Introducing Dropbox

Introducing Dropbox: A Secure, Self-Service Way for Clients to Get Their Documents

If you’ve ever emailed a veteran their C&P exam results, a decision letter, or a signed fee agreement, you already know the problem: once that email is sent, it’s gone. It sits in an inbox forever, you can’t revoke it if you sent the wrong version, and if the client’s account ever gets compromised, so does everything you ever sent them.

Dropbox is a new feature in VCH that fixes this. It gives every firm a permanent, secure, self-service page where your clients can verify who they are and download exactly the documents you’ve chosen to share with them: nothing more, nothing less.

How it works for your clients

Every firm gets one durable link:

vaclaimhelper.com/vch/dropbox/{your-firm-id}

You can post this link anywhere: your website, your email signature, a text message, an intake packet. It never expires and never changes, so you only have to share it once.

When a veteran or claimant visits the link, they’ll see your firm’s logo and branding, and a short form asking for:

  • First and last name
  • Date of birth
  • The last 4 digits of their Social Security number

That’s it. No account, no password to remember, no app to install. After a quick spam check (the same kind of “I’m not a robot” challenge you’ve seen on other sites), they’re shown a list of exactly the documents you’ve flagged for them, ready to download.

How it works for you

Flagging a document takes one click. From any case’s Documents tab, you’ll see a new Dropbox column. Check the box next to any document and it’s instantly available on that client’s Dropbox page. Uncheck it, and it’s gone. There’s also a Copy Dropbox Link button right there so you can grab your firm’s link without hunting for it.

That’s the entire workflow. No separate upload step, no re-sending. If a document is already in the case, flagging it for Dropbox takes seconds.

Why this is more secure than email

We built Dropbox around a simple principle: the link itself isn’t a secret, so the real protection has to come from verifying the person, not from hiding the URL.

  • Identity verification: name, date of birth, and last-4 SSN together are checked against your firm’s actual case records before anyone sees a document list.
  • Automatic lockout: five incorrect attempts locks that person out of Dropbox entirely. You’ll see it under Admin → Dropbox Lockouts, along with a one-click Unlock button once you’ve confirmed with your client who they are.
  • Short sessions: access expires automatically after 25 minutes of inactivity, so a shared or public computer doesn’t leave the door open behind them.
  • Nothing lingers: downloads are served through short-lived links that expire within minutes, rather than a permanent file sitting in an inbox forever. If you unflag a document, it disappears immediately, even if someone had the page open.

None of this requires anything from you or your client beyond the four pieces of information above. The security happens automatically, behind the scenes.

Getting started

Dropbox is live on your account already. There’s nothing to turn on. Grab your firm’s link from the Copy Dropbox Link button on any case’s Documents tab, flag a document, and it’s ready to share.

Questions? Reach out to VCH support (support@vaclaimhelper.com) and we’ll help you get the most out of it.