Don't make the classic mistake of writing your reference number only on the outside of your envelope. Your correspondence is opened in the mail room, the contents removed and sent on its way, and your envelope is usually discarded.                                                        4.  Let the government agency know if you move. If you move and don't inform VA, you may not get your checks or important letters. Be sure to advise your local post office to forward your mail. It will do so for up to a year.                                 VA is divided into several large departments, and their computers are not yet all talking to each other (they are working on that). If you call your local VA hospital to change the address for your clinic appointments, never assume that information will get to the regional office to update your monthly compensation check. This suggestion is especially true if you have direct deposit of your check.

5.  Save your correspondence. Development, award and information letters are sent to inform you of your claim and should be kept for future reference. If a problem arises, these letters (chronologically arranged) can help to piece together what happened with your claim.                                            VA letters are very informative and written in easy-to-understand language. Many veterans, however, only pay attention to the first page, which usually shows the dollar amount they will receive, and ignore the other pages.                                                   For example, a veteran rated 30% or more disabled who later marries and has children is eligible for an additional dependents' allotment. But if he doesn't read his original award letter, he won't know this additional benefit is available.

6.  Wait a reasonable time. Find out how long a claim of your type takes and then contact the agency if you haven't heard. If VA sends a claimant a letter and no response is received, the claim is closed. Periodic status checks on your claim can avoid this problem.                               7.  Pay attention to time limits.  If your VA letter states you have 30 or 60 days to file or respond--believe it! Many claims get denied simply because evidence or information was not received on time. If you wait too long, an entirely new claim may have to be filed.                         If you are a procrastinator and drop your response in the mailbox on the last day it's due, there could be delays. If that day is a Friday, the mail might just not be picked up until Monday and not actually postmarked until Tuesday. Therefore, you exceeded the time limit. This rule can also be applied in reverse to save you time.

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