Inquiry Routing and Information System                                                                       According to the VA website many veterans are having trouble with IRIS.  See below.                                                                                 Many of you have been having trouble with IRIS recently, so I wanted to give some pointers on how to get your requests in and let you know what IRIS is if you’re reading this scratching your head.                                                          The Inquiry Routing and Information System (IRIS) is our secure email messaging system.  IRIS is a secure way to send queries that would contain your personally identifiable information (PII) to us via the internet.  Most times, when you submit through IRIS you can choose how you want us to respond either by phone, email or mail.                                                                             The trick to getting a response, though, is making sure your inquiry gets to us.  I spoke with the VA employee who runs IRIS and she gave me some technical info that I wanted to pass on.                                                                           A lot of Vets are having trouble transmitting through IRIS because of issues with the internet browser you are using.  Basically, your security setting is really high on your browser of choice and it doesn’t let the transmission go through.  To check if Internet Explorer fits in this category (and to change the setting to submit a question through IRIS) follow these steps:                                                                               1. At the top of the browser go to “Tools” 2. From that drop down menu, choose “Internet Options” 3. In the box that appears choose the tab labeled “Security” 4. Click on the globe icon labeled “Internet” 5. In the box labeled “Security label for this zone” slide the bar on the scale to “Medium” 6. Click Apply                                                                       If you follow those steps and you still can’t get your inquiry through, make sure:                                                                     1. You are running a standard version—not a hybrid—of your browser.  You can check this by going to “Help” at the top of the screen and clicking “About Internet Explorer” from the drop down menu.  The box that pops up will tell you whether or not you’ve got a hybrid.                    2. You have java script enabled.  To check, go back to “Tools,” click “Internet Options” and go to the “Advanced” tab.  Scroll down until you see “Java” and make sure the box underneath is checked.If you run all those checks and you’re still having problems, leave a comment and I’ll get you to the right person to help out.                                                                                               One EASY way to bypass all of the above is to call 800-827-1000.  When you get a VA representative on the telephone ask (nicely) them to run an IRIS for you.

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