I need a copy of my letter and lost it

Losing the PDF happens: a new phone, a wiped laptop, a Downloads folder purged. We keep every letter for at least 90 days after purchase. Email support with your appeal ID and we deliver a fresh download link within one business day.

What we need from you

• Your appeal ID if you have it (from your download URL or confirmation email)
• If not, the email address you used at checkout and the approximate date of purchase
• The last four digits of the card used (helps us verify)

What you get back

• A fresh download link
• Optionally, the letter emailed to you as an attachment (say so in your email)

How to find your appeal ID without support

Try these before emailing:

• Search your email for "Basis Appeals" or "basis-works" and check the confirmation
• Search your email for the Stripe receipt (subject usually starts with "Your receipt from...")
• Check your browser history for pages under /downloading/ or /help/
• Check your Downloads folder for a file starting with basis-appeals-

After 90 days

We hold the letter for 90 days by default. After that:

• Structured data (intake fields, generated text) may still exist in our archive
• The PDF may be regenerated on request from the archive
• Anything older than 12 months may have been deleted per our data-retention policy (see Is my information private)

For long-term storage on your side

• Save a copy to cloud storage as soon as you download it (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox)
• Print two copies and file the paper
• Email yourself a copy from your download page (there is a checkbox for this)

If you also lost the certified-mail record

• Certified-mail tracking history at usps.com is retained for two years and can be looked up with the tracking number
• If you lost the tracking number too, the receipt from the Post Office had it; check any accordion folder or scanned document
• If you paid the Post Office by card, check your bank statement for the certified-mail line item (it might have the tracking reference)

If you cannot recover the tracking record, you can still argue delivery based on the plan's acknowledgment (if you have one) or by requesting the plan's own record of when they received the appeal.

If you also lost the plan's decision letter

The plan is required to maintain claim files for a period specified by state and federal regulation (usually 6 to 10 years). Request a copy of the claim file. For ERISA plans, 29 CFR 2560.503-1(h)(2)(iii) gives you the right to relevant documents. For Medicare Advantage, 42 CFR 422.560 gives you similar rights.

Sample request:

"Please provide a copy of the complete claim file for [claim number], including the denial letter, all appeals, and all correspondence. This request is made under 29 CFR 2560.503-1(h)(2)(iii)."

Building the record fresh

If you lost everything and need to reconstruct:

1. Request the claim file from the plan
2. Request the tracking history from USPS
3. Request the letter from us
4. Reconstruct the timeline as best you can

Not ideal, but usable.

What we cannot do

• We cannot retrieve mail lost by USPS
• We cannot retrieve the plan's records on your behalf; you have to request them
• We cannot regenerate a letter for an appeal you did not actually pay for

Prevention going forward

• Set up a naming convention (see How to keep a paper trail that helps a future lawyer)
• Store the letter in more than one place from day one
• Keep the tracking number in a note on your phone