This list of the various claim statuses that display in the online claims system is meant to provide you with an understanding of the possible statuses that apply to claims. Please be aware that your claim may not go through every status as some only apply to certain types of claims. You may find it helpful when reviewing this document to also review the “VCF Claim Review Process” document, which can be found under “Forms and Resources” on the VCF website.
Note: When your claim is in a review status, you might see a change in either the “Eligibility Status Date” or the “Compensation Status Date” without seeing a corresponding change in the claim status. This reflects that the VCF has taken some action on your claim, but the action has not changed the overall claim status. This occurs on a regular basis as your claim moves through the various steps in the review process. In addition, your claim may appear to move “back” a status based on the circumstances of the claim over time. For example, a claim that shows as “Under Review” may move back to “Preliminary Review” once eligibility is approved and the claim is ready for compensation review.
| Status | What it Means |
|---|---|
| Submitted: Pending Preliminary Review (Applies to Eligibility and Compensation) | Your claim is ready to be assigned for preliminary review. Claims are assigned for review based on the date the compensation claim was submitted, working from oldest to newest. This means your claim may remain in this status for an extended period of time as older claims are given priority for assignment. |
| Preliminary Review (Applies to Eligibility and Compensation) | The VCF is reviewing your claim to confirm that you have submitted the “minimally required” documents necessary to process your claim. In addition to a complete claim form, the VCF requires certain other documents before your claim can move forward for substantive review. These documents are listed in Section 1.8 of the VCF “Policies and Procedures”, along with additional details about the Preliminary Review process. We will contact you if any of the documents necessary to process your claim are missing. |
| Ready for Reviewer: Pending Review (Applies to Eligibility and Compensation) | You have submitted the “minimally required” documents necessary to process your claim, Preliminary Review is complete, and your claim is ready to be assigned to a claim reviewer to begin substantive review. Claims are assigned for review based on the date the compensation claim was submitted, working from oldest to newest. As a result, your claim may remain in this status for an extended period of time as older claims are given priority for assignment. The FAQs on the VCF website include more information about the expected timing for review of your claim. |
| Under Review (Applies to Eligibility and Compensation) | The VCF is reviewing your claim form and the documentation you submitted in support of your claim. We will contact you if additional information is needed in order to render a decision on your claim. Your claim will also briefly return to this status once it moves to “Special Master Review” and a determination has been rendered. This occurs while we are entering the Special Master’s determination into the system. When your claim returns to “Under Review” after being in “Special Master Review” status, the decision should be entered within one week. In general, claims that move back to “Under Review” for more than one week require additional information and we will contact you to explain what is needed. |
| Special Master Review (Applies to Eligibility and Compensation) | Your claim is with the Special Master for determination. All claims in this status will briefly move back to “Under Review” while the Special Master’s determination is entered into the system. For some claims, such as those claiming Non-Economic Loss only, this status does not apply and your claim could move from “Under Review” to a final determination status without ever displaying this status. |
| Approved (Applies to Eligibility) | The Special Master has determined that you are eligible to receive compensation, and we have mailed you a letter with more details about the decision. |
| Denied | The Special Master has determined that you are not eligible to receive compensation, and we have mailed you a letter with more details about the decision. |
| Determination Made: Processing (Applies to Compensation) | The award determination on your claim has been entered into the system and the VCF is doing a final quality check before sending your award letter. The quality check process may take several months, and claims are prioritized for quality checks based on the date the compensation claim or amendment was submitted, working from oldest to newest, regardless of the order in which the claims moved to “Determination Made: Processing” status. This also includes claims where we have notified you of the amount of your award but are waiting for you to submit requested documentation that is required in order to process payment on your claim. Note: The VCF will not review any new documents you submit in support of your claim after your claim moves to this status as doing so would delay the issuance of your award. If you have documents to submit at this stage, you should wait to receive your award letter and then file an amendment and submit the new documents as part of the amendment. The VCF will review the amendment and documents based on the date the amendment is submitted. |
| Compensation Determination Sent | The VCF has completed review of your claim, calculated the amount of your loss, and mailed you a letter with the details of your award. |
| Amend/Appeal: Pending Preliminary Review (Applies to Eligibility and Compensation Amendments) | Your claim is pending assignment for preliminary re-review of your claim and any new documents you submitted. This status will show if you amended your claim to add a new condition, to provide new information related to your eligibility information, and/or to provide new compensation information. Note: This status can also apply to claims for which an amendment was not submitted, but new documents were submitted and the VCF is conducting a preliminary review of the new documents to determine the appropriate next steps. |
| Amend/Appeal: Preliminary Review (Applies to Eligibility and Compensation Amendments) | The VCF is doing a preliminary review of the new information you provided with your amendment to confirm we have the required supporting documents and/or information that is needed for substantive review. We will contact you if we need additional information. |
| Amend/Appeal: Pending Review (Applies to Eligibility and Compensation Amendments) | The VCF has received all of the documents necessary to process your amendment and your claim is ready to be assigned to a claim reviewer for substantive re-review. Claims are assigned for re-review based on the date the amendment was submitted, from oldest to newest. Note: This status can also apply to claims for which an amendment was not submitted, but new documents were submitted and the VCF is reviewing the new documents and re-evaluating your claim. |
| Amend/Appeal: Under Review (Applies to Eligibility and Compensation Amendments) | The VCF is re-reviewing your claim and any new documents submitted:
|
| Amend/Appeal: Special Master Review (Applies to Eligibility and Compensation Amendments) | The Special Master is reviewing your amendment or appeal for determination. For some amendments, such as those claiming Non-Economic Loss only, this status does not apply and your amendment could move from “Under Review” to a final determination status without ever displaying this status. |
| Assessing Documents | The VCF rendered a decision on your claim, after which you then submitted a new document without filing an amendment. The VCF is reviewing the document and will contact you if we need additional information. |
| Inactive | The VCF has stopped processing your claim and has notified you that your claim has been placed in “Inactive” status. This may happen because:
When you are ready to submit the requested information or documents, you can amend your claim or upload the information through the online system to reactivate the claim for review. |
| Comp – Unable to Process | The VCF has stopped processing your claim and has notified you that your claim has been placed in this status. Although you have been deemed eligible for compensation, we are missing one or more documents that were previously requested and are required in order to calculate your award. This may happen for several reasons, such as:
When you are ready to submit the requested information or documents, you can upload the information through the online system to reactivate the claim for review. |
| On Hold – Claimant Passed Away | The VCF has been notified that the victim for this claim has passed away since the Personal Injury claim was initiated or submitted. The VCF will stop processing the original claim while waiting for the Personal Representative to do one of the following:
The VCF website provides more detailed information on the steps to take if a Personal Injury victim passes away after filing a claim. |
| Superseded | A new Deceased claim has been filed for a victim who had a prior Personal Injury claim. The original claim will be placed in this status along with the last Eligibility or Compensation status associated with the claim. This status will display once the VCF has verified the Personal Representative on the Deceased claim. Once in this status, the original claim can be viewed through the online system but cannot be modified. |
| Withdrawn | The VCF received your request to withdraw your claim, and the claim will not be processed. We mailed you a letter confirming that your claim has been withdrawn. |
| Cancelled | A duplicate registration or claim form has been filed for the same individual. The VCF has confirmed the correct claim to process and has cancelled this claim. No further action will be taken on this claim, and you cannot modify it. |
| New! Abandoned | The VCF has closed your claim and will not issue an award because we believe that you are no longer interested in pursuing your claim. You are eligible for compensation from the VCF, but you have not completed the Compensation section of your claim form and we cannot decide the amount of your award without the information requested in that section. When you are ready to submit this information, call our Helpline and ask to re-open your claim in our online system. |
The following claim statuses are only applicable to claims where the claimant is not the victim. This includes claims filed by a Personal Representative (“PR”) of a deceased victim, as well as claims filed by a guardian of a non-minor. These claims require the VCF to validate the individual who filed the claim as the person authorized to represent the victim for the claim before any further review can occur. The statuses listed below are specific to the validation process and therefore apply only to Registration.
| Status | What it Means |
|---|---|
| Submitted - PR | Your claim is ready to be assigned for preliminary review to confirm that the individual filing the claim is authorized to represent the victim. |
| Preliminary PR Review | The VCF is reviewing your claim to confirm that you have submitted the required documents to establish your authority as the valid Personal Representative or guardian of the victim. We will contact you if any of the documents required to validate your authority are missing. The list of documents required to process a claim when the claimant is not the victim can be found on the VCF website. |
| Awaiting Substantive PR Review | The required documents have been received and your claim is ready for assignment to a claim reviewer for substantive review to validate your authority as the Personal Representative or guardian of the victim. |
| Under PR Review | Your claim has been assigned to a reviewer for purposes of validating your authority as the Personal Representative or guardian of the victim. The VCF will contact you if we need any additional information. |
| Pending PR Validation | All required documentation has been received and your claim is pending validation of the authority of the Personal Representative or guardian to act on the victim’s behalf. |
| PR Validated | The VCF has determined that you are authorized to act as the valid Personal Representative or guardian of the victim, and your claim can move forward for review. You will receive a letter with details about the decision. Now that the VCF has completed the validation process, Eligibility and Compensation statuses will move to “Ready for Reviewer: Pending Review”. If you amended a claim originally filed by a victim to add a Personal Representative through a PR amendment, the VCF will resume review of the claim from the last active status prior to the filing of the amendment. |
| PR Denied | The Special Master has determined that you are not authorized as the valid Personal Representative or guardian of the victim for purposes of filing a VCF claim. You will receive a letter with details about the decision. |