How to audit a claim yourself

1. The dependency gate

A process is a chain of things that must be true. Work through them in order and stop guessing at the end result — the chain tells you where the weakness is.

1. Source. Is there a written source you can point to and read yourself? A method that cannot be traced to a readable text is a claim, not a process.
2. Authority. Does that source actually authorize the thing being proposed? Text existing is different from text granting the power described.
3. Obligated recipient. Is there a specific party the source obligates to receive it? If nobody is obligated to take it, delivery accomplishes nothing.
4. Actual authority to accept. Does the person or office named have real authority to accept it? A clerk, mailroom, or call-center agent usually cannot bind an institution.
5. Governing rule. Which rule, code section, or contract term governs the step? The governing rule sets the form, timing, and effect of what you send.
6. Triggering facts. Do the facts of your situation match the facts the rule requires? Most methods fail because the triggering facts were never present.
7. Acceptance mechanism. How is acceptance actually recorded, and where can you see it? If there is no mechanism to record acceptance, nothing was accepted.
8. Consequence of rejection. What happens, per the source, if it is rejected or ignored? A method with no defined rejection path leaves you exposed.
9. Forum. If it is disputed, where is that dispute decided? The forum determines what evidence and procedure will matter.
10. Evidence of successful use. Is there documented, verifiable evidence of this working as described? Anecdotes and videos are not records of outcome.

2. Classify what you were handed

People rarely lie about their source. They just hand you the wrong category and let you upgrade it in your head. Sort the material before you evaluate the argument.

• Statute — Enacted law text.
• Regulation — Agency rule with published text.
• Full judicial opinion — The whole opinion, not a quoted fragment.
• Official government guidance — Published by the body that administers the program.
• Contract — The signed agreement in full.
• Official procedure or form instructions — The process document a body publishes for itself.
• Screenshot — Unverified excerpt; origin and full context unknown.
• Social video — Presentation, not a source.
• Seminar or course material — Sold interpretation; check what it cites.
• Testimonial — A report of an outcome, not a record of one.
• Someone's interpretation — Useful to read, not a source of authority.
• No source was supplied — Nothing to audit yet.

The first six categories can carry authority. The rest can be interesting, motivating, and completely empty as a source. A screenshot is a picture of something; the something is what matters.

3. The risk tripwires

Most serious harm does not come from believing something odd. It comes from one of these ten actions, taken on the strength of it.

• Stop paying something — Interruption of payment can create default, fees, or reporting consequences independent of whether the claim is valid.
• Let a deadline pass — Deadlines are frequently the thing that decides the outcome. Only the body or a qualified professional can confirm a date for your matter.
• Ignore a court or agency — Non-response is usually treated as a decision, and it is generally the most costly option on the table.
• File a lien or UCC record — Public filings against people or property can carry civil and in some places criminal exposure when unsupported.
• Send an instrument as payment — Sending a document intended to function as money raises acceptance, authority, and fraud questions at the same time.
• Claim an official capacity or status — Asserting an office, capacity, or special status you cannot document is a recognized high-exposure step.
• Use another person's identifiers — Using identifiers belonging to another person or entity is a serious exposure regardless of intent.
• Threaten an official — Threats remove every procedural option you had and create new liability.
• Pay an advance fee for the method — Paying before authority, acceptance, and proof are shown is the most common loss pattern.
• Conceal the method from counsel or the court — A method that must be hidden from the people who decide your matter is telling you something.

4. Ask for an accounting

An accounting is a request for the arithmetic: the starting figure, every addition, the rate applied, the dates used, and the payments credited. It is a normal, unremarkable request, and it frequently resolves a dispute without anyone arguing about authority at all. Ask in writing, keep a copy, and note the date you sent it.

5. Ask for the record

Whoever holds a file about you usually publishes a process for requesting a copy of it. Use the process they publish rather than one described in a template you were sold. Ask for what they hold, when it was created, and where it came from.

6. Keep clean hands

Whatever you decide, the record you leave behind is part of your position. Answer what is addressed to you. Meet the dates set by others. Do not hide the method you are using from the people who will decide the matter. Public paper is not ignored — it is audited, answered, and routed.

Where to go next

Read a specific claim audit in Test a Claim, or take your own situation through WAIT™ and print the summary. None of this is legal advice, and none of it decides your rights.