I finally heard from CRC today that my appeal was granted, and the Feb. 28 deadline has been extended. They are giving me 4 weeks from today to complete the process. I wonder if my Bosch money will show up now without me having to chase it down...
So at least in my case, Lieff Cabraser (who represents plaintiffs on the appeals committee) stuck to their guns and held VW accountable to the terms of the settlement. I'm sure in the end it came down to the independent 3rd party, since from what I gathered VW was fighting tooth and nail. Since we have no insight into this mysterious 3rd party, and no way to review any of the deliberations, it's just a black hole. For those of us who ended up winning, it worked, but if you got denied with no explanation I'm sure it feels very unjust, and rightfully so. They should at least have to explain the decision, and prove that all relevant information was presented. I see this lack of transparency as a failure in the settlement, but... it is what it is, I guess.