USFCR Blog

Quick Answer

Veteran-owned businesses enter Veterans Day 2026 with a government-wide SDVOSB goal of at least 5 percent of federal contract dollars and a VA program that puts certified veteran-owned firms first. Access to those set-asides now requires SBA VetCert certification, so the practical moves are confirming your certification and renewal date, then targeting agencies whose award history shows they use the veteran lanes.

SDVOSB certification is free, handled entirely by the SBA, and it is the only way for a veteran-owned firm to count toward federal SDVOSB contracting goals. Most denials come down to paperwork that does not line up, not to whether the owner is a service-disabled veteran. The SBA reported an average processing time of 12 days as of November 2025, but it publishes no guaranteed deadline, and incomplete applications still take far longer.