What does the status of my claim mean?

Claims submitted to Food Export’s Branded Program go through various stages of internal review prior to the reimbursement being issued. Program participants can, and should, check the status of their claims in the portal on a regular basis. Here is some insight into what each of those statuses mean and when a participant should be prompted to follow up with Branded Program staff:

• In Process

If a claim is “in process” it means that it has not been submitted to us for review. The claim is not in our queue for review when it is “in process”. When “in process”, edits can still be made including uploading additional files. If you believe your claim should be “submitted” and it is still “in process”, please contact Branded Program staff so we may provide assistance. Completed claims must be submitted!

• Submitted

The claim has been entered into our queue for review. Claims are reviewed by our staff in the order they are received. Once “submitted”, the claim can no longer be edited. If a correction or addition needs to be made, please contact Branded Program staff and they can put the claim back into “in process” status. The claim will then need to be re-submitted. The time it takes us to initially review a submitted claim varies throughout the year because it depends on the volume of submitted claims in the queue.

Important! Claims need to be submitted within 60 days of the marketing activity taking place and invoices being paid (whichever is later). Claims submitted more than 60 days after the activity takes place are subject to denial. The final deadline for all completed claim submissions for the year is February 28th of the following year.

• More Info Requested

When in “more info requested” status the claim is missing necessary documentation needed to move the claim forward in the review process. Branded Program staff will contact the participant by email when a claim is put into this status with details on what documentation or additional back up is still required. Additional documentation requested needs to be submitted to staff or added to the claim in the portal within the timeframe outlined in the correspondence. If the additional documentation is not received within that timeframe, the claim is subject to a lesser reimbursement or denial.

• Reviewed

Once a claim is “reviewed”, it means it has passed the initial review by the Branded Program team. It is possible that an additional document or clarification could still be requested as the claim is further processed, but at this stage Branded staff have determined that the claim is eligible. Once in “reviewed”, the reimbursable amount of the claim can be viewed in the portal.

• Approved

The claim has been fully vetted by the Branded team and is on its way to being reimbursed. “Approved” does not necessarily mean the entire claim amount is being reimbursed, it means that at least a portion of the claim is being reimbursed. The approved amount of the claim can be viewed in the portal.

• Approved- Sent to Finance

The claim is now in the Finance team’s queue awaiting reimbursement. At this stage participants should be patient because Branded staff will send an email when the reimbursement is on its way!

• Paid

Reimbursement has been issued by Food Export. If the reimbursement is not received (by ACH or check) within 5-7 business days from the paid date, please contact Branded Program staff.

• Denied

The claim is not eligible for reimbursement. There are many reasons why this may be the case. Food Export has many resources on its website regarding eligibility of expenses, and everyone is encouraged to be familiar with the program regulations. The Branded Program is federally funded and therefore federally audited so Food Export takes the eligibility of claims very seriously. Please reach out to Branded Program staff with any questions about a denied claim.