The privacy of our customers has always been of utmost importance to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA has a long history of protecting your privacy and our concern for your privacy is no different in the electronic age. Our Internet privacy policy is:

• You do not have to give us personal information to visit our site.
   
• We will collect personally identifiable information (name, email address, Social Security number, or other unique identifier) only if specifically and knowingly provided by you.
   
• Personally identifying information you provide will be used only in connection with VA programs and services or for such other purposes as are described at the point of collection.
   
• Information is collected for statistical purposes and VA sometimes performs analyses of user behavior in order to measure customer interest in the various areas of our site.
   
• We do not give, sell or transfer any personal information to a third party.
   
• We may enable "cookies." A "cookie" is a file placed on your personal computer's hard drive by a Web site that allows it to monitor your use of the site.
   

The Privacy Act of 1974 applies to all Federal agencies. For information on the Federal government's Web Site Privacy Policy, see the following documents:

• OMB Memorandum 99-18 "Privacy Policies on Federal Web Sites" dated June 2, 1999
   
• VA Handbook 6300.4, Procedures for Processing Requests for Records Subject to the Privacy Act
   
• VA Handbook 6300.5, Procedures for Establishing & Managing Privacy Act Systems of Records.