Privacy Policy
Effective date: July 1, 2026.
Who We Are
BilateralFactor (bilateralfactor.com) is an independent, privately owned website providing informational content about VA disability ratings. We are not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. Questions about this policy may be sent to contact@bilateralfactor.com.
What Data We Collect Today
BilateralFactor is a static website with no user accounts or comment systems. To understand how the site is used in aggregate and to fund its operation, we use two Google services — Google Analytics (see Analytics) and Google AdSense (see Advertising) — which may set cookies or similar identifiers. Aside from those services and our optional contact form, we do not collect personal information, and we do not sell any data we do receive.
If you use the form on our contact page, the name, email address, topic, and message you submit are processed and stored by Netlify Forms, our hosting provider's form service, and delivered to us. We use that information only to read and respond to your message. The form is optional; you can always email us directly instead.
The only data collected when you visit this site is the data collected automatically by our hosting provider, Netlify, as part of delivering the site. Netlify receives standard server-access log data: your IP address, browser user agent, the URL requested, the HTTP status code, and a timestamp. This logging occurs at the infrastructure level to operate the service. We do not have real-time access to these logs for analytics purposes, and we do not share them with third parties. Netlify's own privacy practices are described at netlify.com/privacy.
Calculator Inputs Stay in Your Browser
The VA combined rating calculator on this site runs entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript. The disability ratings and body locations you enter into the calculator are never transmitted to our servers or any third-party server. They are processed locally and discarded when you close or navigate away from the calculator. We have no record of what you entered.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4, a web analytics service provided by Google, to understand how
visitors find and use the site in aggregate — for example, which pages are read most and
what devices are used. Google Analytics sets cookies (such as _ga) and
processes data including your IP address, the pages you view, approximate location, and
device and browser information. We use this only to improve the site's content and
usability. We do not use it to identify individual visitors, and IP addresses are handled
by Google in a truncated, non-identifying form.
You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, or by declining analytics cookies where a consent choice is offered. Google explains how it uses data from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
Advertising
This site uses Google AdSense for display advertising. Google and its certified partners may use cookies and similar technologies to serve and measure ads, including, where permitted, ads personalized to your interests. You can read how Google uses data from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites and manage ad personalization at adssettings.google.com.
Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland are shown a consent message before any advertising or analytics cookies are used, served through Google's certified consent management platform, and no such cookies are set until consent is given. Declining consent limits ads to non-personalized delivery. Advertising is the site's only revenue source; we do not sell content, accept sponsorships, or receive referral fees from any service mentioned in our articles.
Third-Party Links
This site links to external websites including VA.gov, ecfr.gov, and KnowVA. Those sites are governed by their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of any third-party website.
Children
This site is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children.
Changes to This Policy
When we make material changes to this policy (including when advertising launches) we will update the effective date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Contact
For privacy questions or requests, contact us at contact@bilateralfactor.com.