What is SBA's veteran-owned small business program (VOSB and SDVOSB)?
What SBA's Veteran Small Business Certification program covers, how VOSB and SDVOSB differ, where to apply, and why SBA, not this page, decides who qualifies.
Updated
SBA's Veteran Small Business Certification program, often called VetCert, covers veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB) and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB). You register in SAM.gov first, then apply on SBA's own veteran site, and SBA decides who qualifies. This page does not say whether your business does.
What is the veteran-owned small business program?
SBA runs the Veteran Small Business Certification program, often called VetCert. It covers veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB), owned and controlled by one or more veterans, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB), owned and controlled by one or more veterans with a service-connected disability.
The Department of Veterans Affairs used to verify veteran-owned businesses for its own contracts, and SBA runs the program now. Agencies can limit some contracts to VOSB or SDVOSB businesses. Being in the program does not mean a contract will follow.
Who decides whether my business qualifies?
SBA decides who qualifies, under its rules on veteran status, on a service-connected disability for SDVOSB, and on ownership and control. The shares and the documents SBA asks for are on SBA's own pages. This page does not repeat them, and does not say whether your business qualifies.
Whether a business is small, and whether another business has to be counted with yours, are questions about your own facts too. Take them to a free counselor or an attorney. The card just below this guide names places to ask.
What comes before the application?
A SAM.gov registration. SBA's application asks for the Unique Entity ID that registration gives your business. The guide on how to register walks the order of a first registration.
Your SAM.gov registration's representations about veteran ownership are yours to make. This guide does not suggest an answer.
Where do I apply?
On SBA's own site. SBA describes the program at sba.gov, and takes VOSB and SDVOSB applications through SBA Certifications, at certifications.sba.gov.
SBA's program page lists what the application asks for. A free counselor can go through that list with you before you start.
Where is free help?
APEX Accelerators, Small Business Development Centers and SCORE counsel small businesses at no charge, including on SBA's programs. SBA also funds Veterans Business Outreach Centers, which counsel veterans who own a business or want to start one. The guide on the free help that already exists names the first three.
Questions about ownership and control, or affiliation, are about your own facts. A free counselor can work through them with you, and an attorney can read your arrangement.
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