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BeneVets, Inc. - Helper / Account-Linking Terms

Document number: 07 Adopted: July 4, 2026 Effective date on publication: July 4, 2026 Last reviewed: 2026-06-02

§ 1. Plain-English Overview

In plain English: Account-linking lets a veteran share parts of their BeneVets account with a trusted person, called a Helper. A Helper might be a spouse or partner, an adult child, a caregiver, or an accredited Veterans Service Organization representative. The link lets the Helper see what you choose to share and, in some cases, help you organize information inside the account. The link does not make the Helper your representative before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, does not let the Helper file claims for you, and does not give the Helper financial control over your account. Either side can end the link at any time. We send both of you an email every time the link state changes.

This document is a separate, layered contract on top of the BeneVets, Inc. Terms of Service (the "ToS"). It governs only the account-linking feature.

Acceptance mechanic. Both the Veteran User and the Helper accept these Helper Terms by clicking through an in-product acceptance flow (a) at the time the link is created by the inviting party, and (b) at the time the link is accepted by the receiving party. The Service records the time of each acceptance, the version hash of the Helper Terms presented, and the user account that accepted. No link transitions to Active until both acceptances are recorded and Veteran-side Approval (defined in § 4) has been recorded.

Cross-references. These Helper Terms must be read together with the ToS (Doc. 01), the Privacy Policy (Doc. 02), and the Pro Se Filing Attestation (Doc. 08). Inconsistencies between these Helper Terms and the ToS as to account-linking are resolved in favor of these Helper Terms; inconsistencies as to any other matter are resolved in favor of the ToS.

§ 2. Defined Terms

In plain English: These are the terms we use in this document. Capitalized words have the specific meaning given here.

For purposes of these Helper Terms:

"Accredited Representative" means a person accredited under 38 C.F.R. § 14.629 to prepare, present, and prosecute claims for benefits before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ("VA").

"Active Link" means an account-linking relationship that has been (a) initiated, (b) accepted by both parties under § 1, (c) approved by the Veteran User under § 4, and (d) not subsequently Suspended or Revoked.

"BeneVets," "we," "us," "our" means BeneVets, Inc., a California nonprofit public benefit corporation.

"Form 21-22" means VA Form 21-22, "Appointment of Veterans Service Organization as Claimant's Representative." A reference to Form 21-22 includes VA Form 21-22a, "Appointment of Individual as Claimant's Representative," where context requires.

"Helper" means a natural person who has been granted Helper Role access to a Veteran User's BeneVets account under these Helper Terms.

"Helper Role" means the categorical permission set assigned to a Helper at the moment the link is created. The four Helper Roles offered at version 1 are listed in § 3.

"OGC Roster" means the public-facing accreditation search maintained by the VA Office of General Counsel under 38 C.F.R. § 14.629.

"Pending Admin Review" means a link or reported link that BeneVets has placed into a manual review queue under § 9 (scammer-report flow) or § 11 (vulnerable-adult escalation).

"Revoked Link" means a link that has been permanently ended by the Veteran User, the Helper, or BeneVets. A Revoked Link can be re-created only by initiating a new link from the beginning.

"Service" has the meaning given in the ToS.

"Suspended Link" means a link in which the Helper's access has been paused while a review is conducted. A Suspended Link can return to Active on resolution or transition to Revoked.

"Veteran-side Approval" means an affirmative click-through approval by the Veteran User, following step-up authentication under § 7, confirming that a Helper-initiated or auto-suggested link should become Active.

"Veteran User" means a natural person, age 18 or older, holding a BeneVets account who is the subject of the account being shared. Only a Veteran User can grant Helper access to the Veteran User's account.

§ 3. Helper Roles at Version 1

In plain English: We offer four kinds of Helper at launch. Each one has its own permission set. We will not invent new roles silently; we will publish any new role here before offering it.

The four Helper Roles offered at version 1 are: (a) Spouse or Partner, (b) Adult Child, (c) Caregiver, and (d) Accredited VSO Representative.

For each role, this Section sets out (i) what the Helper can see, (ii) what the Helper can do, (iii) what the Helper cannot do, and (iv) what gating BeneVets requires before the role becomes Active. All Helper Roles are subject to § 4 (Veteran-side Approval), § 7 (step-up authentication for destructive actions), and § 8 (cooldown on revoke). Nothing in any role establishes representation before VA. Only the Accredited VSO Representative role, and only after Form 21-22 verification under § 3.4, interacts with VA submission flow.

§ 3.1 Spouse or Partner

Can see:

  • The Veteran User's profile (name, contact information, branch and era of service, separation status, disability rating, conditions of interest).
  • The Veteran User's Intent-to-File ("ITF") tracker status.
  • A summary view of the Veteran User's stored DD-214 metadata (issuance date, character of service), but not the DD-214 document itself unless the Veteran User separately grants document-level access in the ProfileVault settings.
  • C&P preparation worksheets the Veteran User has shared.

Can do:

  • Add to the symptom log on the Veteran User's behalf when the Veteran User has enabled the "Helper symptom entry" toggle.
  • Receive a copy of transactional notices the Veteran User elects to share (for example, ITF expiry reminders).
  • Annotate, but not delete, items in the C&P preparation worksheet.

Cannot do:

  • Prepare or transmit any VA form on the Veteran User's behalf.
  • Modify the Veteran User's authentication settings (password, multi-factor, recovery email).
  • Add, modify, or revoke any other Helper link.
  • Grant document-level access in the ProfileVault.

Gating:

  • Acceptance of these Helper Terms by both parties.
  • Veteran-side Approval under § 4.
  • A confirmation step-up under § 7 at the time the link is created.

§ 3.2 Adult Child

The Adult Child role has the same scope as the Spouse or Partner role under § 3.1, with one additional restriction: the Adult Child role does not receive automatic copies of any communication concerning the Veteran User's surviving-spouse benefit eligibility. Sharing of such items requires explicit, item-level Veteran-side approval each time.

Gating is the same as § 3.1.

§ 3.3 Caregiver

The Caregiver role has the scope of the Spouse or Partner role under § 3.1, with the following modifications:

Can also see: A read-only view of the Veteran User's Caregiver Program eligibility worksheet (if completed).

Cannot do (additional): A Caregiver Helper cannot view the Veteran User's stored mental-health-related symptom-log entries unless the Veteran User has enabled the per-entry "Share with Caregiver Helper" toggle on the entry. This restriction is intended to protect Sensitive Personal Information under Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.140(ae)(1)(B) and consumer health data under WA Rev. Code § 19.373 et seq. and to honor the Veteran User's right to limit sensitive-data processing under Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.121.

Gating is the same as § 3.1, plus an additional in-product acknowledgement by the Helper that the Helper is acting in a caregiving capacity and will not use the access for financial exploitation, coercion, or any other purpose forbidden by § 12.

§ 3.4 Accredited VSO Representative

In plain English: This Helper role is for an accredited Veterans Service Organization representative who has been formally appointed to represent the Veteran User before VA through a separate, properly executed VA Form 21-22 filed with VA. BeneVets checks both pieces (accreditation and Form 21-22) before turning this role on. The actual representation relationship is between the veteran and the Accredited Representative under 38 C.F.R. § 14.629; BeneVets is not the representative and does not establish the representation.

The Accredited VSO Representative role is the only Helper Role that interacts with the Service's VA submission flow.

Can see: Everything in § 3.1, plus the Veteran User's prepared (not-yet-transmitted) VA forms the Veteran User has elected to share with this Helper Role.

Can do:

  • Review prepared forms and provide feedback to the Veteran User through the Service's annotation surface.
  • Receive a copy of every transmission confirmation generated when the Veteran User transmits a form to VA under the Pro Se Filing Attestation (Doc. 08), provided the Veteran User has not opted out of representative-copy delivery.

Cannot do:

  • Transmit any VA form to VA via the Service on the Veteran User's behalf. The transmit action is server-locked to the Veteran User's authenticated session under the pro se filing model. BeneVets does not provide a "transmit on behalf of" surface to any Helper.
  • Modify the Veteran User's authentication settings.
  • Modify any other Helper link on the Veteran User's account.

Gating (cumulative, all of the following are required for the link to become Active):

  1. Match against the OGC Roster on the Helper's accreditation number and name.
  2. Verification by BeneVets that a properly executed Form 21-22 (or, where applicable, VA Form 21-22a) is on file with VA naming the Helper (or the Helper's accrediting VSO) as the Veteran User's representative. Verification methods may include API-based checks against VA systems, document upload by the Veteran User, and confirmation by the accrediting VSO.
  3. Both parties' acceptance of these Helper Terms.
  4. Veteran-side Approval under § 4.
  5. A confirmation step-up under § 7 at the time the link is created.

Important clarification (non-representation by BeneVets). BeneVets is not the Veteran User's representative under 38 C.F.R. § 14.629 by virtue of operating the Accredited VSO Representative Helper Role. The Accredited Representative is the Veteran User's representative because the Veteran User has separately executed Form 21-22 and filed it with VA. BeneVets validates the OGC Roster match and Form 21-22 status as a technical gating step. BeneVets does not establish, broker, or guarantee the representation.

§ 4. Veteran-side Approval is Required

In plain English: Even if the Service guesses that someone is a likely Helper (for example, you both have the same last name and listed each other as a contact), the link does not become real until you, the veteran, click "Approve" with your password and your second factor. A guess is a hint, not authorization.

Any link initiated by a person other than the Veteran User, including any link surfaced through the Service's auto-match suggestion feature, requires Veteran-side Approval before it transitions from Pending Admin Review or Pending Acceptance to Active. Auto-match output is a hint to the Veteran User; it is not authorization. The Service will not transmit any data to the Helper until Veteran-side Approval is recorded and step-up authentication under § 7 is satisfied.

§ 5. Out-of-Band Notification on Every State Change

In plain English: We email both of you every time the link is created, accepted, approved, suspended, revoked, restored, or modified. If you ever get an email about a link state change you didn't make, contact us immediately via the in-product reporting flow.

The Service issues a transactional email notice to the Veteran User and to the Helper at the email address on file for each, on each of the following events: link initiation, link acceptance, Veteran-side Approval, link Suspension, link Revocation, link restoration, Helper Role change, scope change, and scammer-report initiation under § 9. The notice includes the event type, the timestamp, a description of the new state, and a link to the in-product link-management surface. These notices are transactional and are classified under 16 C.F.R. § 316.3.

§ 6. Audit Logging

In plain English: Everything in the linking system is logged. If a Helper viewed your record, we have a record of that. You can request your audit log under our Privacy Policy.

Every link creation, acceptance, approval, suspension, revocation, restoration, scope change, role change, scammer report, and cross-account profile read by a Helper is recorded in an immutable audit log maintained by BeneVets. Access requests to the audit log are processed under the Privacy Policy (Doc. 02) and the Data Retention Schedule (Doc. 14).

§ 7. Step-up Authentication for Destructive Actions

In plain English: Any change that could harm your account, including ending a link, changing what a Helper can see, or changing a Helper's role, requires you to re-enter your password and your second factor. We do this to make it harder for someone who briefly grabs your unlocked phone to mess with your Helper settings.

The following actions are classified as destructive and require step-up authentication (re-entry of password and a fresh second-factor challenge) by the action-taking party at the time of the action:

  1. Link creation by either party.
  2. Link revocation by either party.
  3. Helper Role change.
  4. Scope change within a Helper Role (for example, enabling document-level ProfileVault access).
  5. Initiating a scammer report under § 9.

Step-up authentication challenges expire 5 minutes after issuance and may not be reused across destructive actions.

§ 8. Cooldown on Revoke

In plain English: When you end a link, the Helper loses access right away. But the link sits in a "cooldown" state for 24 hours before it is permanently archived. During that 24 hours, you can reverse the revoke if you ended it by accident or under pressure from someone else. After 24 hours, ending the link is permanent and the Helper can only come back through a brand-new invitation.

Upon revocation initiated by either party, the link transitions to a 24-hour cooldown state. During cooldown, (a) the Helper's access is immediately blocked, (b) the Service displays the cooldown state to both parties, and (c) the Veteran User (and only the Veteran User) may reverse the revocation through the in-product link-management surface, subject to step-up authentication under § 7. After 24 hours, the link transitions to Revoked and may be re-created only by initiating a new link from the beginning under § 1 and §§ 3-4. The cooldown rationale is twofold: (i) to mitigate the effect of coerced revokes in elder-abuse and intimate-partner-coercion contexts, where the coerced party may be able to reverse the action after distance from the coercing party, and (ii) to give the Veteran User a recovery window for accidental revokes.

§ 9. Scammer-Report Flow

In plain English: If you think a Helper, or someone trying to be a Helper, is scamming you, click "Report this Helper" inside the linking surface. Reporting suspends the Helper's access while we investigate. We do not immediately and silently revoke the link, because that gives bad actors no chance to respond and gives no record to investigators. The reported Helper is notified, gets to respond, and an admin makes the final call. Either side can appeal.

Triggers. A scammer report may be initiated through the in-product "Report this Helper" action on a link surface, or through the public abuse-reporting channel published on the BeneVets website.

Processing.

  1. On receipt of a scammer report concerning a link, the Service places the link into the Suspended Pending Investigation state. The Helper's access is paused; the link is not immediately Revoked.
  2. BeneVets notifies the reported Helper that a report concerning their link has been received, that their access has been paused pending review, and that they may submit a response through the in-product appeal flow.
  3. A BeneVets administrator reviews the report and any response within an internal target window of 7 calendar days (extendable for cause).
  4. The administrator's decision is to (a) Restore the link to Active, (b) Confirm Revocation, or (c) escalate under § 11 (vulnerable-adult escalation) where the facts so warrant.
  5. Both parties are notified of the decision by transactional email.

Appeal path. Either party may appeal the administrator decision to a second-tier reviewer within 30 calendar days of the decision notice. Appeal does not automatically restore access.

Standard. A link will be Revoked on scammer report only on a finding that, more likely than not, the reported conduct occurred and amounts to a material breach of these Helper Terms (including a § 12 prohibition) or to a violation of applicable law. BeneVets does not adjudicate civil or criminal disputes; the administrator's role is limited to access governance under these Helper Terms.

§ 10. Periodic Re-confirmation; Heightened Protection for Older or Long-Lived Links

In plain English: Helper links don't last forever without a check-in. Once a year, we ask you to confirm that each Helper still belongs. For accounts owned by veterans age 75 or older, or for any link that has been in place for more than a year, we add a second confirmation step before any new Helper can come on. These extra steps reflect the protective frameworks for older adults under federal and California law.

Annual link review. Each Active Link is subject to an annual confirmation prompt issued to the Veteran User through the in-product surface and by transactional email. If the Veteran User does not confirm within 30 calendar days of the prompt, the link is placed in Suspended Pending Confirmation. The Veteran User may restore the link at any time within 90 calendar days by completing the confirmation, after which the link is Revoked.

Dual-attest for new links on protected accounts. For (a) Veteran User accounts where the Veteran User's date of birth on file indicates an age of 75 or older, or (b) Veteran User accounts that have been managed by an Active Helper for more than 365 consecutive days, a new Helper link cannot transition to Active until two independent step-up confirmations by the Veteran User have been recorded, separated by no less than 24 hours and by no more than 30 calendar days. The 24-hour spacing is intended to mitigate the risk of single-session coercion.

Statutory frameworks referenced. These heightened protections are informed by the protective frameworks set out in the Elder Justice Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1397j et seq., and by the California Adult Protective Services framework codified at Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 15600 et seq. Nothing in this Section establishes that BeneVets is a mandated reporter under any state law; mandated-reporter analysis is fact-specific.

§ 11. Vulnerable-Adult Escalation

In plain English: If we see signs that a Helper is exploiting a veteran (for example, repeated coerced revoke reversals, large changes to financial-related fields, or third-party complaints with corroborating signal), we will pause the link and review. In some cases we will refer to Adult Protective Services. We will tell the veteran what we did unless telling them would put them at greater risk.

Triggers for internal review. Triggers include but are not limited to: (a) a scammer report alleging exploitation of a vulnerable adult; (b) a pattern of revoke-reversal that suggests coercion (for example, a revoke initiated by the Veteran User and reversed within minutes from the same session, recurring across multiple link events); (c) a third-party report from a documented adult-protective-services agency; (d) an internal flag arising from § 10 dual-attest failure patterns; or (e) a content trigger surfacing in the Service's crisis-keyword scan that suggests coercive control or financial exploitation.

Process. On a vulnerable-adult escalation trigger, BeneVets (i) places the affected link or links into Suspended Pending Investigation, (ii) routes the matter to a senior reviewer, (iii) preserves audit-log evidence, and (iv) considers, on the facts, whether referral to Adult Protective Services is appropriate. In California, BeneVets may refer matters to the local Adult Protective Services agency under the framework at Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 15630 (mandated reporter provisions) and § 15633 (cross-reporting); referrals in other states are made under the applicable state framework.

Notice to the Veteran User. The Veteran User is notified of the escalation through transactional email and the in-product surface, except where BeneVets's reasonable judgment is that immediate notice would create a material risk to the Veteran User's safety, in which case BeneVets may delay notice for a reasonable period.

§ 12. Helper's Confidentiality and Use Commitments

In plain English: A Helper agrees not to share the veteran's private information outside the Service without permission, not to pretend to be the veteran with VA, not to use the access to take the veteran's money or property, and not to threaten or pressure the veteran.

By accepting these Helper Terms, the Helper agrees to all of the following:

(a) No external re-sharing of the Veteran User's PII. The Helper shall not re-share, post, transmit, or otherwise disclose the Veteran User's Personal Information (as defined in the Privacy Policy) outside the Service without the Veteran User's separately recorded consent. This commitment survives termination of the link.

(b) No action with VA on the Veteran User's behalf. The Helper shall not contact, transmit to, or otherwise act with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on the Veteran User's behalf in connection with any matter accessed through the Service, except where the Helper is an Accredited Representative under § 3.4 and acts within the scope of a separately executed and VA-filed Form 21-22 (or VA Form 21-22a where applicable). Use of the Service's data does not, by itself, constitute authority to act before VA.

(c) No financial exploitation. The Helper shall not use access granted under these Helper Terms to convert, take, or attempt to take any money, benefit, property, or thing of value belonging to the Veteran User; to enroll the Veteran User in any product or service without the Veteran User's separate consent; or to redirect benefit payments.

(d) No coercion. The Helper shall not use access granted under these Helper Terms to threaten, intimidate, or coerce the Veteran User into any action, including approval of any link, retention of any link, reversal of any revoke, or transmission of any VA form.

§ 13. Veteran User's Confidentiality and Use Commitments

In plain English: A veteran who invites a Helper agrees not to misuse the linking feature to harass, dox, or impersonate the Helper, and not to invite a Helper under a stolen or impersonated email.

By accepting these Helper Terms in respect of an invited Helper, the Veteran User agrees not to (a) initiate a link to an email address that does not belong to the natural person the Veteran User intends to invite, (b) use the linking surface to harass, dox, or impersonate the Helper or any third party, or (c) misrepresent the Helper's identity to BeneVets.

§ 14. No Agency, Power of Attorney, or Fiduciary Relationship

In plain English: The link does not make the Helper your legal agent. It does not give the Helper a power of attorney. It does not make the Helper your fiduciary. Those things require separate documents under state law.

Nothing in these Helper Terms, in the account-linking flow, or in the operation of the Service creates (a) a principal-agent relationship under California Civil Code § 2295 or comparable state law, (b) a power of attorney under the California Probate Code (Cal. Prob. Code § 4000 et seq.) or comparable state law, or (c) a fiduciary duty owed by the Helper to the Veteran User. Any such relationship requires a separate instrument executed in accordance with applicable state law.

§ 15. Explicit Non-Representation Statement

In plain English: A Helper is not BeneVets's lawyer or representative. A Helper is not the veteran's VA representative just because they are a Helper, unless they are an accredited VSO representative and the veteran has separately signed and filed Form 21-22 with VA.

(a) The Helper does not represent BeneVets. No Helper is an employee, agent, contractor, representative, or accredited representative of BeneVets, Inc.

(b) The Helper does not represent the Veteran User before VA by virtue of the link. No Helper Role establishes representation of the Veteran User before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The Accredited VSO Representative role under § 3.4 reflects, but does not establish, an external representation relationship that exists only because the Veteran User has separately executed VA Form 21-22, "Appointment of Veterans Service Organization as Claimant's Representative" (or VA Form 21-22a, "Appointment of Individual as Claimant's Representative," where applicable), and filed it with VA in accordance with 38 C.F.R. §§ 14.626-14.637 and the underlying statutory framework at 38 U.S.C. §§ 5901-5905.

(c) BeneVets does not represent the Veteran User. BeneVets is not accredited under 38 C.F.R. § 14.629 and does not prepare, present, or prosecute claims as a representative of any Veteran User. The Service's role in respect of VA forms is technical, as further described in the Pro Se Filing Attestation (Doc. 08).

§ 16. Termination

In plain English: Either side can end the link at any time. Ending the link does not delete the veteran's data. It does cut off the Helper's access right away. After 24 hours of cooldown, the end is permanent.

(a) Either party may terminate. The Veteran User and the Helper may each end the link at any time through the in-product link-management surface, subject to step-up authentication under § 7.

(b) Effect on Veteran User's data. Termination of a link has no effect on the Veteran User's data. The Veteran User's profile, ProfileVault contents, symptom log, ITF tracker, and stored forms remain as they were before termination.

(c) Effect on Helper's access. On termination, the Helper's access is immediately blocked. The link enters the 24-hour cooldown described in § 8. After cooldown, the link is Revoked.

(d) Survival. The Helper's confidentiality and use commitments under § 12 survive termination of the link.

(e) BeneVets-initiated termination. BeneVets may terminate a link for material breach of these Helper Terms, on a finding under § 9 (scammer-report flow), on a finding under § 11 (vulnerable-adult escalation), on suspicion of fraud, or on any ground permitted by the ToS in respect of either party's account.

§ 17. Disputes Between Veteran User and Helper

In plain English: If you and your Helper disagree about something, BeneVets is not the judge. We govern access to the Service. Family disputes, money disputes, exploitation claims, and elder-abuse claims belong with the right state authority, family court, Adult Protective Services, or local law enforcement, as the situation calls for.

BeneVets does not arbitrate, mediate, or adjudicate disputes between a Veteran User and a Helper concerning matters outside the operation of the Service. The parties direct any such dispute to the appropriate authority, including without limitation Adult Protective Services, family court, probate court, the Veteran User's accredited VSO Representative, or local law enforcement. BeneVets's role is limited to access governance under these Helper Terms and the ToS.

§ 18. Cross-References

These Helper Terms must be read together with:

  • BeneVets, Inc. Terms of Service (Doc. 01).
  • BeneVets, Inc. Privacy Policy (Doc. 02).
  • BeneVets, Inc. Pro Se Filing Attestation (Doc. 08).

§ 19. Changes to These Helper Terms

In plain English: When we change these Helper Terms in a way that matters, we email both parties to every Active Link and ask both to re-accept. Until both re-accept, the link sits in a notice state.

BeneVets may amend these Helper Terms from time to time. Material amendments are communicated by transactional email to both parties of every Active Link, with a 30-day notice period before the amended Helper Terms take effect. If a party does not affirmatively re-accept within the notice period, the link is placed in Suspended Pending Confirmation under the process in § 10.

§ 20. Contact

Questions about these Helper Terms may be sent to:

BeneVets, Inc. Riverside County, California 1441 Pomona Road, Suite 20 Email: legal@benevets.org (or such other address as BeneVets may publish)

End of Document 07 - Helper / Account-Linking Terms.