Administrator Guzman Announces Path Forward for Veteran

Washington D.C., Nov. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, during National Veterans Small Business Week (NVSBW), Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice in President Biden’s Cabinet for America’s 33 million small businesses, announced consequential updates to the planned launch of SBA’s new Veteran Small Business Certification Program—including her intention to grant a one-year extension to firms verified by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)’s Vets First Verification Program through the Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) as of the January 1, 2023 transfer date.

“As we celebrate National Veterans Small Business Week, I am proud that the SBA is designing its new Veteran Small Business Certification Program to be the gold standard in customer experience and support to ensure we grow our base of veteran federal contractors,” said Administrator Guzman. “Adding this certification to SBA’s portfolio of capital, bonding, and contracting programs will enable us to better serve our veteran entrepreneurs and help them grow their businesses through federal procurement opportunities.” 

Scheduled to officially begin operations and accept new applications in January 2023, the Veteran Small Business Certification Program will be the Agency’s primary vehicle for handling certification for veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs)—important classifications that enable those businesses to qualify for sole-source and set-aside federal contracting awards.

Administrator Guzman also shared much-anticipated news that she intends to grant a one-time, one-year extension to current veteran-owned small businesses verified by the VA’s Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) as of the transfer date on January 1, 2023.

On that one-year extension, Administrator Guzman added, “Our team is committed to…