[redzaku]

For the verification, you can contact others as a backup plan, but generally they are volunteers, so they have priorities, also once done, it would take 2 to six weeks, or even longer if you made a thread asking about the length when there is many threads about it and did not do much research.
for storing battery in the grip, you should look at the pts direction, they are coming out with one that you can stick a battery in it, but don't quote me on the release date