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Military Order of the Purple Heart Appendix to NSO Policy and Procedures Manual

VCMS Business Standards and Procedures

Revised April 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1......................................................................................................................................... 4 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................. 4

1.1 Background and Purpose .............................................................................................................4

SECTION 2......................................................................................................................................... 4 APPOINTMENT OF REGIONAL TRAINERS (RTs)/VCMS POLICY AND

PROCEDURES SUBCOMMITTEE ............................................................................................... 4 2.1 Appointment of Regional Trainers..............................................................................................4 2.2 Establishment of VCMS Subcommittee......................................................................................4 2.3 Appointment of VCMS Subcommittee Chairman.....................................................................4

SECTION 3......................................................................................................................................... 5 NEW USER TRAINING AND QUALIFICATION PROCESS.................................................... 5

3.1 New Employee Identification.......................................................................................................5 3.2 Determination of Eligibility by the RFS .....................................................................................5 3.3 Completion of VCMS Qualification Exercise.............................................................................5 3.4 Receipt of Signed Security Agreement and Activation on VCMS Production Site................5

SECTION 4......................................................................................................................................... 7 VCMS SECURITY ............................................................................................................................ 7

4.1 VCMS Security Levels..................................................................................................................7 4.1.1 Security Access Levels for Case Management Files ...........................................................7 4.1.2 Security Access Levels for Reports ......................................................................................7

4.2 Recommended Security Levels for Level of Responsibility ......................................................8 4.3 VCMS Security Authorization Agreement.................................................................................8

SECTION 5......................................................................................................................................... 9 VCMS DATA ENTRY, REPORTING AND VETERAN TRANSFER PROCEDURES........... 9

5.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................9 5.1.1 New POA Dates ......................................................................................................................9

5.2 Claim Types...................................................................................................................................9 5.2.1 BDD (Benefits Delivery at Discharge)..................................................................................9 5.2.2 Burial Benefits......................................................................................................................10 5.2.3 Compensation.......................................................................................................................10 5.2.5 Death Pension.......................................................................................................................10 5.2.5 DIC (Dependency and Indemnity Compensation)............................................................10 5.2.6 Education..............................................................................................................................10 5.2.7 Live Pension..........................................................................................................................10

___________________________________________________________________ MOPH VCMS Business Standards and Procedures Manual – April 2009

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5.2.8 Other .....................................................................................................................................10 5.3 Claim Status ................................................................................................................................10

5.3.1 Pending..................................................................................................................................10 5.3.2 Notices of Disagreement (NODs) ........................................................................................10 5.3.4 Appeals to BVA....................................................................................................................11 (Monthly Report Block 13) ..........................................................................................................11 5.3.5 Approved ..............................................................................................................................11 5.3.4 Denied....................................................................................................................................11

5.4 Award Types and Corresponding Dollar Amount Calculations ............................................11 5.4.1 SC (Service Connection New/Original)..............................................................................12 5.4.2 SC (Service Connection, Increased) -................................................................................12 5.5.3 DIC ........................................................................................................................................12 5.5.4 SC (Service Connection Confirmed & Continued)...........................................................12 5.5.5 NSC (Non-Service Connection) Disability Pension...........................................................13 5.5.6 NSC Death Pension ..............................................................................................................13 5.5.7 Education & Training Benefit Calculations ......................................................................13 5.5.8 Burial.....................................................................................................................................13 5.5.9 Miscellaneous........................................................................................................................13 5.5.10 Award Totals ......................................................................................................................14

5.6 Combined Percentage.................................................................................................................14 5.7 Retro Amount..............................................................................................................................14 5.8 Hearings Conducted ...................................................................................................................14 5.9. Outreach .....................................................................................................................................14

5.9.1. Vet Centers ..........................................................................................................................14 5.9.2 Hospitals................................................................................................................................14 5.9.3 VA/MOPH Meetings............................................................................................................14 5.9.4 Other .....................................................................................................................................14

5.10 Verification and Edit of Monthly Activity Report Entries ...................................................15 5.11 Monthly Report Due Dates and RFS Approval .....................................................................15 5.12 Maintaining the Claims Diary .................................................................................................15

5.12.1 Telephone Contact .............................................................................................................15 5.13 Maintaining the Client Document File....................................................................................15

5.12.3 Correspondence..................................................................................................................15 5.13 Naming Conventions.................................................................................................................15 5.14 Reporting by Field Offices That Do Not Oversee Claim Processing....................................16 5.15. Transfer of VCMS Records ....................................................................................................16

5.15.1 Transfer’s Effect on the Monthly Activity Report..........................................................16

SECTION 6....................................................................................................................................... 18 ADDITIONAL VCMS REPORTS................................................................................................. 18

6.1 Overview ......................................................................................................................................18 6.2 Pending Appeals Report.............................................................................................................18 6.3 Pending Claims Report...............................................................................................................18 6.4 Suspense Report ..........................................................................................................................18

6.4.1 Using the Suspense Report to Identify Important Issues .................................................18 6.5 NODs Report ...............................................................................................................................18 6.6 Productivity Report ....................................................................................................................19 6.7 Pending Issues Report ................................................................................................................19


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SECTION 7....................................................................................................................................... 20 VCMS “HELP” PROCEDURES ................................................................................................... 20

7.1 The Three “HELP Desks”..........................................................................................................20 7.2 NSO Office Business Questions (Class A HELP).....................................................................20 7.3 User Access, Password, Security, PC Configuration Questions (Class B HELP).................20 7.4 VCMS System Modification, Error, Data Configuration Questions (Class C HELP).........21


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SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background and Purpose The VCMS Business Standards Procedures Manual is an appendix to the NSO Policy and Procedures Manual, and, therefore, has the force and effect of official Service Program policy. It is also a companion to the VCMS Users Guide published by SAIC. Its purpose is to provide general business rules for the data entry and use of the VCMS. It provides detailed instructions for the reporting of service office activities, award data, client transfers, use of reports and other information specified in the VCMS User Guide (a technical manual for users written by the VCMS Contractor, SAIC). The VCMS Business Standards and Procedures Manual also includes documentation for the method by which MOPH employees are trained and qualified on VCMS, the role of the Regional Trainers (RTs), the security authorization process, and, finally, the HELP process. Hopefully, this Manual will provide helpful answers to most of the business questions left unanswered by the VCMS Users Guide and will serve as the basis for uniformity of activity and reporting.

SECTION 2 APPOINTMENT OF REGIONAL TRAINERS (RTs)/VCMS POLICY AND PROCEDURES SUBCOMMITTEE 2.1 Appointment of Regional Trainers A Regional Trainer (RT) will be appointed by each Regional Field Supervisor for the purpose of training and qualifying regional employees on the VCMS. The RT will be an experienced NSO who is fully familiar with the system. 2.2 Establishment of VCMS Subcommittee The VCMS Subcommittee is established for the purpose of setting policy and procedures for the business rules governing VCMS and for submission and evaluation of system changes and enhancements. Subcommittee members may also provides annual and basic training classes to NSOs and AAs on VCMS. The MOPH Headquarters Service Support Manager (SSM) provides admininstrative support to this Subcommittee and functions as the MOPH Contract Administrator with the vendor. The VCMS Subcommittee consists of the Regional Trainers and the Headquarters SSM and IT Managers. 2.3 Appointment of VCMS Subcommittee Chairman The NSD will appoint the VCMS Subcommittee Chairman from among the RTs. The Chairman will convene the Subcommittee as necessary to reach consensus on VCMS issues as deemed necessary. The Chairman will also serve as a voting member on the NSO Policy and Procedures Committee and will advise that body on VCMS issues.


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SECTION 3 NEW USER TRAINING AND QUALIFICATION PROCESS

3.1 New Employee Identification The NSD will notify the HQS SSM and IT that a new hire has been made and provide new location and start date. The SSM will add the new hire to the VCMS Tracker and wait for notification from the RFS that the individual is ready to be trained on VCMS. 3.2 Determination of Eligibility by the RFS The applicable Regional Field Supervisor will determine the readiness of each new Service Program employee for training and qualification on VCMS. The RFS will send an e-mail to the SSM recommending case files and reports security levels along with a working e-mail address for the employee in accordance with the guidelines set forth in Section 4 of this document. The SSM will approve/disapprove in return e-mail with copy to the applicable RT and HQS IT that the individual is ready to be installed in the VCMS Trainer for the purpose of familiarizing themselves with VCMS and completing the qualification exercise. 3.3 Completion of VCMS Qualification Exercise Completing the Qualification Exercise in a timely manner is essential and is considered to be part of the new employee probationary period. The RT is responsible for sending the new user the qualification exercise and monitoring it’s successful completion by the new employee. Employees who do not qualify in a timely manner will be promptly referred back to their RFS. Once the RT qualifies a new user they will send an e-mail notifying the employee, the RFS and the SSM of the successful completion of the exercise. The RT will send an e-mail congratulating the newly “qualified” employee with a VCMS Security Agreement attached. 3.4 Receipt of Signed Security Agreement and Activation on VCMS Production Site The new user will read and sign the Security Agreement and mail the original to Service Headquarters to the attention of the SSM. Once the SSM receives the signed Agreement, an e-mail will be sent to the IT, the employee, the RT and the RFS that the employee is authorized to be activated on the VCMS Production Site.


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VCMS User Qualification, Security Authorization/Activation Flow Chart

RFS recommends each new VCMS User for a Security Level and sends e-mail to NSD with copy to Support Manager. One initial e-mail can include everyone deemed eligible in Region indicating which location or locations the employee is authorized to edit.

NSD reviews recommended Security Levels; approves/disapproves to RFS by e-mail, with copy to Service Support Manager and HQS IT.

Employee receives Qualifying Exam from RT promptly thereafter and will have five working days to complete. Employees who do not pass will be referred back to RFS. If RT passes employee, an e-mail will be sent notifying Employee, RFS and HQS Support Manager.

RFS sends e-mail congratulating “qualified” Employee with approved VCMS Security Agreement attached.

Employee signs and distributes VCMS Security Agreement in accordance with Instructions (Original to HQS Support Manager, copy to self, copy to RFS).

HQS Support Mgr receives signed Security Agreement, checks qualification and security level tracking document for approved status, updates tracking document that the Security Agreement has been received or is on file and sends e-mail to HQS IT.


6HQS IT activates ”secured“ VCMS User at locations/levels previously authorized and updates security status tracking document that the User has been activated. Sends e-mail to user they are cleared to request new account.

SECTION 4

VCMS SECURITY 4.1 VCMS Security Levels 4.1.1 Security Access Levels for Case Management Files LEVEL 1 - View nationwide. LEVEL 2 – View nationwide; edit local office records only. LEVEL 3 – (NSOs with oversight over remote/other NSOs)

View nationwide; edit certain NSOs within jurisdiction; LEVEL 4 – View nationwide; edit by MOPH Region (RFS). Assigns access levels for LEVELS 1, 2, and 3. LEVEL 5 – View nationwide (NSD & HQS Admin). May make diary entries and activate new users. LEVEL 6 – Administration. 4.1.2 Security Access Levels for Reports LEVEL 1 – No access. LEVEL 2 – Access/query Standard Reports/data for local NSO only. LEVEL 3 – (NSOs at VAROs with oversight over other NSOs) Access/query Standard Reports/data for RO of jurisdiction. LEVEL 4 – (Regional) Access/query Standard Reports/data for Region of jurisdiction. LEVEL 5 – (National) Access/query all Standard Reports/data nationwide. LEVEL 6 – Administration.


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4.2 Recommended Security Levels for Level of Responsibility The following guidelines are in effect for RFSs in submitting requests to the NSD for approval of security levels. For each NSO assigned a level 3 for case files, the RFS request will indicate the additional locations of oversight. CASE FILES SECURITY LEVELS I II III IV V & VI Function View All View All View All View All View All No Edit Edit Local Edit Field Edit Region Edit Diary Employee Class/Job New AA/New NSO + Accred NSO/DFS/Desig. AAs + NSO/DFS Own Records ONLY + NSO at RFS Location + NSO/DFS/AA for other NSOs + RFS + NSD//BVA/AMC/HQS SPT + REPORTS SECURITY LEVELS New NSO/AA NSO/AA NSO/VARO RFS HQs/ADMIN Level I II III IV V & VI

4.3 VCMS Security Authorization Agreement REFERENCES: 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552 (The Privacy Act of 1974) and Public law 104-191 (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) Employees of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, who are activated users of VCMS, have been granted access to personal information from Federal records as well as sensitive personal and medical information on MOPH clients and claimants worldwide. Under the above Federal statutes, they may be subject to prosecution for inadvertent, as well as deliberate, unauthorized disclosure of protected information. The penalties range up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. Unauthorized disclosure is grounds for immediate termination of employment with MOPH. Each such employee shall read, acknowledge and distribute the VCMS Security Agreement in accordance with the Instructions on the Agreement (Original to HQS HR, copy to self, copy to RFS). When HQS HR receives signed Security Agreement, they will checks qualification and security level tracking document for approved status, update tracking document that the Security Agreement has been received or is on file and send e-mail to HQS IT. Upon receipt of e-mail from HR, HQS IT will activate” secured“ VCMS user at locations/levels previously authorized and update security status tracking document that the user has been activated. VCMS will send automatic e-mail to user with instructions for login and password


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SECTION 5

VCMS DATA ENTRY, REPORTING AND VETERAN TRANSFER PROCEDURES

5.1 Overview It is essential that VCMS users follow the same data entry process, abide by the definitions of claim types and awards, and transfer veterans only according to policy. Special attention and care must always be given to the accuracy of the information entered into VCMS. Expecially critical is the entry of award data from SHARE payment and decision letters. If a veteran is not in the SHARE payment system (updated by the VA at the time of payment to the client), the NSO/AA should wait until this information is available from the VA prior to entering it into VCMS. It is also important that all available information on a claim is entered into VCMS. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the NSO holding the POA to ensure that the data entered is complete, correct, and matches VA and other records; although RFS’s are responsible to periodically verify the accuracy and completeness of the NSO’s data. ALL data is to be entered into VCMS under the Veteran/Claimant as it becomes available. (Reference SHARE Program for military dates, spouse/children information, also if available to you view their C-file). 5.1.1 New POA Dates

A POA (VA Form 21-22) may have as many as three dates, especially when the NSO’s office is outside the VARO location, e.g., Vet Center, VAMC, Military Base, and the claims have to be sent to the RO. 1. The date in Block 15 of the VA form 21-22 is date the veteran/claimant accepts MOPH

as his/her representative. 2. Block 11, is the date the NSO accepts the POA; and, 3. The VA’s date stamp could be different from 1. and 2., above.

These circumstances may occur when a POA is sent to the veteran/claimant for signature/date. When the NSO receives it back, it should be dated immediately in Block 11 of the VA Form 21-22 and processed through the VA. For those rare cases where the NSO sets the veteran/claimant up in VCMS in order to fill in a claim form and POA to send to the Veteran/Claimant for signature, the NSO should still date block 11 as the date they received it back from the client. If the NSO has already established the client in VCMS the POA date should be changed to reflect this date. Important Note: A new client record is always established when the NSO enters their own acceptance date of the POA in Block 11 of the VA Form 21-22. This is the same date that is to be entered in VCMS.

5.2 Claim Types In the process of entering claim data in VCMS, there is a drop down box for Claim Type. The definitions for the terms are as follows: 5.2.1 BDD (Benefits Delivery at Discharge)


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The Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) Program allows an active duty servicemenber to apply for disability compensation benefits prior to retirement of separation from military service with a goal of providing benefits within 60 days after release from active duty. 5.2.2 Burial Benefits Claim for burial and plot allowances as well as transportation charges either based on the cause of death being service connected or non-service connected. 5.2.3 Compensation Claim for benefits based upon an injury or disease relating back to the veteran’s military service. 5.2.5 Death Pension Claim by a surviving dependent for death benefits based on the veteran’s wartime service, minimal income and the cause of death was non-service connected.

5.2.5 DIC (Dependency and Indemnity Compensation) Claim for death benefits by a surviving dependent based on the cause of the veteran’s death being related to service.

5.2.6 Education Claim for benefits by the veteran, veteran’s spouse, or children for education benefits e.g., Montgomery GI Bill, Ch.106, Ch. 31, Ch 35, etc. 5.2.7 Live Pension Claim by a veteran for benefits based on the veteran’s wartime service, minimal income and non-service connected disability. 5.2.8 Other Claim for one-time monetary benefits such as waiver of overpayment, grants for automobile and housing, etc.

5.3 Claim Status (Monthly Activity Report Section II – Office Activities) In the process of entering claim data in VCMS, there is a drop down box for Claim Status. This information is also reported in the NSO Monthly Activity Report. The definitions for the Claim Status types are: 5.3.1 Pending (Monthly Report Block 11) A pending claim for benefits will be established when a claim is submitted to VA or is currently pending in VA’s system. On the Monthly Report this will always show up as a total to-date figure. If a pending claim is withdrawn, go to Claims/ Received Date, then go to the right, and under Action, delete the claim. Then make a manual entry in the diary as to why the claim was deleted. 5.3.2 Notices of Disagreement (NODs) (Monthly Report Block 12)


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This field reflects the number of NODs pending for the month. A NOD is pending until the benefit is granted or a Statement of the Case (SOC) is issued. Once the SOC is issued, the NOD is no longer pending, providing the veteran/claimant accepts the new rating. There are times when the SOC has several issues and only one or two have been granted and the rest remain denied or continued (CC). In this case, the veteran/claimant continues their NOD for all or some of the issues. Subsequent evidence can be submitted and the claim will remain pending. In the Monthly Report, this will show up as a monthly total. The NSO must update all information including date of SOC and change the status as it becomes available. 5.3.4 Appeals to BVA (Monthly Report Block 13) VA Forms 9 and 646 must be timely filed at the RO for any issue to be considered by the BVA. When the NSO has received the Form 9 or filled out the 646 and filed same with the VA, the NSO should change the NOD to Appeals to BVA under Claim Status within the Claim Information section. This will be reflected on the Monthly Report in block 13 for that month. Note: There are times the NSO does not receive the VA form 9 as the Veteran/Claimant has submitted one directly to the VA or has submitted one prior and the VA does not require a new one. 5.3.5 Approved (Monthly Report Block 14) A pending claim has been approved for either monetary benefits or a claim for increased has been confirmed and continued (C&C). For multiple issue claims where VA will grant benefits on one issue but defer another, the NSO should enter “approved” in the Claim Status field. For those issues that were deferred, a new claim must be created using the original claim date. (NEW with Release 1.3.) There are now two distinct fields in VCMS for the Award Letter: 1. The “VA Award Letter Date”. This is the actual date on the Award Letter from the VA. This is a new field which does not generate Monthly Report data but allows the NSO to track timelines for NODs, etc. 2. The “Award Entered Date.” This is the date after the Award Letter has been received by the NSO office and is entered into VCMS. It generates award data in the Monthly Report for the months that it is entered. Important Note: Approved Claim totals (Monthly Report Block 14) should always equal the Monthly Award totals (Block 10) on the NSO Monthly Report. In order for this to happen, the NSO must complete the Award Entered Date field during the same month the approved claim is reported.

5.3.4 Denied (Monthly Report Block 15) The pending claim has been denied on all issues by DVA. If the veterans claim had some issues granted, some C&C’s and some denied, it should not be reported in this category. Rather, it should be reported as either an increase (see para. 5.5.2) or a C&C (para. 5.5.5). 5.4 Award Types and Corresponding Dollar Amount Calculations


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When entering Claim Data, there is a drop down box for Award Type (see below definitions). These fields in VCMS also correspond to Blocks 1 through 10 in the Monthly Activity Report Section I – Awards. Below the Award Type drop down box, there are fields for Monthly Amount, Retro Amount or One Time Amount which are selected based on the type of Award, as indicated below. Only Education, Burial and Miscellaneous are reported as One Time Amounts. All others are Monthly Amounts and Retro Amounts. For the definition of Retro Amounts, see para 5.7, below. 5.4.1 SC (Service Connection New/Original) (Monthly Report Block 1) This field is for an original award (EP 010 or 110). If the veteran is not awarded compensation because of retirement pay or recoupments, report the award on the basis of compensation due. If the claimed condition(s) is evaluated as 0%, enter a monthly amount of “0” in the Monthly Amount NOTE: If a veteran is awarded 50 percent disability at $728 per month with three months of retro coming, and, due to retirement pay his VA monies are being withheld, the NSO would still list the $728 per month and the retro amount. 5.4.2 SC (Service Connection, Increased) - (Monthly Report Block 2) This field is for those awards that increase the Veteran’s compensation. (NEW with Release 1.3.) There is an additional drop-down box under Award Types for Service Connection - Increases only. It will contain three new fields: “Old Rate”, “New Rate” and “Difference”. After reviewing SHARE to obtain the correct figures, enter the old rate and the new rate. VCMS will calculate the difference include this amount in Block 2 (SC-Increased) of the Monthly Report. This award category is also be used to report issues that are deferred on an earlier or original award. If a veteran is not awarded compensation because of retirement pay or recoupment’s, report the award on the basis of compensation due. Exceptions: if temporary increases (38 CFR 5.29 and 5.30) have been granted and the evaluation is reduced to the earlier amount, include it in SC Confirmed & Continued and enter the new decreased amount. If the veteran has SC conditions and a new condition is granted, or if one or more conditions are increased in percentage but the combined percentage remains the same, include it in SC Confirmed & Continued. Note: Always remember to refer to the award letter/SHARE to verify old and new rate amounts. 5.5.3 DIC (Monthly Report Block 3) This field is for those awards of Death Indemnity Compensation which include originals, increases or decreases. For increases due to dependency changes or housebound (HB) aid and attendance (A&A), report only the difference between the old rate and the new rate in the Monthly Amount field. 5.5.4 SC (Service Connection Confirmed & Continued) (Monthly Report Block 5) This field is for C & C cases. Items that fit in this category are decisions that “confirm” the previous percentage and “continue” the same compensation pay rate. If the veteran has several SC conditions and a new 0% is added, or if one or more conditions are increased in percentage but the combined percentage remains the same, include it in this field. Also include cases


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where compensation is reduced either by an evaluation or a reduction in dependents. Note: If the only issue is a C&C denial of service-connection, then it should not be listed as a C&C. Rather, it should be counted as a denial. If a decision has two service-connected conditions that are C&C’d with a third condition being denied service connection, it should be reported as a C&C. Dollar value awards are entered in the Monthly Amount field for this award. 5.5.5 NSC (Non-Service Connection) Disability Pension (Monthly Report Block 5) This field is for all original, reopened and continued awards of non-service-connected disability pensions as well as increases for income, A & A (aid and attendance), HB (housebound), and dependency. For increases due to dependency/income changes, HB, or A&A, report the difference between the old rate and the new rate. Awards generated by EVR questionnaires are not counted unless a veteran is assisted by an NSO in completing the form. These amounts are entered in the Monthly Amount field. 5.5.6 NSC Death Pension (Monthly Report Block 6) This field is for all original, reopened and continued awards of non-service-connected death pensions. This field also includes increases for income, A & A, housebound, and dependency changes. For increases, report only the difference between the old rate and the new rate. In the case of a decrease, report only the decreased monthly amount. Note: Awards generated by EVR questionnaires are not counted unless a veteran is assisted by the NSO in completing the form. Use the Monthly Amount field to report this award.

5.5.7 Education & Training Benefit Calculations (Monthly Report Block 7) This field reflects any VA training or educational program for which the claimant has applied. Report the number of veterans in any VA training or educational program and his/her dependents under Chapter 35 . In the One Time Amount field, calculate the number of months the student will be in class, plus any partial month at the beginning and end of the semester, and multiply by the monthly rate. Example: Claimant is awarded $700 per month from 9/15/05 to 5/10/05. The amount is computed as follows: For the last sixteen days of September ($700/30 days x 16 days) = $373.33. For the 7 month period 10/1/05 through 5/30/05 = ($700 x 7 months) = $5900. Finally the ten days from 5/1/ to 5/10= ($700/30 days x10 days)= $233.33. The total amount then is $373.33 + $5900 + $233.33 = $5506.66. 5.5.8 Burial (Monthly Report Block 8) This field reflects VA’s burial and plot allowance and transportation awards. Report total amount paid for burial and plot allowance in the One Time Amount field. This should also include any transportation awards, as well as benefits awarded through county or state agencies. 5.5.9 Miscellaneous (Monthly Report Block 9) This field reflects the number of awards for clothing allowance, automobile, house and adaptive equipment, and waivers under this category. Do not report the continuing annual clothing allowance payment. In order for an NSO to get credit for a clothing allowance, they must assist


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the claimant in completing the application and/or follow up on the award. Report total amount paid in the One Time Amount field. 5.5.10 Award Totals (Monthly Report Block 10) The total number of Awards, calculated automatically by the database from Monthly Report Blocks 1 through 9, should equal the total number of Claims Approved (Block 15). See para. 5.3.2, above.

5.6 Combined Percentage The combined percentage is the same percentage noted on the Rating Code Sheet. 5.7 Retro Amount The Retro Amount field reflects the amount of the payment of benefits awarded to the client from date of claim through the first of the current month. Do not confuse this amount with One Time Amount. If a veteran is not awarded compensation because of retirement pay or some type of recoupments, report the award on the basis as if the benefit was actually paid. Example: A veteran was awarded $500.00 a month effective 5/1/08. However, there was severance pay of $10,000.00 and the whole amount of $500.00 was withheld. If the award letter was dated 6/15/08 and you were entering the data for the June 2008 report you would show $1,000.00 ($500.00 for the month of April and May) as the Retro Amount. 5.8 Hearings Conducted When a Hearing Date is entered in VCMS, it is recorded automatically under Block 17 (Hearrings Conducted) of the Monthly Report. 5.9. Outreach (Monthly Activity Report Section II) Only the Outreach portion of the Monthly Report requires manual entry. Outreach has the following catagories: 5.9.1. Vet Centers Count the number of times a Vet Center was visited during the month. NSOs will not count the Vet Center where they work as a visit. 5.9.2 Hospitals Count the number of times a VA/contract hospital was visited during the month. Hospital NSOs will not count the VA hospitals where they work as a visit.

5.9.3 VA/MOPH Meetings Count the number of meetings attended during the month. Activities conducted during these meetings should be reported on the Weekly Report to the RFS. Attendance at VA or other training should not be reported here but recorded on the NSO Training Record, which is sent to the RFS on a monthly basis. NOTE: For the purpose of reimbursement of travel expenses, inform your RFS of your routine visits and permission prior to visiting Vet Centers, Hospitals or attending any meetings in which travel expenses will be claimed.

5.9.4 Other ___________________________________________________________________

MOPH VCMS Business Standards and Procedures Manual – April 2009 14

Report the number of outreach activities such as job fairs, stand-downs, public appearances, etc. that occurred during the month. NSOs at BDD site should enter the number of TAP/DTAP briefings they have given. 5.10 Verification and Edit of Monthly Activity Report Entries NSOs are encouraged to periodically review the accuracy of their Monthly Activity Reports throughout the reporting month prior to submitting them. It is possible to generate a Monthly Report for review at any time during the month as long as there is no Outreach data entered. Outreach data should not be entered until the Monthly Report is ready to be submitted to the RFS. To review the Monthly Report in VCMS, click on the report for the year/month to review, then go to the right under “Full Report” to view what has been generated to date for that month. 5.11 Monthly Report Due Dates and RFS Approval Each MOPH NSO will create an individual NSO Monthly Activity Report to their RFS by the second working day of the month following the month being reported. The RFS will wait until at least the third working day to approve or disapprove each report as warranted. Once a Monthly Report is approved by an RFS it can not be deleted and becomes a permanent record. Monthly Reports are based on a 12-month annual reporting cycle by fiscal year, beginning with the month of July and ending with June of the next year. 5.12 Maintaining the Claims Diary In addition to the Monthly Report, VCMS also provides a means for recording important or unusual issues of a pending claim as well as pertinent contact with the veteran in the Claims Dairy. Here, the NSO will maintain a record of contact with the veteran, history of submissions to VA as well as a record of correspondence. Care must be taken to insure that anyone reading the diary will be able to understand the notes. The tone of the diary must remain professional. Excessive/homemade abbreviations, disparaging or inappropriate remarks must be avoided. 5.12.1 Telephone Contact When a client calls, the Claims Diary should be annotated as to date of call and the information discussed. It is important that the NSO annotate what action is being required of the claimant as well as what action the NSO is doing. 5.13 Maintaining the Client Document File (NEW with Release 1.3) The Client Document File is a repository in VCMS for saving a client’s history of VA Forms filed and other submissions such as documents, doctor’s letters, etc., which should be listed on a 21-4138 or cover letter to the VA. Any time a new form or letter is created, it should always be uploaded to the Client Document File within VCMS under the specific veteran/claimant. 5.12.3 Correspondence Correspondence received from VA, client or third party should be noted here. In addition, any correspondence sent to the client should be annotated here or the pertinent portions of the letter cut and pasted onto the diary. 5.13 Naming Conventions In order to do a proper search of veteran names, we must adhere to uniformity of spelling when entering veteran names: ___________________________________________________________________


• Always capitalize the first letter of the first, middle and last name. Do not capitalize all the letters in a name.

• For names that begin with Mc or Mac, capitalize as follows: McCoy, MacIntyre. • For names with apostrophes, such as O’Grady, insert the apostrophe and do not add a

space. • For hyphenated names, use the following format: Smith-Jones; Vasquez-Rojas.

5.14 Reporting by Field Offices That Do Not Oversee Claim Processing There are a few field offices designated by their RFSs that only take POA and do outreach, sending the claim to another NSO at a VARO for development and oversight. NSOs at Field Offices are responsible for the interview and any subsequent intake of the claim and Power of Attorney. Once this is accomplished the paperwork is transferred to the NSO at the VARO for processing. The veteran will be notified of the transfer as well as the name, address and phone number of the NSO at the VARO. For the NSO at the Field Office to get the proper credit for the POA and claim, the VCMS claim should not be transferred until the first of the following month. If the claim is transferred and accepted in the same month as the date the POA and claim were entered, the NSO at the Field Office would not receive any credit. Once the transferred VCMS claim is accepted by the NSO at the VARO, that NSO is responsible for the remainder of the claim processing and VCMS update. The Field Office NSO also assists in providing general information to the veteran population either at their office or while conducting outreach. 5.15. Transfer of VCMS Records VCMS records are transferred when the claimant has moved to another area and will be working with another NSO. The transferring NSO annotates in the Claims Diary why the records are being transferred. The receiving NSO can review the diary annotation to determine if the transfer is valid prior to acceptance. 5.15.1 Transfer’s Effect on the Monthly Activity Report Transfer of the VCMS record moves the data from one NSO to another. The transferring NSO loses an active POA and possibly a pending claim, NOD or Appeal. The new NSO will gain what the transferring NSO lost. If a new POA is input; a new claim is sent to VA; or award data is entered on a VCMS record and then transferred that same month, the new POA, new claim and award data will be shown on the receiving NSO’s Monthly Activity Report. To ensure proper credit, do not transfer the record until the first of the following month. 5.15.2 Transfers at Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) Sites The method of transfer will be dependent on the type of BDD site where the claim is taken. MOPH Service Program BDD Sites are identified on the three Service Program Regional Organization Charts distributed by the Headquarters Office.

• BDD Intake Site. At these sites which do not have a rating activity, the NSOs will accept the POA and claim from service personnel and then submit to VA for processing at a BDD Rating Activity Site (RAS). The NSO is credited with the POA and Claim submitted to VA. The NSO will transfer the VCMS file to the RAS or to the RO of jurisdiction where the claim will be rated. The transfer should not occur until the following month after the claim data input into VCMS as noted in 4.13 above.


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• BDD Intake Site with Rating Activity Site (RAS). At these sites the NSO is responsible for the complete claims process as it is done there. Appropriate credit is taken. Upon completion of award action, the BDD site NSO will inform the NSO in the client’s home state of the award action taken. The VCMS record will then be transferred in the month after the award data is input. The client will also be notified of the award action and transfer.

• BDD Rating Activity Site (RAS). The RAS NSO will be responsible for the control of the claim. Once it is rated, the NSO will update VCMS. The RAS NSO will inform the NSO in the client’s home state of the award action taken and the VCMS record will transferred there in the month after the award data is input as noted in 4.13 above. The client will also be notified of the award action and transfer.


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SECTION 6 ADDITIONAL VCMS REPORTS

6.1 Overview VCMS has six standard utility report formats to assist the NSO in managing claims and verifying the accuracy of the Monthly Activity Report. The reports are identified in Section 7 of the VCMS User Guide Each report has a specific purpose but are interrelated as the same client will be on more than one report. The links to access them are found on the Home Page under MOPH Reports. As they are in an EXCEL format, you may sort the data to suit your needs. All of the reports contain a listing of the clients by name and claim number. Remember the VA and MOPH security requirements concerning this data if you print it. 6.2 Pending Appeals Report For a claim to be considered for this report, a Notice of Disagreement must be filed, Statement of the Case issued, and a VA Form 9 submitted. If the case continues to BVA, VA Form 646 will also be filed. Entering appeals to BVA in the claim status field will put the claim in this report. 6.2.1 This report is a listing of cases in an appeal status. The number of claims on this list will also be reflected in Block 13 in the Monthly Activity Report. Claims on this report will also be seen on Pending Issue Reports (Para 6.7) and may be seen on the Suspense Reports (Para 6.4) if a suspense date was entered. A good use of this report is identifying the oldest appeal claim for the NSO. 6.3 Pending Claims Report This report is a listing of cases in a pending status and is helpful in identifying old pending claims. The entry of pending in the Claim Status Field (Para 4.3.1) will put the claim in this report. Pending Claims on this report are also reported with NODS and Appeals on the Pending issues Report (Para 6.7) and on the Suspense Report (Para 6.4) if a suspense date has been entered. 6.4 Suspense Report This report shows all claims where a future Suspense Date from two to ten weeks in the future has been entered in the (Claim Data/ Claim Information Section) and should be updated when the suspense comes due. A list of claims with a suspense date within the next seven days can be found on the Home Page under Suspense Alerts. If a suspense date has passed, the claim will not be shown on the Suspense Report. 6.4.1 Using the Suspense Report to Identify Important Issues The Suspense Report (User Guide, Section 7.4) was designed to alert the NSO to important dates on pending claims and appeals at time intervals selected by the NSO. The Suspense Date Description field is there for the NSO to make note of important issues about the claim. Note: Once the suspense date has passed, there is no way to recall that date. To avoid losing control of your suspense dates, remember to print them in advance so you can make any necessary updates at a later date. 6.5 NODs Report This report is a listing of cases in Notice of Disagreement (NOD) status. It identifies the NODs that are current and have not had a Statement of the Case or, Supplemental Statement of the Case ___________________________________________________________________


issued. The entering of a NOD in the Claim Status Field (Para 4.3.1) will put the claim in this report. The number of claims on this list will also be reflected in Block 12 in the Monthly Activity Report. Claims on this report will also be seen on Pending Issue Reports (Para 5.7) and may be seen on the Suspense Reports (Para 5.4) if a suspense date was entered. A good use of this report is identifying the oldest NOD claim for the NSO. 6.6 Productivity Report This report identifies the claims and identical award data that is produced by the Monthly Activity Report. The claim number information produced from this report may be used to sample the accuracy of monthly amount data input by the NSO/AA from award letters and SHARE. 6.7 Pending Issues Report This report identifies all pending claims, NODs and Pending Appeals that an NSO controls. One important factor in this report is that it lists the claims that have overdue suspense dates. This information is not found in the Suspense Report (Para. 6.4). It does not list any suspense dates for claims that have been approved or denied.


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SECTION 7

VCMS “HELP” PROCEDURES

7.1 The Three “HELP Desks” There are three avenues for obtaining assistance on the VCMS Production Site by secured, activated users, based on the nature of the question or problem. 7.2 NSO Office Business Questions (Class A HELP) Questions on how to report award types, POAs, pending claims, NODs, claims on appeal, reporting claims brokered to another RO, BDD site reporting, etc.; how to count outreach and calculate award amounts, etc.

Regional Trainers (below) – Primary, RFS/DFSs - Secondary

IA & 1B – Stan Trela (CT) (860) 594-6648

II – Ron Lamping (WI)

(414) 902-5742

III – Darlene Davis (MT) (406) 495-2085

IV – Candler Rhodes (SC)

(803) 255-4139

V – Mary Mason (TX) (254) 299-9985

VI – Shirley Pratt (CA)

(619) 400-5317

7.3 User Access, Password, Security, PC Configuration Questions (Class B HELP) Problems with site login, password, connectivity, security level, NSO location access, and report viewing capability.

Service HQS IT (VA) - Primary

John Lloyd - Primary (703) 354-2140

(8 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET)


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Karin Romney, Adale Tourtellot, & Frank Van Hoy – Secondary

(703) 354-2140 (8 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET)

7.4 VCMS System Modification, Error, Data Configuration Questions (Class C HELP) Problems concerning web site responsiveness, possible system programming errors, report format, data field length, minor system modifications. While anyone may contact the SAIC Help Desk, it is wise to check with your Regional Trainer beforehand.

SAIC Help Desk (MD)

(866) 678-VCMS (866) 678-8267

(8 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET)

Refers user with business and access/security questions (Class A & B HELP) back to appropriate responder.

Maintains log of all Class C HELP issues worked; sends weekly e-mail with updated log to Service Support Mgr., Karin Romney ([email protected])

mailto:[email protected]

military order of the purple heart (moph) pm trela...7.2 nso office business questions (class a...

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