SBA's VetCert program verifies Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise status, and self-certification for federal subcontracting and small-business goaling ended December 22, 2024 under the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, per sba.gov, verified August 7, 2026. The ownership test requires at least 51 percent ownership by one or more service-disabled veterans, sole-source contract authority reaches $5 million for non-manufacturing NAICS codes and $8.5 million for manufacturing under FAR 19.1406(a)(2), and the VA's own sole-source ceiling is a flat $5 million under VAAR 819.7008. The federal government targets 5 percent of all federal contracting dollars for SDVOSB firms each year, and the VA separately reserves at least 7 percent of its own contracts for VOSB and SDVOSB firms.
SupplierDiversity.com's lender directory currently lists 5 financing programs, out of 53 total, that name SDVBE certification as a qualifying credential, the second-smallest pool among the certifications that clear our 3-lender minimum (only 8(a), at 4, is smaller), and a sign of how concentrated SDVOSB-specific lending still is next to the broader MBE and WBE markets.
Those lenders still write against the SBA's general 7(a) program, the same one certified MBEs and WBEs use. Verified at sba.gov on August 7, 2026: the maximum loan amount is $5 million, SBA guarantees up to 85 percent of loans of $150,000 or less and up to 75 percent of loans above that amount, and maturities run up to 10 years for working capital and up to 25 years for real estate or equipment with a longer useful life.
