Terms of Service — Plain 38

Effective date: July 28, 2026

1. Who these terms are between

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you and Plain 38, a sole proprietorship operated from Texas, United States ("Plain 38," "we," "us," "our").

By using Plain 38 — including the search tool, the decision-letter decoder, the calculator, the guides, and any account or purchase — you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use Plain 38.

2. What Plain 38 is — and what it is not

Plain 38 explains U.S. veterans' benefits law (Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations) and the VA's adjudication manual (M21-1) in plain language, with citations to the sources.

Plain 38 is an educational and informational research tool. It is not, and must not be relied on as:

• Legal advice. Nothing on Plain 38 is legal advice, and using it does not create an attorney–client relationship. We are not your lawyer.
• A claims decision or prediction. Plain 38 explains what the rules say. It does not decide your claim, does not tell you what to do, and does not predict whether the VA will grant or deny your claim.
• A substitute for professional help. It does not replace an accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO), an accredited claims agent, or an attorney. For help with your specific claim, an accredited VSO can assist you for free.
• An official or government service. Plain 38 is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency.

3. No guarantee of accuracy

We work to keep Plain 38 accurate and current, including labeling binding regulation separately from non-binding VA guidance. However, we do not guarantee that any information is accurate, complete, current, or applicable to your situation. Laws, regulations, VA guidance, and benefit rates change, and automated tools can make mistakes.

Always verify anything important against the official source (for example, the eCFR for regulations and VA.gov for benefit rates and current procedures) and consult an accredited representative before making decisions about your claim.

4. Your responsibilities

You agree that:

• You will not rely on Plain 38 as your sole source for any claims decision.
• You will verify important information against official sources.
• You will use Plain 38 for your own lawful, personal research.
• You will not misuse the service (see Section 8).

5. Accounts

To use certain features you may create an account. You agree to provide accurate information, keep your password secure, and are responsible for activity under your account. Notify us at support@plain38.com if you suspect unauthorized use. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

6. Free tier, credit packs, billing, and refunds

Plain 38 offers a free weekly tier and optional one-time credit packs.

• Free tier: every user gets a set number of free searches and decoder uses each week (currently 5 searches and 2 letter explanations per week). These reset on a rolling 7-day basis and may change over time. The free tier does not require payment.

• Credit packs: if you need more than the weekly free amount, you may buy a one-time pack of credits. Current packs are the Search Pack ($1.99) and the Search Pack Plus ($3.99), each granting a set number of search and decoder credits shown at checkout. Credit packs are a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Nothing renews and you are not charged again unless you choose to buy another pack.

• How credits work: credits are used only when you go past your free weekly amount. A search credit is spent for one search; a decoder credit is spent for one letter explanation. Credits are a consumable and do not guarantee any particular result.

• Expiration. Credits are valid for 6 months from the date of purchase. Buying a new pack extends the expiration date on your remaining balance. Expired credits are no longer usable and are not refundable.

Billing. Payments are processed by Stripe. Buying a pack authorizes us (through Stripe) to charge your payment method once for that pack. We do not store your card details.

Refunds. If you change your mind, you may request a refund within 7 days of purchase as long as you have not started using the credits from that pack, by emailing support@plain38.com. Once you have spent any credit from a pack, that pack is non-refundable, because the service has been delivered. Expired credits are non-refundable. Approved refunds are returned to your original payment method.

Prior subscriptions. If you previously signed up for a recurring subscription, it remains governed by the terms in effect when you subscribed until it ends or is canceled. You can cancel or manage any existing subscription from your account or by contacting support@plain38.com.

Price changes. We may change prices or the contents of packs. Changes apply to future purchases only and never to a pack you have already bought.

7. Fair use

To prevent abuse and runaway automated use, all access — free and paid — is subject to reasonable limits and safeguards that ordinary personal research will not reach. We may adjust free-tier amounts, pack contents, and fair-use limits over time.

8. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use automated tools, scripts, or bots to access Plain 38 or exceed fair-use limits;
• Resell, redistribute, or commercially exploit Plain 38's outputs without permission;
• Attempt to disrupt, reverse-engineer, scrape, or breach the security of the service;
• Use Plain 38 for any unlawful purpose or to harm others.

We may suspend or terminate access for violations.

9. Intellectual property

The underlying regulations and VA manual are public government materials. Plain 38's own content — its explanations, design, code, guides, and branding — is owned by us and protected by law. You may use Plain 38's outputs for your personal research. You may not copy our software or branding or present our materials as your own.

10. Third-party services

Plain 38 relies on third-party providers for AI processing, hosting, and database services, and on Stripe for payments. Your use may also be subject to their terms. We are not responsible for third-party services.

11. Disclaimers (provided "as is")

Plain 38 is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement. We do not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that any information is correct or applicable to you.

12. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Plain 38 will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of benefits, claims, money, or opportunity, arising from your use of (or inability to use) Plain 38 or reliance on its information.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability for any claim relating to Plain 38 will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, or (b) US$50.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Plain 38 from claims, losses, and expenses arising out of your misuse of the service or violation of these Terms.

14. Termination

We may suspend or end your access to Plain 38 at any time, including for violation of these Terms. You may stop using Plain 38 at any time. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (disclaimers, limitation of liability, etc.) will survive.

15. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Any disputes will be handled in the courts located in Texas.

16. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms as Plain 38 evolves. We will post the updated version with a new effective date, and material changes will be highlighted where practical. Continuing to use Plain 38 after changes means you accept the updated Terms.

17. Contact

Questions about these Terms: support@plain38.com

Plain 38 explains existing federal regulations and VA procedures in plain language. It is not legal advice or a claims decision and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In crisis? Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1.