# Date of Receipt of Claims and Mail Processing During the COVID-19 National State of Emergency
> **Audit** by Department of Veterans Affairs OIG · 2020-09-17
> *About: Department of Veterans Affairs*
## Report
- **Title:** Date of Receipt of Claims and Mail Processing During the COVID-19 National State of Emergency
- **Submitting OIG:** Department of Veterans Affairs OIG
- **Component agency:** Department of Veterans Affairs
- **Type:** Audit
- **Publication date:** 2020-09-17

## Summary

The OIG reviewed the Veterans Benefits Administration’s (VBA) processing of mail and benefit claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the review team examined whether VBA staff documented the date of receipt for benefits-related correspondence as required by new guidance during the national state of emergency and continued mail operations at VA facilities to ensure benefit claims were processed.


## Recommendations

- **Rec 1** (Closed): Determine what additional actions are needed to make certain that staff understand how to accurately apply the most current guidance to the date of receipt recorded for claims received during the national state of emergency and implement those actions…
- **Rec 2** (Closed): Conduct a review to ensure claims received and completed from March 1, 2020, had the correct date of entitlement applied.
- **Rec 3** (Closed): Reevaluate guidance for the date of receipt recorded for claims without a postmark received during the national state of emergency.
## Source
- [oversight.gov report page](https://www.oversight.gov/reports/audit/date-receipt-claims-and-mail-processing-during-covid-19-national-state-emergency)
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