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Did you request your claims folder on CD/DVD in 2019 or later?

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Vync

Describe your experience after requesting your claims folder on disc  

3 members have voted

  1. 1. How long did it take to receive it?

    • Less than six months
      1
    • Six to 12 months
      1
    • More than 12 months
      1
    • VA had to create and send a new disc
      0
  2. 2. Was it sent certified mail?

    • Yes
      0
    • Yes and the VA provided the tracking number
      0
    • Yes, but the VA refused to provide the tracking number
      1
    • No
      2
  3. 3. Was it sent return receipt (green card)?

    • Yes, but my signature was not required
      0
    • Yes, but I had to sign for it
      0
    • Yes, I was supposed to sign for it, but it was just delivered
      0
    • No
      3
  4. 4. What was inside the envelope?

    • CD/DVD only (no letter)
      2
    • CD/DVD with a letter
      1
  5. 5. Was the Adobe Acrobat PDF file protected or secured in any way?

    • No, I could double-click the PDF file and it opened right up
      3
    • Yes, I double-clicked the PDF file and had to enter a password.
      0
    • Yes, I had to run an application that decrypted the file
      0
    • Yes, the CD/DVD was protected with some form of whole disc encryption
      0
  6. 6. Were the file contents redacted?

    • Yes
      2
    • No
      1


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  • Content Curator/HadIt.com Elder

I recently received mine, but it did not go as well as expected. I am curious about anyone else's experiences.

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Vync- COVID has about 90% of us working from home, and even Janesville was on a skeleton staffing due to occupancy restrictions, so, yeah, COVID sucks for everybody. Its taking us months to get stuff from NARA for the last year. It only recently (in the last few weeks) started to pickup but OPM still has everyone on a 'max telework' footing, so we work from home. NARA isn't under the VA so I don't know what their situation looks like currently. A month and a half ago I FB chatted with someone that works at NARA and he said they were bout 400,000 requests behind- those requests comprising VA and other government agencies, civilians, etc. 

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"Does the lack of any password or security cause you any concern you considering what is in the file? What if it had fell into the wrong hands during shipment?"

Vync,

Honestly, it would have in the past, but now I'm over it.  I have embraced all of the security currently available and am going that way.  Too hard to fight the man.

Both my online banks, I have double ID security.  So, if someone wanted to get to my money they would have to have my password and my cell phone in their hands at the same time, etc.

Now, even my bank requires I use my debit card to withdrawal money even when I am standing at the counter.  Also, I live in a small town and know everyone that works at the bank and they know me.  And if I am away from home, again, passwords and zip codes.  That, and I don't have a lot of money in the bank for when I go to the home. 

Better to have some cash in a can somewhere, LOL.  

Hamslice

I could also see where giving the Veteran a pass key to get into an encrypted file would only cause another delay when the Veteran misplaced the password.  You have to wait days, months, years as it is now, there would have to be a clerk on the ready for those calls.

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Content Curator/HadIt.com Elder

@blahsaysme2u The labels on the bookmarks were pretty crazy. It is like they combined several fields and added the trailing GUID (unique alphanumeric value). At least some of the bookmarks could be collapsed. I had one which had a bookmark for every page and included the page number (over 1000 pages). 
  I also found pages scattered all over the place. Page 2 of a decision was just stuck in between a bunch of medical records.

@Hamslice Same here. I have multifactor authentication setup on everything now. I'm glad the VA finally started adding a pin so nobody could change direct deposit information.

@brokensoldier244thWorking remotely due to COVID is understandable. I assume that the physical disc burning equipment was stored at an actual VA facility. Kind of hard to access it and mail out discs when working from home.
  Thanks for checking. When I received my VAMC medical records in the mail, it was on disc. A letter was enclosed telling me how to calculate the password using a combination of details only I would know. Many of those same documents were included in the c-file I received recently.
  I remember reading an article a few years ago where some regional offices were caught sending out sensitive private information that was unprotected, which is why they began redacting info. For example, you might have a set of orders from the entrance processing facility off to basic training. It included your name and SSN, but also included names and SSNs of other new recruits. I also noticed many of the service treatment records had redactions from where the doctor's stamp also included their SSN. I'm glad they are doing that, too. 

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Okay, before I fire off this email, what is the most RECENT Cfile on CD anyone has gotten? The St. Lous RMC is closed, I think, like, permanently and has been for awhile. That postmark looks like 2017. I don't want to email my Chief InfoSec/Privacy officer is this is an old example.....

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  • Content Curator/HadIt.com Elder

@brokensoldier244thI sent you a PM yesterday. My disc was mailed earlier this month. Both the outer envelope and the CD mailer are labeled with Saint Louis Regional Office. The zip code on the outer envelope and the postmark match, so it must have really came from that facility.

Edited by Vync
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