One Login to Serve Veterans Throughout Their Digital Life: Government, Non-profits, and the Private Sector
Veterans are eligible for benefits from government agencies, non-profits, and private sector organizations that wish to honor service. Prior to ID.me’s launch in 2012, Veterans typically had to prove their military service by presenting documentation at each organization that offered benefits, often having to show Social Security Numbers and other sensitive personal data at each organization. This resulted in a fragmented and time-consuming process that exposed Veterans to increased risk of identity theft as they repeatedly shared sensitive information.
In 2013, NIST, an agency of the United States Department of Commerce, awarded ID.me a cooperative agreement to enable “members of the military community and their families, First Responders, and students to access exclusive benefits and services online both securely and efficiently without having to share sensitive information with the brands directly.” Since 2012, over 12.5 million members of the military community have used ID.me to login or prove military service over 253 million times across ID.me’s network. Veterans have accessed benefits from government, non-profits, and private organizations without oversharing personal information.
ID.me makes it easier and safer for Veterans to engage organizations across different parts of the economy. Across our network, ID.me’s Wallet puts military family members in full control of their information. Like a physical wallet, individuals can choose if they produce a verified ID to an organization or if they wish to proceed anonymously. Unlike physical ID cards and consistent with best practices for digital privacy, ID.me minimizes the data elements a user is asked to consent to share with each organization based on the transaction’s context.
- Veterans Affairs: Since 2016, ID.me has provided a secure and portable login that enables Veterans to access services and benefits from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
- Watch the story of how Marina Nitze, former CTO of the VA, worked with ID.me to increase access to Veteran benefits by simplifying and digitizing the login and enrollment experience. According to Marina, over 2 million Veterans have enrolled in VA healthcare using their mobile phone.
- Watch this session from DC Startup Week where Scott Blackburn, veteran and former CIO of the VA, speaks about his experience working with ID.me.
- AccessVA: ID.me’s login enables Veterans, family members, service members, business partners, and VA employees and contractors to access a variety of VA services.
- VFW: ID.me’s login allows Veterans to access Veteran Service Organizations like Veterans of Foreign Wars.
- Filmed at their local VFW, watch three Veterans share why ID.me works for them.
- Vet Tix: ID.me’s login allows members of the military and their families to prove their military service to Vet Tix, a non-profit organization that allows Veterans to access free tickets from organizations and members of the public who donate those tickets.
- Institute for Veterans & Military Families: ID.me’s login allows Veteran and military family business owners to register their business with Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans & Military Families (IVMF), which offers a Boots to Business program.
- Shift.org: ID.me’s login empowers military users to verify at Shift, a Veteran-founded organization that helps current and former members find professional career paths.
- Fanatics: ID.me’s login allows Veterans and military to access offers from Fanatics, an ecommerce platform used by most of the professional sports leagues in America.
- Waves of Honor: ID.me’s login empowers Veterans and Active Duty military to claim free and/or heavily discounted tickets to theme parks across the country.
- ID.me Shop: ID.me’s login allows members of the military and their families to find and access offers from hundreds of organizations that utilize ID.me to honor service in a secure manner.
- Arts in Armed Forces: ID.me’s login grants users access to exclusive AITAF event discounts for military members and their families.
- National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA): ID.me’s login powers military verification required to create an account and gain access to benefits only made available through NaVOBA.
- VetsinTech: ID.me’s login grants Veterans access to various programs to assist with education, employment, and entrepreneurship.
ID.me’s approach to putting Veterans in control of their information is exactly the kind of design philosophy that led NIST to describe the privacy-enhancing benefits of ID.me in a blog post:
“Previously, service members and Veterans had to bring physical military ID cards or hard copies of their military discharge documentation to claim benefits in-person. This process was inconvenient and vulnerable as the transported paperwork contained all sorts of personal information beyond what was needed for the transaction. Veterans’ discharge papers (DD-214), for example, reveal: blood type, home address before and after active service, social security number, date and place of birth, details of active service, and reasons for separation from the military – not exactly the type of information Veterans should have to carry with them, let alone share with companies to get a discount. ID.me has transformed this experience, allowing service members and Veterans to access benefits by verifying a single attribute: that they have served our country. This has an incredible impact on user privacy, allowing consumers to leave their discharge papers – and related PII – securely at home.”
Nine years after winning the grant from NIST, ID.me continues to enhance customer experience for members of the military, Veterans, and their families. Streamlining login and verification across all aspects of a service member’s life through ID.me increases access to important benefits and services for military families while also enhancing their security and privacy.
