On May 13, the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) announced that it is reviewing its regulations governing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) Verification Program (referred to as “Vetbiz”). OSDBU intends to improve the regulations to provide greater clarity, to streamline the program, and to encourage more VOSBs to apply for verification. By providing advanced notice of this proposed rulemaking, OSDBU seeks comments on how best to approach this undertaking. If you are a veteran business owner and have something to say about VetBiz, make sure your comments are received by the VA by the deadline of July 12!
In amending the regulations governing VetBiz, the VA seeks to find the appropriate balance between preventing fraud in the Veterans First Contracting Program and making it easier for more VOSBs to become verified. So far, this has proved difficult – fraud has received much attention due to Government Accountability Office reports on the subject, while legitimate veteran-owned small businesses have not received verification due to the cumbersome (and often confusing) VetBiz application process.
Accordingly, to find this balance, the VA is considering ways to improve the VA VOSB Verification Guidelines. VA has already collected suggestions from a wide range of sources for changes to the regulations, and has compiled them into a single document (Compilation Document). The VA’s 34-page Compilation Document can be assessed here.
In addition to input on the comments and criticisms raised in the Compilation Document, the VA seeks input on the following specific questions:
1. What could be changed to improve the clarity of the regulations? Where might bright lines be drawn to more clearly indicate compliance with the regulations and reduce potential for misinterpretation? Where might the addition of bright line tests create unintended consequences?
2. It has been suggested that VA should develop a list that would clearly delineate what constitutes ownership and control and what constitutes lack of control or ownership. Should a list like this be included in the rule, and if so, what should be on the list?
3. Are there changes to the regulations governing VetBiz that could be made to reduce the economic impact on VOSBs?
4. Are there changes to VA Form 0877 (application) that could streamline the process?
5. What verification process improvements could help to increaseefficiency and reduce burden for VOSBs?
6. What additional training tools or assistance might be offered to create more clarity for stakeholders and help them more efficiently and effectively navigate the verification regulations?
7. What documents, records, or other materials could the Office for the Center for Veterans Enterprise use to distinguish legitimate VOSBs/SDVOSBs from businesses that fraudulently seek contracts from the Government?
8. Would a special Hotline to report suspected ineligible VOSBs/SDVOSBs help the Government ensure that contracts are awarded to legitimate VOSBs/SDVOSBs?
From my professional relationships with veteran business owners, as well as participation in veteran advocacy groups, I know that this is an opportunity many veteran business owners have waited for. Especially if you have been through the VetBiz process and have suggestions for ways to simplify the process for other veterans, I urge you to submit constructive comments that will help fulfill the purpose of the Veterans First Contracting Program: to help veteran-owned businesses. Such comments may be submitted in writing through www.Regulations.gov; by mail or hand-delivery to Director, Regulation Policy and Management (02REG), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Ave. NW., Room 1068, Washington, DC 20420; or by fax to (202) 273-9026. (This is not a toll-free number.) Comments should indicate that they are submitted in response to “RIN 2900-AO63—VA Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) Verification Guidelines.”
For more information and links to the notice of proposed rulemaking, the existing regulations, and the Compilation Document, access the VA’s press release here.
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I waited for over 2 years to only been given the run around for my cve had to submit my application 2 times because of the misplaced my paperwork. I even became hub zone certified within 7 months of my application and that was after I had submitted my cve application 1 year and then I gave them everything including my dd214 and my disability percentage and still I was not certified I find it that the cve is not even helpful when you try to get answers they never let you reach a supervisor or someone higher than a help desk person instead of helping service disable vets they are hurting us since all these loopholes that we must have to go through just to prove you own it.