1. Who We Are
VA Claim Commander is a software tool that helps veterans prepare documentation for VA disability claims. We are not a healthcare provider, health plan, or healthcare clearinghouse. We are not a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
2. What Information We Process
When you use VA Claim Commander, you may upload or enter:
- Military service records (DD-214, OMPF, STRs)
- Personal medical records, lab results, and clinical notes
- Personal identifying information (name, date of birth, last 4 digits of SSN, address)
- VA rating decisions and correspondence
You are uploading your own records for the purpose of generating your own VA disability claim documents. This is your information, and you are choosing to share it with this tool.
3. How Your Information Is Used
Your uploaded documents and entered information are used exclusively to:
- Generate nexus letters, personal statements, buddy statements, and cover letters for your VA claim
- Pre-fill Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) from your documented medical history
- Analyze your records to identify conditions and suggest secondary claim opportunities
We do not sell your information. We do not share your information with third parties except as described in Section 4.
4. AI Processing — Third-Party Services
VA Claim Commander uses third-party services for AI processing, authentication, and payment. Your information is transmitted to or stored by the following services:
- Anthropic (AI provider) — When you generate documents, your claim content — including your conditions, service history, symptoms, and any information you entered — is transmitted to Anthropic's Claude API for AI processing. This is the most sensitive data flow in the application. Anthropic does not use API inputs or outputs to train their models (per their API Terms of Service). Under standard API terms, Anthropic may retain API inputs and outputs for up to 30 days for safety and abuse monitoring. We have not enabled zero-data-retention (ZDR) options at this time — if that changes, this policy will be updated. Anthropic's privacy policy governs their handling of this data.
- Vercel — Our application is hosted on Vercel's infrastructure. Vercel processes API requests and retains server logs (which may include file names and request metadata) per their data retention policies. Vercel does not store your document content.
- Clerk — We use Clerk for user authentication. Clerk stores your sign-in credentials (email address and authentication identity) on their servers. Your Clerk account persists until you delete it. Clerk's privacy policy governs their handling of this data.
- Stripe — We use Stripe to process payments. When you make a purchase, Stripe stores transaction records (purchase amount, date, and payment method metadata — not full card numbers) on their servers. Stripe's privacy policy governs their handling of this data.
Your medical records and claim document content are transmitted securely over HTTPS and are not permanently stored on our servers. Document content processed through our API exists only for the duration of the request.
5. Data Storage
VA Claim Commander does not maintain a database of your medical records or claim documents on our servers. Your data is stored as follows:
- Browser session storage (cleared when you close the tab or browser) — Your uploaded documents, generated claim materials, and active session state are stored in your browser's session storage. This clears automatically when your session ends.
- Browser local storage (persists until you clear it) — Your form data — veteran information, conditions, and intake answers — is stored in your browser's local storage so you can return to an in-progress claim. Click "Start Over" to clear this data, or clear your browser data manually.
- In transit — When you generate documents, your data is transmitted to our servers and to Anthropic for processing, then discarded from our servers when the request completes.
- Clerk (sign-in account) — Your account credentials (email address and authentication identity) are retained on Clerk's servers until you delete your account.
- Stripe (payment records) — If you make a purchase, Stripe retains transaction records on their servers per their data retention policies.
6. Security
We implement appropriate technical safeguards including:
- HTTPS encryption for all data transmission
- Access controls requiring a password to use the application
- No permanent server-side storage of medical records
No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. You use this service at your own risk and should exercise care about what documents you upload.
VA Claim Commander Pro — HIPAA-aligned security
VSO officers and accredited claims agents are not covered entities under HIPAA. We've built VACC Pro with the same technical safeguards HIPAA requires: AES-256-GCM encryption on all sensitive fields, strict organizational data isolation, and no storage of medical record content.
7. Your Rights
Your claim form data lives in your browser's local storage, which you control. Click "Start Over" in the application or clear your browser data to remove it at any time.
Your Clerk sign-in account (including your email address and authentication identity) is stored on Clerk's servers. To request deletion of your Clerk account and associated identity data, email support@vaclaimcommander.com and we will assist with account deletion.
Payment records associated with purchases are retained by Stripe. We cannot delete Stripe transaction records on your behalf, but we do not have access to your payment card numbers — only transaction metadata (date, amount, last 4 of card).
8. Not a Medical Service
VA Claim Commander generates documentation to support your VA claim. We are not a healthcare provider. The documents generated by this application require review and signature by a licensed healthcare provider before submission to the VA. Nothing in our application constitutes medical advice or a medical opinion.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post any changes on this page with an updated date. Continued use of VA Claim Commander after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.