Upload tool. Note: Documents submitted via QuickSubmit will have a correspondingly named date stamp.
Claim label An Auto-Establish claim will use one of the following claim labels:
110 - D2D-Initial Live Comp <8 Issues (110)
010 - D2D-Initiatial Live Comp >8 Issues (110)
020 - D2D-Supplemental, or
400 - D2D-Supplemental.
System source / Uploading user role Example: Below is an example of an Auto-Establish claims form in the eFolder. Example: Below is an example of the document properties screen of an Auto-Establish claims form.

II.iii.3.A.3.e. Reporting Consistent Errors With Auto-Establish Claims

Notify RO leadership and the District Director when consistent new errors with Auto-Establish claims (such as an incorrect corporate flash being applied to a homeless claim) are identified. The RO Director will forward the e-mail to the Office of Field Operations mailbox with a request to expedite the resolution of the issue. All reports must

include
- example file numbers
- a description of the issue, and
- the information technology ticket number, and
- be sent via encrypted e-mail.
Important: When reporting an issue, the Enterprise Service Desk ticket must include the following information in the body of the ticket:
- the phrase #automail – Issue with Mail Automation Services, and
- necessary information to troubleshoot the error, including
  - Veteran record information
  - VBMS claim identification (ID) number
  - CM packet ID, and
  - any other information that will help correctly identify the error under review.

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