Jim,

I submitted a Form 9 to my RO in mid-September, 2009 via USPS Certified Mail. When I didn't get an acknowledgement, I inquired through IRIS. The RO's response was that they'd never received it. When I gave them the tracking number, they said they'd look again. They then "found" it and confirmed receipt by letter in December, 2009. Here is the letter text;

Dear Mr. G,

We apologize for the delay in responding to your inquiry. The Decision Review Officer looked at your claim folder and your VA Form 9 received September 18, 2009 was in your claim folder. It appears a clerical error was made resulting in the failure to update a appeals tracking system. The Decision Review Officer has reopened the appeal noting a VA Form 9 was received in a timely manner. The Decision Review Officer said we would forward your claim folder to the Board of Veterans Appeals after this Regional Office rendered a decision on your most recent Notice of Disagreement. We apologize for any inconvenience this delay has caused for you.

Thank you for contacting us. If you have questions or need additional help with the information in our reply, please respond to this message or see our other contact information below.

Sincerely yours,

PT-P, Veterans Service Center Manager

Flash forward a bunch of months. My eBenefits page showed no BVA appeals for a bunch more months, which the common wisdom says is not a biggie. Finally, in April, 2011, I sent another IRIS. In early May, 20 months after I lodged my Form 9, my RO got back to me admitting that my Form 9 had been sitting in my claim folder all those months "due to a clerical error," and apologizing for any "inconvenience."

So, for the most part, it's true that claims slowly grind through the system and there's not much point for a vet to get overly concerned about where his/her paperwork is in the system. On the other hand, a patient vet could well pass away of old age waiting for his/her (in-limbo) "claim" to get to the top of the pile.

Reply:

You're correct. My advice usually includes that a vet must be patient...but only to a point. Depending on the situation I recommend that after a claim is filed the vet should wait a month to get the initial letter "We are aware of your claim and working on it". Then 3 to 6 months or so and if they don't have anything else at all, the vet should follow up with a certified letter of the "I filed a claim (x) months ago and you guys haven't told me anything" variety.

Of course I never recommend the IRIS system or that e-benefits debacle that VA uses to confuse everyone. I still urge everyone to communicate only via certified mail. I know it costs a few bucks and I know it's a pain in the butt, however...it is the single most reliable way there is to ensure that someone is reading and acting on your stuff.