. . . after a certain nationally-uniform length of time has passed, etc.?

The deposited amount can very easily be subtracted back from your balance under any number of circumstances (stolen checks or money orders, counterfeits, insufficient payer's check funds). It wouldn't seem efficient to have everyone calling the bank a few days after every deposit.
Banks have standards for clearing government checks (state or federal), local company checks like payroll, local personal checks, out-of-town checks, out-of-state checks. Government checks typically clear overnight (except Sat & Sun, since there is no check clearing those nights).

So what kind of check did you deposit and what is your bank's clearing policy? If your bank says 9 days for out-of-state checks, you count nine business days after deposit before you have good funds. And of course, you do not have to call the bank to ensure the check has cleared. Everything is automated. So go online to your bank's website, log into your account and verify that funds are cleared. You can also do "account balance" at one of your bank's ATM machines.