Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization

SBA - Post Cutoff Update

Dear business owner or representative,

Thank you for your application for Veteran-Owned or Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB or SDVOSB) verification. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE), received your application prior to the October 24, 2022, deadline for submission. This email will provide you with guidance on what to expect as we review your application, and we will recommend steps you should take to ensure proper consideration as we transition our verification function to the Small Business Administration (SBA).

As required by law, VA will transfer its responsibility for SDVOSB or VOSB verification to SBA effective January 1, 2023 (the “transfer date”). To enable CVE to complete its review of pending applications, CVE has ceased accepting new submissions. This means your pending application is your best opportunity to obtain VA verification prior to the transfer date.

As we review your application, we may have follow-up questions and documentation requests. It will be essential for you to respond to these requests promptly, within five (5) business days. Otherwise, CVE will need to make a decision on your application based on the information currently on file. This may result in a denial of verification. Since we are unable to accept new applications, a denial will mean you will not be able to submit a new application until SBA begins its application process after the transfer date.

Accordingly, we recommend taking the following steps:

1. Add vip@va.gov to your list of email contacts, so CVE communications do not get directed to your spam or junk folder, where they may be overlooked.
2. If you will be absent for an extended period (such as holiday travel or illness), please designate a point of contact to respond on your behalf. Ensure that person has access to your email to receive and act upon CVE communications. If your business has non-Veteran or non-Service-Disabled Veteran minority ownership interests, those persons should not be your designated points of contact, since that may contribute to confusion about ownership and control.
3. Please check your email regularly. If your inbox separates email into “focused” and “other” categories, please check both.
4. Provide a response to CVE requests for information within 5 business days.

CVE remains committed to offering the exemplary level of customer service you have come to expect. All document requests will be followed by a phone call from your CVE Case Analyst for the purpose of reviewing the request and answering questions. If you have additional questions following the initial call, please contact your Case Analyst for clarification. Call Center agents are also standing by to assist and can be reached at 1-866-584-2344, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

For more information regarding the SBA transfer, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.

For questions about SBA’s coming certification program, please contact SBA at cvetransfer@sba.gov.

Thank you for your assistance and for your service to our nation.

Sincerely,

Verification Team
Center for Verification and Evaluation
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

return to top