Who pays us, and what that money cannot buy.
The Veteran Benefit Desk is funded by clearly labeled sponsored placements and advertising purchased by representatives, providers, and businesses that serve the veteran community. This page explains exactly where the line sits between that revenue and everything we publish.
How this site makes money
The site is owned and operated by Aurelis LLC and is veteran founded. Revenue comes from two groups. Professionals who serve veterans, such as accredited attorneys, claims agents, VSOs, and medical and vocational providers, pay for sponsored placement in our directory. Businesses that serve the veteran community buy clearly labeled advertising placements. Every paid placement is marked as sponsored where it appears.
We accept no government funding, no grants with editorial conditions, and no payment from veterans. Free verified listings in the directory are never displaced or hidden by paid ones; sponsorship changes position within labeled slots, not who is allowed to appear.
The firewall, in practice
What sponsors and advertisers get
- A clearly labeled placement slot in the directory or on a sponsored surface
- A free verified listing if they are an accredited representative or qualifying provider
- Standard analytics on their own placement: views, clicks, renewal dates
What no sponsor can buy
- Write, edit, preview, or approve any editorial content
- Influence a research finding, a tracker figure, or a rating explanation
- Move themselves above the labeled slot they paid for, or hide a free listing
- Buy the softening or removal of a correction, a scam entry, or a critical finding
- Buy access to reader data. We do not sell or share it, with sponsors or anyone else
A note on contributed content. We publish clearly bylined guest articles from attorneys and other subject matter experts. Any such piece passes the same verification standards as our own work, carries its author's name, and is never tied to a paid placement. A sponsorship cannot buy a byline. Experts can pitch through Write for the Desk.
Lines we do not cross
Veterans never pay us
Every calculator, condition page, dataset, and guide on this site is free. Charging veterans for help with claims is restricted by federal law (38 CFR 14.629 and 38 USC 5904), and we do not sell claims coaching, nexus letters, or consulting in any form.
No lead selling
We do not route, broker, or sell veteran inquiries to anyone. When you contact a representative through our directory, that conversation is yours and theirs.
First party only
No outside ad trackers, no data brokers, no retargeting pixels. Analytics stay on our own systems, and the full list of sub-processors is public.
Research is not for sale
Our reports are built on records obtained under FOIA and published in full, with the raw data downloadable so anyone can check the numbers. No sponsor funds, commissions, or reviews any research report before publication.
Check the paper trail
These public records let you test whether we live up to this page.
If you believe a sponsor relationship has influenced anything we publish, tell us through the contact page. Reports like that are reviewed by the operator directly, and confirmed errors are fixed under our Corrections Policy.