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Service Disabled Veterans

THE 8(a) PROGRAM AND OUR SERVICE DISABLED VETERANS – AN OFFER FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

Despite all of the speeches and promises, it is a well known fact that the treatment of our veterans in general, and that of our service-disabled veterans in particular is a national disgrace. Most Americans have recently become aware of the unacceptable conditions at our veteran’s hospitals, and the long waits that our veteran’s endure to get the necessary medical care and other well-earned benefits promised to them whenever the country’s "fat is in the fire". Whereas this fact-of-life may not be appreciated by most Veterans, including myself, it should not be a surprise when we realize that today, less than one percent of Americans have a member of their family or friends in "harms way".  It is no wonder then that Veteran benefits programs continue to be ignored and under funded.

One of the most ironic situations that exist today is that Veteran-owned companies are sorely represented in Federal contracting opportunities, a market that is overwhelmingly dominated by military spending. Don’t believe this, here are just some of the facts:

  • There are approximately 425,000 companies registered in the Federal government’s Central Contractor Registration (CCR)  data base
  • There are about 1314 8(a) certified Veterans in the CCR, representing less than one-third of one percent of all registrants
  • There are about 500 8(a) certified Service Disabled Veterans representing approximately one-tenth of one percent of all registered companies
  • Of the more than $300 billion in 2008 Federal procurement dollars, less than $1.9 billion was awarded to Service Disabled Veterans in fiscal 2008
Why are so few Veteran’s 8(a) certified? The answer to this question is multi-fold and is really a subset of the reason that so few qualified persons, including Veterans, apply in the first place.  You see, Veterans in general and Service Disabled Veterans in particular are given no special consideration in proving their eligibility to participate in the 8(a) program.  This is unlike the special consideration given to what the SBA refers to as members of "designated groups", which include a number of the well established minority groups.  Veterans and Service Disabled Veterans who are members of these designated groups usually apply under these auspices versus using their Veteran or Service Disabled status.

When Service Disabled Veterans do apply using their disability as a basis for proving their disadvantage, a requirement of the 8(a) application process, most get denied.  The principal reason for their denial is that they have failed to prove to the SBA’s satisfaction that their disability has prevented them from entering and/or succeeding in the business area of their choice.  The document that is required by the SBA to prove a Veteran’s or Service Disabled Veteran’s disadvantage is referred to as the "Social Disadvantage Narrative".  In our experience of getting thousands of qualified persons and their companies certified, this is the probably the most difficult element of a certification application.  That’s the bad news!

Now for the good news!  One of our principals, as a grateful fellow veteran, has empowered us to prepare the "infamous Social Disadvantage Narrative" for any qualified Veteran or Service Disabled Veteran who applies for the 8(a) or SDB certification from this date forward at NO COST to you.  What that means is that if we believe that you are otherwise qualified to be 8(a)/SDB certified, we will prepare this critical narrative, with your input of course, and we will waive 100% of the $2500 cost that EZCertify usually charges for this service. No qualified Veteran should ever be denied certification!
 

Why Don't They Get It?

The failure rate among service disabled veteran business owners applying to be 8(a) certified is a national disgrace, exceeding 90%.

Although the reasons for denial vary widely from applicant to applicant, the one reason that appears in virtually every letter from the SBA reads, "It has been determined that you, the individual upon whom eligibility is based are not socially disadvantaged due to your service disabled veteran status".

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