Submitting paperwork as a 3-ring flexible notebook

[Deg9]

  Another nit-pik question from a newbie.  I'm following the suggestion of some others and will submit my Mom's paperwork as a notebook.  It's a 1/2" three-ring notebook with a flexible cover.  Is it ok to punch 3 holes in a form and should I staple each form together?  Thanks for your patience. 

[VSR]

You can do that, although there isn't really any point/advantage to submitting the claim in a binder.  The binder will likely be discarded immediately once the claim is received.

[AnnieN]

I think Max is on the receiving end so he probably knows what happens when the VA receives binders.  I'm an organized person so I felt better submitting an organized application.  I 3-hole punched the forms.  Generally, there was room in the margins for that.  Once or twice I lost a few unimportant letters of a word.  I separated the forms by dividers and labeled each divider (just wrote on it with a pen).  I did not staple the forms.  I also had a separate area for all the supporting bank statements, etc.  I just lumped all that together in one section at the end.  I put the Form 21-4138 Statement in Support of Claim in the clear plastic cover of the notebook.  I copied everything and keep a separate binder at home with all the records.  We received a favorable decision within 4 months.  Did it help?  I don't know.   

[VSR]

To be entirely honest, giving the claim a two hole punch on the top would be more useful based on how claims files are organized.  Any dividers and labels need to be manually removed by an adjudicator before these documents are eventually scanned.