Update: Finally got on the phone with someone and they told me that the local office wouldn't be able to help me. They said that the only thing that I could do is just wait the 16 weeks processing time. I asked her what I should do if they still don't show on the website after that 16 weeks & she basically said wait some more. Apparently, when they get them, they just sit in a mail room for the department they are bound for until someone is ready to process it. It's never "received" until they actually begin to process it, so they have no way of knowing if they've actually gotten them.