08/13/2026

VACOLS y VBMS: Cómo los errores en dos bases de datos de la VA negaron por error las reclamaciones de los veteranos

Beneficios de Veteranos, Discapacidad VA,

The two VA computer databases, VACOLS (Veterans Appeals Control and Locator System) and VBMS (Veterans Benefits Management System), were responsible for the wrongful closure of thousands of veteran disability benefit appeal cases between December 12, 1990 and February 6, 2025.

This database error is at the center of the Freund vs Collins class-action lawsuit, which has produced a proposed settlement that would require the VA to reopen disability appeals that may have been wrongly closed during this time. While you do not need to be an expert in either database, you can better understand the Freund case by knowing how the two systems worked together to manage veteran records and appeals.  

What is VACOLS?

VACOLS used to be the VA’s tracking system for appeals during the legacy era, from 1990 to 2025. This is the database that tracked where a veteran’s benefit claim appeal stood as it moved it throughout the evaluation process.

In the context of the Freund case, VACOLS is the database with the system design flaw that resulted in a procedural problem.  

What is VBMS?

Rolled out nationally in 2013, VBMS is the VA’s modern digital processing and tracking system for veteran benefit claims. It displays every document in a veteran’s claims file in a searchable, taggable format, and it also holds basic contact, family, VA debt or overpayment history, and service information.

While VBMS was created to speed up the processing claims by storing all the documents electronically, no program was created that let VBMS and VACOLS talk to each other.

What is the Freund case and how do VACOLS and VBMS play a role?

Under the proposed settlement in the Freund v. Collins case, the Department of Veterans Affairs would review and potentially reopen tens of thousands of flagged files that may have been closed in error by VACOLS and VMBS. Veterans or their surviving family members whose appeals were closed due to the error alone would be members of the class.

The proposed settlement reaches back across a 35-year stretch, capturing appeals wrongly closed between December 12, 1990 and February 6, 2025.

Where did the Freund error come from?

This failure is at the heart of the Freund case: VACOLS had an automated rule that would close appeals on the first of every month if it did not see a Formulario VA 9 (Substantive Appeal) on file. When VBMS was introduced in 2013, VACOLS still could not automatically access files stored in VBMS, so even if a veteran’s Form 9 existed in VBMS, VACOLS had no way of seeing it, and the automated closures continued.  

This created two ways for a valid appeal to be wrongly closed:

1. The timing lag: A veteran’s Substantive Appeal could be filed on time but not recorded in the tracking system until later in the month due to VA’s own internal document log delays. The filing may have been timely, the document may have been in VBMS, but the paperwork may have still been processing by the first of the month.
2. The Form 9 blind spot: For appeals made before March 24, 2015, valid written documents other than a VA Form 9 could serve as a Substantive Appeal, but the automated process was specifically looking for a Form 9 and missed other valid documents serving as a Substantive Appeal.

In both cases the appeal was closed as if nothing had ever been filed and the veteran was not told. That silent, mistaken closure is what the Freund class action is about.

How veterans can view their records today

Veterans are often surprised at how limited their access is to their own records. While veterans can access their files, they are not able to see the VA’s internal notes and status claims. However, working with a VA-accredited attorney allows veterans access to their file electronically through their representative, as well as see the VA’s internal notes and claims status online. Veterans can go about this in two ways:

1. To authorize access to an accredited representative, a veteran needs to fill out VA Form 21-22 or 21-22a. This opens the VA’s internal notes and claim-status information and grants the representative access to VA treatment records with an authorized power of attorney.
2. To obtain your records on your own, you must submit a Privacy Act request to the VA. This can take up to a year to process.
3. Note that unaccredited “claims consultants” cannot access your file at all.

What this means for your potential Freund claim

The takeaway for veterans is straightforward: your records can show whether your appeal was wrongly closed or not within VACOLS, and getting to those records quickly usually means working with an accredited representative. A VA-accredited attorney can review your file to confirm whether a timely Substantive Appeal was treated as missing, and tell you honestly whether your case falls under the Freund class action claim. 

Cómo Deuterman puede ayudar con su reclamación de Freund

Deuterman Law Group specializes in VA disability appeals and has helped thousands of veterans navigate complex cases like those affected by the potential Freund settlement.

If you filed an appeal under the legacy appeals system and it was closed without a decision being issued, you may be part of the class. Contact Deuterman Law Group today for an attorney to review your file and guide you through the potential settlement process.

Preguntas Frecuentes

P1: ¿Qué es el caso Freund?

Respuesta: El caso Freund es un acuerdo propuesto de demanda colectiva en el que el Departamento de Asuntos de los Veteranos ha acordado revisar miles de apelaciones de discapacidad que su software heredado, el Sistema de Control y Localizador de Apelaciones de Veteranos (VACOLS, por sus siglas en inglés), pudo haber cerrado erróneamente.

P2: ¿Cuál fue el período de tiempo afectado por el caso Freund?

Respuesta: El acuerdo propuesto se remonta a un período de 35 años, abarcando las apelaciones cerradas entre el 12 de diciembre de 1990 y el 6 de febrero de 2025.

P3: ¿Cuántos veteranos se vieron afectados por el caso Freund?

Respuesta: Más de 92.000 veteranos identificados pueden haberse visto afectados: 28.258 apelantes cuyos casos serán auditados automáticamente por el VA; aproximadamente 64.000 veteranos adicionales o familiares sobrevivientes que recibirán una notificación del VA; y un número desconocido de otros que utilizaron un formulario de apelación diferente y no fueron detectados por la revisión automatizada del VA.

Pregunta 4: What is the difference between VACOLS and VBMS?

Respuesta: Both are VA computer systems involved in the Freund case. VACOLS was the legacy appeals-tracking system, the one that closed appeals automatically, and VBMS is the VA’s internal claims file and document system.

P5: Why did the VA close my appeal without telling me?

Respuesta: In the Freund case, the automated tracking process swept appeals closed on a monthly cycle when it didn’t see a Substantive Appeal on file, either because the timely filing hadn’t been recorded yet, or because a valid non-Form-9 filing was missed. Veterans generally received no notice.

P6: Can I look at my own VBMS records?

Respuesta: Not directly. Veterans don’t get electronic access to their file. An accredited attorney or VSO can access it after you sign a power of attorney (VA Form 21-22 or 21-22a), or you can file a Privacy Act request for your full C-file, which can take up to a year.

Q7: Can a claims consultant get my records?

Respuesta: No. Unaccredited claims consultants cannot access your VA file at all, only VA-accredited attorneys, agents, and VSOs can.