Here is what this program requires, in plain language, with each requirement cited to the rule or standard it comes from. Certification is renewed every 3 years. You file everything yourself.
ELIGIBILITY
At least 51 percent directly and unconditionally owned by one or more veterans (SDVOSB: service-disabled veterans)
Ownership must be direct and unconditional, verified against your formation and ownership documents. For SDVOSB, the qualifying owner or owners must be service-disabled veterans with a VA (or DoD) disability determination.
DOCUMENTS THIS ASKS FOR
- ·Articles of organization / incorporation Your state's Secretary of State business portal (certified copies are usually a small fee).
- ·Operating agreement (LLC), all amendments
- ·Stock ledger and share certificates
WHERE PEOPLE GET THIS WRONG
- ·Ownership routed through another entity without checking the direct-ownership rule
- ·Percentages in the operating agreement that do not match the application
ELIGIBILITY
A qualifying veteran must control day-to-day management and long-term decision-making, and hold the highest officer position
The qualifying veteran must actually run the company and hold the highest officer position. Governance documents are reviewed for provisions that let a non-veteran block or override decisions.
DOCUMENTS THIS ASKS FOR
- ·Operating agreement (LLC), all amendments
- ·Corporate bylaws, all amendments
- ·Resume of each qualifying owner
ELIGIBILITY
The business must be small under the size standard for a NAICS code listed in its SAM profile, at certification and recertification
VetCert measures size against the standard for a NAICS code that appears in your System for Award Management profile, not any code you use informally. SBA accepts the size representation in your SAM profile unless it has evidence the business is other than small, so that profile is doing real work and should be accurate before you apply.
DOCUMENTS THIS ASKS FOR
- ·Business federal tax returns, last 3 years From your tax preparer, your tax software, or an IRS transcript request (Form 4506-T).
WHERE PEOPLE GET THIS WRONG
- ·Checking a size standard for a NAICS code that is not in the SAM profile
- ·A stale SAM profile that no longer matches what the business actually does
ELIGIBILITY
The qualifying veteran owners must reside in the United States
This is where VetCert differs from the women-owned programs: 13 CFR 128.200 requires the qualifying veterans to reside in the United States, and does not impose the citizenship test that WOSB does. A qualifying veteran living abroad does not satisfy the residence requirement, even while remaining a U.S. citizen.
DOCUMENTS THIS ASKS FOR
- ·Articles of organization / incorporation Your state's Secretary of State business portal (certified copies are usually a small fee).
- ·Stock ledger and share certificates
WHERE PEOPLE GET THIS WRONG
- ·Assuming the WOSB citizenship test applies here; VetCert 128.200 states residence
- ·A qualifying veteran owner who resides outside the United States
ELIGIBILITY
For a permanently and totally disabled veteran unable to manage the business, a resident spouse or permanent caregiver may satisfy the control requirement
13 CFR 128.200 carves out a narrow SDVOSB path many owners miss: where a service-disabled veteran has a disability the VA rates as permanent and total and cannot manage daily operations, the spouse or permanent caregiver of that veteran, residing in the United States, may control the concern. It applies only in that specific permanent-and-total circumstance, not as a general substitute for veteran control.
DOCUMENTS THIS ASKS FOR
- ·Operating agreement (LLC), all amendments
- ·Resume of each qualifying owner
WHERE PEOPLE GET THIS WRONG
- ·Reading this as a general way for a non-veteran spouse to run any SDVOSB
- ·Applying it without the permanent-and-total disability rating the rule requires
DOCUMENT
You must submit evidence that the business is a small business owned and controlled by one or more qualifying veterans
13 CFR 128.300 frames the application by what you must prove rather than a fixed checklist: evidence that the concern is a small business owned and controlled by qualifying veterans. In practice that means your formation and ownership documents, governance documents, and records corroborating size. The current itemized list lives in the VetCert portal, which is where you should confirm the exact set before filing.
DOCUMENTS THIS ASKS FOR
- ·Articles of organization / incorporation Your state's Secretary of State business portal (certified copies are usually a small fee).
- ·Operating agreement (LLC), all amendments
- ·Stock ledger and share certificates
- ·Business federal tax returns, last 3 years From your tax preparer, your tax software, or an IRS transcript request (Form 4506-T).
WHERE PEOPLE GET THIS WRONG
- ·Treating a third-party checklist as authoritative instead of the VetCert portal list
- ·Ownership documents whose percentages do not match what the application claims
THIS LIST IS NOT COMPLETE YET
One more requirement is awaiting verification against the official source, so it is not shown here. We would rather show you less than tell you something we have not checked. Treat the list above as accurate, not as exhaustive.