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Veteran Procurement Opportunities

Veteran Procurement Opportunities

Local, State and Federal level increasingly want to support Veteran Certified Firms, but Who is a Veteran?

Many people are currently serving or have served our country in a variety of jobs and locations, however only a specific subset of these people are considered Veteran under Federal law, which provides that a Veteran is anyone who has been a member of any branch of service; has completed their service; and was honorably discharged. 38 CFR 3.1(d)  https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/38/3.1

Completion of Service

Any service member that does not meet the 24-month continuous active duty service requirement or fall under an exemption will not be able to claim any Veteran benefits, although there are exemptions from the minimum active duty requirement for veterans who have been diagnosed with a disease or injury that was a result of their active duty or was worsened by their service; such individuals could be eligible for benefits under the Veterans Administration guidelines.

A common certification is the service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB).  Many government agencies set aside or encourage companies bidding on government projects to include SDVOSB firms.  https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43928.pdf

To be eligible for set-asides as an SDVOSB, the following criteria must be met:

  • The Veteran must have a service-connected disability as determined by the VA or Department of Defense (DoD).
  • The company must be small under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to the procurement.
  • One or more Service Disabled Veterans must unconditionally own 51% of the business and control its management.  

https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/service-disabled-veteran-owned-small-businesses-program

Honorable Discharge Requirements

Honorable discharge is a requirement for benefit eligibility status. Any service member who was dishonorably discharged is not eligible for any veteran benefits. There are 5 categories of discharge from the uniformed services. They are honorable, general (under honorable conditions), other than honorable (OTH), bad conduct (general court-martial), and dishonorable. For a veteran for be eligible to be awarded veteran benefits they must have been either received either an honorable or general discharge. The nature of the discharge will be on the DD-214 or other paperwork given to the service member at the time of discharge.

All state and federal programs are subject to change, so it is essential to stay updated and informed.

If you are in need of a government procurement attorney feel free to contact me.

The information in this blog post is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. You should not make a decision whether or not to contact an attorney based upon the information in this blog post. No attorney-client relationship is formed nor should any such relationship be implied. If you require legal advice, please consult with an attorney licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.

Author Bio

Jordan Matyas is a lawyer, lobbyist, and Founder of 1818 Legal, an Illinois professional licensing defense law firm he created in 2014. With more than 18 years of experience practicing law, he represents clients in a wide range of legal matters, including professional license defense, administrative law, land use and zoning, and state, local, and municipal law.

Jordan received his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois — Chicago School of Law and is a member of the Illinois Bar Association. 

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