California Privacy Notice (CCPA)

About this notice.

DisabilityHeroes.org is a privately-owned informational service that helps consumers understand and pursue Social Security disability benefits (SSDI and SSI) and related programs, and is NOT affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Social Security Administration (SSA), Medicare, Medicaid, or any government agency. This notice describes the rights of California residents regarding their personal information and how to exercise them.

Categories of personal information we collect.

In the preceding 12 months, we may have collected the following categories of personal information about California consumers:

• Identifiers, such as your name, email address, telephone or mobile number, ZIP code, IP address, and online identifiers.
• Customer records, such as the contact details you provide when you register, submit a form, or interact with our chatbot.
• Commercial information, such as the disability benefits, programs, or assistance you have requested or expressed interest in.
• Internet or other electronic network activity, such as browsing and usage information and interactions with our website and emails, collected through cookies and analytics tools such as Microsoft Clarity.
• Geolocation data, such as the general location derived from your IP address or the ZIP code you provide.
• Inferences drawn from the above to understand your interests and provide the help you requested.

Sources of personal information.

We collect personal information directly from you and automatically through your use of our website (including cookies, analytics tools, and similar technologies). We do not purchase or acquire personal information about you from outside data sources.

How we use personal information.

We use personal information to respond to your requests, to contact you (including by call and text/SMS where you have provided consent) so that our own team can provide the help you requested, to operate and improve our website, to prevent fraud and secure our services, and to comply with our legal obligations. Additional detail is provided in our Privacy Policy.

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information.

We do NOT sell or share your personal information as the terms "sell" and "share" are defined under the CCPA, and we do not sell or share the personal information of consumers under 16 years of age. Because we do not sell or share personal information, there is nothing for you to opt out of with respect to a sale or share. You may still exercise your other rights, including the rights to know, delete, and correct your personal information, as described below.

We disclose personal information only to service providers and processors who perform functions on our behalf and under contract, strictly to operate our service and deliver the communications you requested, such as website hosting, cloud storage, analytics (Microsoft Clarity), and our telephone and SMS delivery platform. These service providers are not permitted to use your personal information for their own purposes. We may also disclose personal information to comply with the law or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or other business transfer.

The mobile telephone number and SMS/text opt-in consent you provide are not sold or shared with third parties or affiliates for their marketing purposes; that data is used only to deliver the calls and messages you requested.

Your California privacy rights.

Subject to certain exceptions, California residents have the following rights:

• The right to know the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
• The right to delete personal information we have collected from you.
• The right to correct inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
• The right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information (note: we do not sell or share personal information).
• The right to limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information.
• The right to non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights.

How to exercise your rights.

To submit a request to know, delete, or correct your personal information, email us at privacy@disabilityheroes.org with the subject line "California Privacy Request." We will verify your request using information we have on file before responding.

Authorized agents.

You may use an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf. We may require the agent to provide proof of your authorization and may require you to verify your identity directly with us before we process the request.

Non-discrimination.

We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights, including by denying you services, charging different prices, or providing a different level or quality of service, except as permitted by law.

Contact us.

If you have questions about this notice or our privacy practices, please email us at privacy@disabilityheroes.org.