Privacy Policy, Plain 38
Effective date: August 31, 2026
Who we are
Plain 38 ("Plain 38," "we," "us," or "our") is a veterans' benefits research tool operated as Plain 38, a sole proprietorship based in Texas, United States.
You can reach us at support@plain38.com with any privacy questions or requests.
This policy explains what we collect, what we do not collect, who processes your data, and the choices you have.
Our core privacy commitment
Plain 38 is built to be a private place to research your own benefits. As a baseline:
- We do not store the questions you search or the decision letters you paste on our servers.
- We do not sell your personal information to anyone, ever.
- We do not share your information with claim consultants, "claim sharks," referral partners, advertisers, or data brokers.
- We do not use your questions or letters to train anything.
The sections below explain this in full, including the one important nuance every honest privacy policy must state: to answer your question, your text is briefly sent to outside services that generate the response, even though we do not keep it. Those services are named below.
What we collect
1. Account information (only if you create an account). When you sign up, we collect your email address and a securely hashed password (we never see or store your actual password). This is handled by our authentication and database provider. We store your email so we can sign you in and contact you about your account.
2. Payment information (only if you buy a credit pack). Credit-pack purchases are processed by Stripe on the website and by Apple in the iOS app. They collect and handle your payment details directly. Plain 38 never sees or stores your full card number. We store limited purchase information (for example, your current credit balance) so we know how much paid access to give you.
3. Usage records (for fair-use limits). To enforce free-tier limits, we keep a minimal usage log: a record that a "search" or "decode" action occurred, tied either to your account or to a random device identifier, with a timestamp. These records do not contain the content of your searches or letters, only that an action happened and when.
4. Device identifier (for logged-out users). If you use Plain 38 without an account, we store a random identifier in your browser (via local storage) to count your free searches. It is not tied to your identity and contains no personal information.
5. Answer feedback (only if you send it). If you tell us an answer was wrong or unhelpful, we record the rating, the reason you chose, and the citations the answer was built from. We do not record the question you asked or the letter you pasted.
6. Basic technical data. Like most websites, our hosting and infrastructure providers automatically process limited technical information (such as IP address and browser type) to deliver and secure the service.
What we deliberately do not store
- Your search questions. They are processed to generate an answer and are not saved to our servers.
- The decision letters you paste into the decoder. Before any outside processing, we scrub personal identifiers from the text on our server, and we do not store the letter.
- Your recent-search history. This lives only in your own browser (local storage) on your device. Clearing your browser data removes it. It never reaches our servers.
How your search and letter text is processed
To produce an answer, Plain 38 sends your text to outside services. Two are involved, and they receive different things.
When you search. Your question goes to OpenAI, which converts it into a numeric form so we can find the regulation sections that match it. The question, along with those matched sections of Title 38 CFR and the M21-1 manual, then goes to Anthropic, which operates the Claude API and writes the plain-English answer.
When you use the decoder. The letter text goes only to Anthropic. OpenAI is not involved and never receives decision-letter text.
What is removed first. Before decoder text leaves our server, we strip Social Security numbers, VA file and claim numbers, dates of birth, and name fields.
What is never sent to either. Your email address, your password, your payment details, your device identifier, your location, and your account history.
What they do with it. The text is used to generate your answer and for nothing else. Both operate under commercial API terms that provide protections equivalent to those described in this policy. Plain 38 does not store the text on either side of the request.
You are asked first. In the Plain 38 iOS app, this disclosure is shown and your agreement is required before any text is sent for the first time. If you decline, search and the decoder are unavailable, and the guides and pay calculator continue to work.
Service providers (sub-processors)
We rely on these providers to operate Plain 38. They process data only to provide their service to us:
| Provider | Purpose | What it receives |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | Writing the plain-English explanation | Your question or scrubbed letter text, plus matched regulation sections |
| OpenAI | Matching your question to the right regulation | Your search question only. Never letter text |
| Supabase | Accounts, sign-in, database, server functions | Email address, hashed password, usage records |
| Vercel | Website hosting and delivery | Standard technical request data |
| Stripe | Payment processing on the website | Payment card details, handled directly by Stripe |
| Apple | In-app purchases on iOS | Payment details, handled directly by Apple |
Each provider processes data only to deliver its service to us, under terms that require protections equivalent to those described in this policy.
Cookies and local storage
Plain 38 uses browser local storage to keep you signed in, store your device identifier for free-tier limits, and remember your recent searches on your device only. We aim to avoid non-essential tracking cookies.
Your choices and rights
- Access or delete your data. You can request a copy of the account data we hold, or ask us to delete your account and associated data, by emailing support@plain38.com. In the iOS app you can delete your account directly from the account screen.
- Withdraw your agreement. If you agreed to outside processing in the iOS app, you can change that choice at any time from the account screen. Search and the decoder stop working, and the guides and pay calculator continue.
- Purchases. Credit packs are one-time purchases; there is no subscription to cancel. For refund requests, see the Terms of Service.
- Clear local data. Clearing your browser data removes your device identifier and recent searches stored on your device.
If you are in California (CCPA/CPRA): you have rights to know, delete, and correct your personal information, and to not be discriminated against for exercising them. We do not sell or "share" personal information as those terms are defined.
Plain 38 is intended for U.S. veterans researching U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, and is operated from the United States. If you access Plain 38 from outside the United States, you understand that your information is processed in the United States and by the providers listed above. We are not designed for, or directed at, users outside the United States.
Children's privacy
Plain 38 is intended for adults (and is oriented toward veterans). It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
Data security
We use reputable third-party providers (including Stripe and Apple for payment processing) and rely on their security measures, including encryption in transit and hashed passwords. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as Plain 38 evolves. We will post the updated version here with a new effective date. Material changes will be highlighted where practical.
Contact
Questions or requests: support@plain38.com
Plain 38 is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and does not provide legal advice. In crisis? Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1.