Correcting a rejected document

What you'll learn#

• What "Make Correction" actually does
• How to fix a rejected document and send it back for approval
• What carries over to the new version and what resets
• When to make a correction versus when to start fresh

What correcting does#

When a document is rejected, you have two realistic options:

1. Delete it — if the rejection was final (wrong kind of request, no longer needed, etc.).
2. Make a correction — fix the issue and resubmit.

Make Correction tells VAT Portal: "I'm going to fix the problems and try again." When you click it, a few things happen automatically:

• The document's version bumps up (v1 → v2, v3, v4, and so on each time you correct).
• The document's status changes from Rejected back to Active — ready for you to edit.
• The previous rejected version stays in the history as a separate record, so approvers and auditors can see what happened.

After that, editing and resubmitting works just like a fresh document — with your existing data already filled in.

When the button is available#

The Make Correction button appears on the document detail page only when:

• The document's status is Rejected.
• You have permission to update the document (usually that means you're the creator, or an admin).

If the button isn't there, one of these is the reason:

• The document is still in approval (Approving status).
• It was already approved.
• It was deleted.
• You don't have the permissions — ask your admin.

Step-by-step#

1. Open the rejected document: Document Flow → Documents, then click the document.
2. At the top of the detail page you'll see two buttons next to the title:
   • Make Correction (blue) — what you want.
   • 🗑 Delete (red) — if you've decided not to continue.
3. Look at the Workflow Copies section first. It shows each approval attempt this document has gone through, along with the rejection reason (the comment left by whoever rejected). Read that before correcting so you know what to fix.
4. Click Make Correction.
   • A spinner appears on the button for a moment.
   • The status badge at the top of the page updates from Rejected to Active.
   • The version number goes up by 1.
5. The page now shows your document in Active status, version bumped. Two things change on the page:
   • The red rejection buttons are replaced by the green Start Approval button (plus an Edit button and the delete button).
6. Click Edit to fix the fields, content, or attached file as needed. Save your changes.
7. When you're ready, click Start Approval again to send the document back through the workflow. See Starting the approval process.

What carries over, and what resets#

A correction isn't a "start over from scratch" — most of your work is preserved:

Carries over to the new version:

• All the field values you previously entered.
• The title and content (for request forms) or the uploaded file (for file-based documents).
• Any attachments you added.
• The entire discussion board — every question and reply from the rejected round is still visible, including the rejection's comment in context.
• The document's full history (Action History, Workflow Copies, version numbers).

Resets for the new version:

• The approval progress — when you click Start Approval, the workflow runs from the beginning again (or from the point your admin configured for corrections).
• The task assignees — whoever needs to approve the new version will see new tasks in their My Tasks.

Nothing about a correction erases or hides the previous version. Auditors can always trace what the document looked like each time it was submitted.

Multiple rounds#

There's no limit on how many times you can correct. If v2 gets rejected, you can correct again and create v3. Then v4. Each rejection + correction cycle is recorded in the history.

That said, if a document keeps getting rejected, it's usually worth having a conversation with the approvers — through the Discussion Board — to understand what they actually need before trying another correction.

Correcting vs. creating a new document#

You have two ways to respond to a rejection:

• Make Correction (recommended for most cases) — preserves the history, version trail, and discussion thread. Approvers can see the context.
• Delete and create a new document from scratch — starts fresh with no history. The rejected version still exists in the database, but new approvers won't see it unless they look for it.

Stick with Make Correction unless the rejected document genuinely shouldn't have been submitted at all. Auditors prefer a clean version trail over "I threw it away and made a new one".

Common questions#