The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has integrated CLEAR's (NYSE: YOU) identity platform, CLEAR1, as part of a pilot program to allow veterans to create or access their VA.gov accounts using biometric verification.

Starting Oct. 7, 2026, veterans can enroll online or in person at six VA medical centers located in Brooklyn, New York; Washington, D.C.; Palo Alto, California; Decatur, Georgia; Orlando, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. After a one-time setup, subsequent sign-ins require only a selfie.

The VA serves approximately 17 million living U.S. veterans and operates the country's largest integrated health care system, with 9.1 million veterans enrolled annually. The pilot is part of a broader VA modernization effort aimed at simplifying account access across digital and physical channels.

CLEAR1 uses biometrics, government-issued identification, and third-party data sources for identity verification. The initiative comes amid federal concern over improper payments; federal agencies reported an estimated $186 billion in improper payments across 64 programs in fiscal year 2025, according to the Government Accountability Office. The GAO also found the VA's Beneficiary Travel Program accumulated an estimated $1 billion in improper payments between 2018 and 2024.

Enrollment in CLEAR is free and voluntary. Veterans who choose not to enroll may continue using existing VA sign-in methods without any effect on their access to benefits or services. CLEAR stated it does not receive or access veterans' personal health information through the verification process.

CLEAR is also under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to modernize identity verification on Medicare.gov. CLEAR1 holds Full Service certification from Kantara Initiative for NIST IAL2/AAL2 for its standard remote, self-service enrollment.

The VA and CLEAR said they will consider expanding the program based on pilot results.