VA.gov Privacy Policy
This update makes two changes to the VA.gov Privacy Policy: a small wording tweak from "health care" to "healthcare" in two places, and the addition of a new link to CLEAR's privacy policy under the "Account policies" section, alongside the existing links to ID.me and Login.gov.
New third-party identity verification option: CLEAR
VA.gov added a link to CLEAR's privacy policy in the same section as ID.me and Login.gov, which are the services VA.gov uses to verify your identity when you sign up for an account. This indicates CLEAR may now be used for that purpose too. If you use CLEAR to verify your identity, whatever information you give them is handled under CLEAR's own privacy policy, not VA's — the diff doesn't say what specifically CLEAR collects, so you should read CLEAR's policy yourself before using it.
“[CLEAR privacy policy](https://www.clearme.com/privacy-policy)”
What you can do — Before using CLEAR to verify your identity on VA.gov, read CLEAR's privacy policy at https://www.clearme.com/privacy-policy to understand what information you'd be sharing with them.
| 96 | 96 | - Transactions and site usability: We use Session Cookies to improve how you navigate through our website and conduct transactions. Session Cookies are used to maintain your online session as you browse over several pages, or to store and enter information on a web page so that you do not have to reenter the same information, repetitively. Session Cookies may also be used to collect referral statistics when you click on a link to or from a VA.gov web page. |
| 97 | 97 | |
| 98 | 98 | If you do not want to accept cookies, you can edit your browser's options to block cookies or to prompt you before accepting a cookie from the websites you visit. [Learn how to block cookies](https://www.usa.gov/optout-instructions) |
| 99 | 99 | |
| 100 | 100 | ### Registration and log in |
| 101 | 101 | |
| 102 | You are always welcome to use VA.gov without registering or logging in for certain services such as general content browsing, finding VA facilities, and completing forms to apply for health care or education benefits. Other areas of the site that use your personal information and VA records, such as when you save a benefit application for submission later, refill a prescription, use secure messaging with your health care provider, and check the status of claims and appeals will require an email address, password, and additional methods for identification. | |
| 102 | You are always welcome to use VA.gov without registering or logging in for certain services such as general content browsing, finding VA facilities, and completing forms to apply for healthcare or education benefits. Other areas of the site that use your personal information and VA records, such as when you save a benefit application for submission later, refill a prescription, use secure messaging with your healthcare provider, and check the status of claims and appeals will require an email address, password, and additional methods for identification. | |
± CHANGEDWording change: "health care" to "healthcare" The policy now spells "healthcare" as one word instead of two, in the sentence about using VA.gov without registering and the sentence about secure messaging with your provider. This is just a style change and doesn't change what the policy means. | ||
| 103 | 103 | |
| 104 | 104 | ### Password protection |
| 105 | 105 | |
| 106 | 106 | When you register for a VA.gov account, access to your personal information will be protected by multifactor authentication, which includes an email address, a password, and at least 1 other authentication factor such as a cellular phone that can receive security codes via text message. We strongly recommend that you do not divulge your password to anyone and that you change it on a regular basis, and that you do not share the device used for your additional authentication factor. |
| 107 | 107 | |
| 108 | 108 | ### Saving passwords by browser |
| 169 | 169 | ## Terms of use |
| 170 | 170 | |
| 171 | 171 | [VA.gov online services terms of use](https://www.va.gov/terms-of-use) |
| 172 | 172 | |
| 173 | 173 | ## Account policies |
| 174 | 174 | |
| 175 | [CLEAR privacy policy](https://www.clearme.com/privacy-policy) | |
+ ADDEDNew link to CLEAR's privacy policy A link to CLEAR's privacy policy was added under the "Account policies" section, next to the existing links for ID.me and Login.gov. These are the outside companies VA.gov uses to verify your identity when you create an account. This addition suggests CLEAR is now, or will be, offered as another way to verify your identity on VA.gov. | ||
| 176 | ||
| 175 | 177 | [ID.me privacy policy](https://www.id.me/privacy) |
| 176 | 178 | |
| 177 | 179 | [Login.gov privacy policy](https://www.login.gov/policy/) |
| 178 | 180 | |
| 179 | 181 | ## Other VA policies |
| 180 | 182 | |