1. What is Caseflow Certification?

Caseflow Certification is a web-based tool that streamlines the certification process by checking case documents for readiness and ensuring accuracy of the Veteran’s representative and hearing preferences. The tool was built by the United States Digital Service at the Department of Veterans Affairs, in close collaboration with Decision Review Officers and other employees in VA regional offices all over the country. Learn more:Training Guide

2. What does Caseflow Certification do?

Caseflow eliminates the need to fill out a PDF Form 8 for appeals. It automatically checks to make sure documents such as the VA Form 9, Notice of Disagreement (NOD), Statement of Case (SOC), and Supplemental Statements of Case (SSOC) have been added to an appeal. It also verifies that these documents are consistent between VBMS and VACOLS. Once verified, the tool lets you fill out an electronic Form 8. It automatically pre-fills some of the Form 8 data from VACOLS and VBMS. It will then generate a PDF of the Form 8 and allow you to easily upload that document to the VBMS eFolder. You should use Caseflow with paperless appeals that are ready to be certified.

3. How do I launch Caseflow Certification?

To launch a new Caseflow Certification in Demo/UAT, you must visit the endpoint /certifications/new/#{legacy_appeal.vacols_id}. Accepted users can be found here Certification By Users

Once you are ready to certify an appeal, open and log in to VACOLS then search for the Appeal ID. Once the date for the Form 9, NOD, SOC, and any required SSOC have been entered into VACOLS, click the Certify Appeal button from the process menu. You can also select this option from the search results window or the update appeal window.

4. How do I log in to Caseflow Certification?

To access Caseflow Certification, you must have a role of "Certify Appeal" or "System Admin".

If it's the first time you are using Caseflow Certification in a while you wll be asked to log in twice. The first time you will want to log in using your standard VA credentials (or PIV if you like). On the second login page, you will need to log in using your regional office VACOLS credentials.

5. How to verify Veteran Status

For each veteran, Caseflow certifications will display the veteran's certification status, whether the appeal has all necessary documents needed to be certified, or if the appeal has already been certified in the check documents page.

6. Why does Caseflow say it cannot find documents in the appellant’s eFolder?

Once you are re logged in, Caseflow will check to see if documents in the VBMS eFolder (such as the NOD, SOC, and Form 9) match the dates entered in VACOLS. Caseflow will tell you if it cannot find these documents in VBMS.

Document dates in VBMS and VACOLS for the NOD and Form 9 must match exactly. Document dates for the SOC and SSOC are considered matching if the VBMS date is no more than 4 days ahead of the VACOLS date.

7. What are the reasons Caseflow may not be able to find documents in VBMS?

There are usually three reasons Caseflow wouldn't be able to find a document:

1. The dates of the document in question are inconsistent between VACOLS and VBMS. If the dates are inconsistent, change the date in either VACOLS or VBMS to match the other, then click the "Refresh page" button in Caseflow. If the date cannot be changed in VBMS, change the date in VACOLS.

Document dates in VBMS and VACOLS for the NOD and Form 9 must match exactly. Document dates for the SOC and SSOC are considered matching if the VBMS date is no more than 4 days ahead of the VACOLS date. There is a wider range of acceptable dates for SOCs and SSOCs because SOCs and SSOCs may be uploaded to VBMS one or more days before they are mailed, causing VBMS dates to be earlier than VACOLS dates.

2. The label of the document in question is missing or incorrect in VBMS If a document is missing a label or uses something other than one of the labels listed below, you should add correct label to the document in the VBMS document settings and click the refresh button in Caseflow.

3. If a document is missing from the eFolder, the appeal cannot be certified using Caseflow and should instead be certified manually. If a document is missing a label or uses something other than one of the labels listed below, you should add the correct label to the document in the VBMS document settings and click the refresh button in Caseflow.

Statement of Case (SOC) Notice of Disagreement Supplemental Statement of Case (SSOC) VA 9 Appeal to Board of Appeals The document in question has not been uploaded to VBMS. If a document is missing from the eFolder, the appeal is not ready to be certified and you should click the Cancel Certification button.

VBMS document properties dialog

8. What should I do if an eFolder document contains multiple types of information?

Occasionally, especially with older appeals, an NOD or a Form 9 will be included in a document with a more general label such as a Statement in Support of Claim. These documents could contain other information such as testimony or evidence. Add the appropriate labels from those listed in question 6 to the newly uploaded document and make sure the date matches the one listed in VACOLS.

Add correct doc label in VBMS

9. How do I fill out an electronic Form 8?

Once all the documents are detected, you will see a web form that lets you fill out all the details to complete a Form 8. A red asterisk () marks required questions. To make things go a little faster, some of the fields are automatically pre-filled using data from VBMS and VACOLS. If something is pre-filled but doesn't look right, you can always manually correct the data on this page. You will also notice that some questions are only shown if relevant. For example, question 10b, "Is the hearing transcript in file?" only shows up if you indicate that a hearing was held. Once you have finished filling out all the relevant details on this page, click the Preview Completed Form 8 button.

10. What is the Preview Form 8 page?

This page allows you to preview the completed Form 8. If anything looks wrong you can click the Go back and make edits button to fix the problem on the previous page. If, after review, the Form 8 looks correct, click the Upload and Certify button.

11. What happens when I click the Upload and Certify button?

The Form 8 will automatically be uploaded to the eFolder, a certification date will be added to the appeal, and the appeal will be certified to the Board of Veterans Appeals! Once you see the "Congratulations" page you can close the browser window and open up another appeal using VACOLS. Please keep in mind that you should continue to follow existing procedures for dispatching the Form 8 to the Board and sending the "File Certified to BVA" letter to the claimant, after the Form 8 has been uploaded to VBMS. Behind the scenes, Caseflow fills in the date for the "BVA Cert Date" field in VACOLS. If you have selected that the appellant requests a Travel Board Hearing in VACOLS previously, Caseflow checks the "Ready" box in the Travel Board section. You can see both of these fields in the screenshot below.

vacols travel board 

12. What if I encounter a problem that prevents me from certifying the appeal?

Prior to clicking Upload and Certify, you can cancel out of the certification process at any time by clicking the cancel button. A modal will appear, asking you to confirm your cancellation.

Caseflow Cancel Modal

If you have already clicked Upload and Certify, you will need to manually remove the Form 8 from VBMS and then clear the Certification date in the VACOLS "utilities menu" in order to cancel the certification.

Clear Certification date in VACOLS

13. What do I do if I need help?

If you need help remembering how to use Caseflow Certification and want to get back to these instructions, you can click the dropdown menu in the top right of Caseflow and select the Help option.

14. How do I certify paper appeals?

You can only certify paperless appeals with Caseflow Certification. If you have a paper appeal, you will have to manually fill out a Form 8. Once it's completed, find the appeal in VACOLS, click the Certify button, then select the Hardcopy claims folder or Virtual VA option. From here you will need to manually fill out a Form 8 for the appeal and type in the Certification Date this window.

Caseflow Cancel Modal

15. What if my appeal has the Form 9, NOD, SOC, and/or SSOC in Virtual VA?

Caseflow Certification does not work with appeals where the Form 9, NOD, SOC, or SSOC are stored in Virtual VA. If, in the rare case, you have an appeal that has these specific documents in a Virtual VA, you will have to manually fill out and upload a regular Form 8 and manually enter the Certification Date in VACOLS. Once the Form 8 is completed, open the appeal in VACOLS, click the Certify button, and select the Hardcopy claims folder or Virtual VA option. Please keep in mind that you should continue to follow existing procedures for sending the "File Certified to BVA" letter after the Form 8 has been uploaded to VBMS.

16. What if my appeal does not have a completed VA-646 form?

VA Form 646 is not a mandatory part of the Certification process to the Board and therefore will not prevent you from certifying the case.

17. How should I send out notification letters after I’ve certified the appeal?

At this time, you’ll need to use your current procedures to send letters to the appellant, representative or others involved in the appeal. We’ve received feedback that this is a burdensome process and we’re working on a way to automate this.

18. Can I use Caseflow Certification with appeals that have been merged together?

Yes! When an appeal is merged, VACOLS uses the oldest appeals document dates (NOD, SOC, Form 9 dates). Caseflow works off of the date entered in VACOLS. So if there were multiple Form 9s, Caseflow would look for the oldest Form 9 for the appeal, just as employees at the Board do today.

19. Should I use Caseflow to process remanded appeals?

At this time, you do not need to use Caseflow to process remands because the appeal will already be certified and have a completed VA-Form 8. You should continue to follow existing procedures to process remands.

20. When will you update Caseflow Certification?

Caseflow Certification will continue to be improved and any feedback that you submit will be directly received and reviewed by our team.

21. What if I still need help?

If you require further assistance after viewing the FAQs, Quick Reference or Training Guide, please contact the Caseflow Product Support Team by phone (1-844-876-5548) or email ([email protected]). We look forward to assisting you.

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