Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB)

Definition

A Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) is a small business at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more veterans (without requirement of service-connected disability). The VA's Veterans First authority gives VOSBs set-aside and sole-source priority on VA procurements, even ahead of other socioeconomic categories. For non-VA agencies, VOSBs are not generally subject to dedicated set-asides (though SDVOSBs are), but some agencies use VOSB subcategories within their small-business plans.

Why It Matters

For veteran-owned firms without service-connected disability, VOSB status unlocks the VA's large recurring procurement spend through Veterans First. SBA's unified certification program now manages both VOSB and SDVOSB certifications (transitioned from VA VetCert), creating a single pathway. VOSBs considering VA work should also consider whether achieving SDVOSB status (where applicable) adds additional set-aside lanes elsewhere in the government.

Example

A 25-person VOSB wins a $3.8M VA Veterans First set-aside for medical-facility engineering services. Four other VOSBs submitted proposals; no SDVOSBs competed because the scope didn't require disability-service-connected ownership.

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