First-of-its-kind effort to close the gap between the benefits Veterans have earned and the benefits they receive
NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2026 — CLEAR (NYSE: YOU), the secure identity company, announced today that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has integrated CLEAR1, CLEAR’s secure identity platform, as part of a pilot to reimagine the Veteran experience across digital and physical touchpoints. The pilot provides a new, fast, simple, and secure way for Veterans to create or access their VA.gov account—online or in person at select VA Medical Centers.
VA serves a community of roughly 17 million living U.S. Veterans and operates the nation’s largest integrated health care system, serving 9.1 million enrolled Veterans each year. VA.gov is the critical digital connection to the care, benefits and services Veterans have earned, but that connection begins with the ability to create and access a VA.gov account. As part of VA’s broader modernization effort, the CLEAR1 pilot will make that first step simpler and more consistent, whether a Veteran begins online or at a VA facility.
Beginning today, Veterans can select CLEAR to create or access their VA.gov account. After a quick, one-time setup, future sign-ins take just seconds with a selfie. Veterans who prefer in-person support, do not have a smartphone, or face connectivity challenges can enroll with CLEAR Ambassadors using CLEAR Pods at six participating VA medical centers in Brooklyn, New York; Washington, D.C.; Palo Alto, California; Decatur, Georgia; Orlando, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Behind that experience, CLEAR1 uses multi-layered verification that combines biometrics, government-issued identification and trusted data sources to establish confidence in the person accessing the account. That assurance is increasingly important to combat fraud, waste, and abuse among benefit access. Federal agencies reported an estimated $186 billion in improper payments in fiscal year 2025 across 64 programs. At VA, the Government Accountability Office found that the Beneficiary Travel Program alone accumulated an estimated $1 billion in improper payments between 2018 and 2024, including confirmed cases of fraud. Verifying that the right person is receiving the right benefit is the first line of defense, and every dollar recovered is a dollar available to the roughly 17 million Veterans who deserve support and resources after their service.
In anticipation of the pilot’s launch, CLEAR invited Veterans to test CLEAR’s VA.gov sign-in experience and provide feedback. Cheffren C., a U.S. Army Veteran said: “My transition from military service to civilian life was tough, and the VA has been supportive of me as a veteran all along the way. I see the VA investing in this new technology with CLEAR, and that it’s only going to bring these benefits to veterans and their families faster and easier. It’s comforting to know the same technology and company I trust from travel is available for veterans accessing VA benefits.”
“I use VA.gov for health care, and when I was first separating, I was logging into the website basically every week,” said Erik B., a U.S. Navy Veteran who also tested CLEAR on VA.gov. “The sign-in experience with CLEAR is very easy to use. I had assumed there would be more steps or paperwork needed, so I was very impressed with how quick and easy it was. Often when signing in to systems, you have to keep track of different usernames and passwords. What I love about CLEAR is that all goes away. It’s a much more seamless process.”
Caryn Seidman Becker, CEO of CLEAR, said: “CLEAR’s mission is to make experiences safer and easier by securely connecting people to their true identity. We’re honored to work with the Department of Veterans Affairs to meet America’s Veterans and their loved ones where they are. Veterans earned these benefits, it should be easy for them to access them. Secure identity is the front door to care, and when that door works seamlessly and securely, Veterans get served faster and taxpayer dollars go where they belong.”
Verifying with CLEAR is free and optional. Veterans may continue using another sign-in method if they prefer, and choosing not to enroll will not affect their ability to access VA benefits or services. Veterans’ personal health information will remain with VA; CLEAR does not receive or access it through the identity verification process.
CLEAR has spent more than 16 years building identity infrastructure for the most highly regulated, highest-stakes environments in the country, from airport security checkpoints to health care. With over 43 million members, CLEAR is the leader in secure identity for the moments that matter most.
CLEAR1 is being deployed across federal health and civilian agencies, and CLEAR is under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to modernize identity verification on Medicare.gov. CLEAR1 is Full Service certified by Kantara Initiative for NIST IAL2/AAL2 for its standard remote, self-service enrollment flow.
CLEAR is committed to privacy done right. Members are always in control of their own information, and the company does not sell biometric or sensitive personal data. There is no cost for Veterans to use CLEAR to sign in to VA.gov, enrollment is voluntary, and Veterans who choose not to enroll will continue to be served through existing VA processes. The VA and CLEAR will consider expanding this offering pending the results of this pilot program.
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