Terms of Service
Contents
1. Introduction & What This Is
VAClaims (“the Service”) is a personal VA disability claims tracking application operated by Bridging the Gap to Your VA Benefits (“the Operator,” “we,” “us”). It is a tool veterans can use to view, track, and receive notifications about their own VA disability claims, ratings, and related information.
By creating an account, accessing, or using the Service, you (“you,” “the User”) agree to these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
2. Eligibility
You may use the Service only if:
- You are at least 18 years of age.
- You are legally able to enter into a binding contract under the laws of your jurisdiction.
- You are a current or former member of the U.S. armed forces, or someone assisting such a person with their own claim at their request.
- Your account has not previously been suspended or terminated by the Operator.
3. Your Account
To use most features, you must create an account by providing a valid email address, choosing a password, and verifying your email. All new accounts are subject to administrator review and approval before first sign-in — the Operator reserves the right to decline any signup without explanation.
You are responsible for:
- Maintaining the confidentiality of your password.
- All activity that occurs under your account.
- Notifying the Operator promptly if you suspect your account has been accessed without your permission.
- Keeping your email address current so that verification, password reset, and notification emails reach you.
4. Scope of the Service
The Service provides, at the Operator's discretion and subject to change:
- A dashboard showing your VA disability claims, appeals, and decision reviews, imported by you from VA.gov via a browser bookmarklet.
- Notifications when your claim status, phase, or rating changes between imports.
- AI-generated explanations of claim statuses, decisions, and forms, powered by third-party language models.
- A personal profile page, emergency contact fields, and notification preferences.
- Educational resources, links to accredited VSOs, and general guidance about the VA claims process.
The Operator may add, remove, or modify features at any time without prior notice. The Service is provided “as is” — see the disclaimer and limitation of liability sections below.
5. Not Legal Advice
Information and content provided through the Service — including AI- generated explanations, hints, and resources — is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney, an accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO), or an accredited claims agent. If you need formal representation, please contact an accredited VSO such as the American Legion, VFW, or DAV.
6. Not Affiliated with the VA
VAClaims and the Operator are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Defense, or any other U.S. federal agency. Any references to VA programs, forms, or regulations are for informational convenience only. You should always verify time-sensitive information directly at VA.gov or with your accredited representative.
7. Your Data & Imports from VA.gov
You retain ownership of all data you enter into the Service and all data you import from VA.gov. The Operator:
- Never asks for your VA.gov password. You log into VA.gov in your own browser and use a bookmarklet to copy your own claim data into the Service.
- Does not share, sell, or rent your data to any third party.
- Stores your data only on the Operator's infrastructure and accesses it only as necessary to provide the Service, debug issues, or comply with a valid legal process.
- Allows you to export and delete your data at any time from your account settings.
AI features (“Explain this claim,” etc.) send the relevant portions of your claim data to a third-party language model provider (currently Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service) to generate an explanation. The provider is contractually prohibited from using the content for training and from retaining the data beyond the short operational window required to respond. See the Privacy Policy for details.
8. AI-Generated Content
AI features generate explanations, summaries, and suggestions based on your claim data and your questions. You acknowledge that:
- AI-generated content may be inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date.
- AI content is never legal advice and should not be relied upon to make legal decisions about your claim.
- You are responsible for verifying any AI output against authoritative sources (VA.gov, your C-file, an accredited representative, or a licensed attorney) before acting on it.
- The Operator is not liable for any decision you make based on AI-generated content.
9. Acceptable Use
You agree not to:
- Use the Service on behalf of any veteran other than yourself without their express permission and involvement.
- Attempt to access another user's account or data.
- Probe, scan, or test the security or integrity of the Service or its infrastructure.
- Interfere with or disrupt the Service, servers, or networks connected to the Service.
- Use the Service to upload or transmit malware, phishing content, or any unlawful material.
- Use automated means (bots, scrapers) to access or use the Service without the Operator's prior written consent.
- Misrepresent your affiliation or identity, or impersonate any person or entity.
- Violate any applicable U.S. federal, state, or local law.
10. Termination
By you: You may delete your account at any time from your account settings. On deletion, your data is marked for removal and permanently deleted within 30 days (see the Privacy Policy for details).
By the Operator: The Operator may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, if you violate these Terms, misuse the Service, or for any other reason the Operator deems reasonable. On termination by the Operator, your data will be handled according to the Privacy Policy.
11. Disclaimer of Warranties
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ACCURACY. THE OPERATOR DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, ERROR-FREE, OR THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED.
Without limiting the foregoing, the Operator makes no warranty that the Service will accurately track your claim status in real time, that AI-generated content will be correct, or that the Service will result in any particular outcome with respect to your VA claim.
12. Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE OPERATOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUES, DATA, USE, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE — WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE OPERATOR'S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICE EXCEED ONE HUNDRED US DOLLARS ($100.00 USD), OR THE AMOUNT YOU PAID THE OPERATOR IN THE PRIOR TWELVE (12) MONTHS, WHICHEVER IS GREATER. BECAUSE THE SERVICE IS CURRENTLY OFFERED FREE OF CHARGE, THIS FLOOR IS $100.
13. Changes to These Terms
The Operator may update these Terms from time to time. If a change is material, the Operator will make a reasonable effort to notify you by email or via an in-app notice before the change takes effect. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of the updated Terms constitutes your acceptance of them. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, you must stop using the Service and may delete your account.
14. Governing Law [REVIEW]
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Arizona, United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Maricopa County, Arizona, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.
15. Contact
Questions about these Terms? Contact the Operator at rwykoff@clearipsolutions.com. Mailing address available on request.