Define co-located interactions with other teams

[lpciferri]

Admin actions that come back to co-located user:

FOIA/Privacy Act request

• Current State: Co-located adds mail tab in VACOLS and puts case in abeyance location 24. A diary of 30 days is added. (There are no other admin actions that we are required to add a mail tab for.)
• Proposal for Caseflow now: Co-located places task on hold in Caseflow and adds a mail tab in VACOLS. The appeal will be in CASEFLOW location and have a Mail Tab in VACOLS.
• Proposal for Caseflow long term: Assign to FOIA team.

IHP

See VSO epic

• Current State: Co-located contacts VSOs for the IHP, puts the case in abeyance, and adds a diary for X days.
• Proposal for Caseflow now: Co-located places task on hold in Caseflow and contacts VSO as usual.
• Proposal for Caseflow long term: For both AMA and legacy appeals, if a case gets to an attorney or judge without having an IHP, we can assume that the VSO has waived their submission of an IHP. The Board should not hold up an appeal decision because of an IHP.

Waiver of AOJ letter

• Current State: Co-located creates the waiver letter and mails to the Veteran + representative, places the case in abeyance, and adds a diary for 45 days.
• Proposal for Caseflow now: Add hold per designs.
• Proposal for Caseflow long term: Same.

For all: Hearing clarification letter, Unaccredited representative letter, POA clarification, Arneson letter, Retired VLJ letter, New rep arguments (PT_VSO) letter, Address verification

• Current State: Co-located creates the letter and mails to the Veteran + VSO, places the case in abeyance, and adds a diary for 30-45 days.
• Proposal for Caseflow now: Add hold per designs.
• Proposal for Caseflow long term: Same.

Missing hearing transcript

• Current State: Co-located moves appeal to location 24 and an email is sent. A diary is added that starts with 30 days.
• Proposal for Caseflow now: Place hold and email user.
• Proposal for Caseflow long term: Assign directly to transcription user.

Extension request ruling

• Current State: Co-located sends a letter to the Veteran + representative to acknowledge the extension request, places the case in abeyance, and puts a diary on for the length of the extension request.
• Proposal for Caseflow now: Add a hold per our designs.
• Proposal for Caseflow long term: Same.

Pending scanning banner VBMS

• Current State: Per Eugene: PSB in VBMS can be handled 2 ways. 1. If the document is said to have been scanned into VBMS over 30 days prior, I check the pending scanning documents tab for the veteran which list all docs. pending scanning into VBMS. Then I match those docs. up with those that are in the veterans file. If all docs. have been added, I manually close the PBS banner. 2. Send an email to VAVBAWAS/AMO/Appeals Ops AMO-Appeals.Ops@va.govand and request that they have the banner removed. An email is sent to VAVBAWAS/AMO/Appeals Ops AMO-Appeals.Ops@va.gov to request missing docs. be located and added to VBMS or rescanned if illegible.
• Proposal for Caseflow now: No change in process. After completing the steps outlined above, assign case back to attorney.
• Proposal for Caseflow long term: No change in process. After completing the steps outlined above, assign case back to attorney.

Missing records in file

• Current State:
• Proposal for Caseflow now:
• Proposal for Caseflow long term:

Other

• Current State:
• Proposal for Caseflow now:
• Proposal for Caseflow long term:

Substitution determination needed [remove, per Josh Freeman]

Admin actions that don't come back to co-located user:

Schedule hearing

• Current State: An email is sent to the hearing branch and the appeal is charged to 57. Co-located creates a diary, then closes the diary out immediately.
• Proposal for Caseflow now: Caseflow assigns cases to location 57. Co-located does not place a hold. They can open and close a diary in VACOLS if they would like / need to.
• Proposal for Caseflow long term: Route to Caseflow Hearing Schedule?

Notes

Per Josh Freeman - The substitution determination needed category needs to go, there was a change in policy that we would just dismiss those instead.

[lpciferri]

Moving this to some technical documentation because this has been implemented.

https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/caseflow/wiki/Co-located-interactions-with-other-teams