Obtaining Electronic Access to VA’s Internal Systems to Represent Veterans

Obtaining access to electronic applications within the intranet maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) is crucial for any Veterans Disability advocate. With this access, attorneys can closely monitor the status of a veteran’s VA disability compensation case, confirm VA’s receipt of submitted correspondence, and review the veteran’s electronic claims folder.

This program, presented by Kelsey Craveiro, Esq., will provide an overview of who can obtain electronic access to VA’s internal systems and how to obtain access.  Kelsey will discuss the key electronic applications available in VA’s internal systems, and why the information derived from such applications is essential to the success of any VA disability case.

This course will cover the latest changes in VA regulations that expand eligibility to VA electronic access, as well as the ethical considerations in providing access to administrative staff in a law office.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify eligibility requirements to obtain electronic access to internal systems maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs. This includes a brief overview of VA accreditation and classifications of different types of veterans disability representatives
• Discuss the latest changes to VA regulations expanding access, affording “affiliated” access to accredited representatives as well as non-accredited support staff within the same law office
• Provide an overview of the ethical considerations in providing access to non-accredited support staff, which are informed by ABA’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct
• Review the process of requesting electronic access from VA, including the computer equipment needed to utilize access
• Walk through the steps to access VA’s internal systems once access has been granted. Common troubleshooting methods will be reviewed if a user experiences issues with access
• Identify the most common and helpful electronic applications within VA’s internal systems, including VBMS, CAPRI, and eFolder Express. This will provide an overview of why each application is important to the representation of any disabled veteran seeking VA benefits

Production Date: 8/23/2024