Washington Veteran and Service Member Owned Business Certification

Who qualifies. RCW 43.60A.190(2): the business must be at least 51 percent owned and controlled by a veteran as defined in RCW 41.04.007 (a qualifying discharge), "A person who is in receipt of disability compensation or pension from the department of veterans affairs", or "An active or reserve member in any branch of the armed forces of the United States, including the national guard, coast guard, and armed forces reserves"; and it must be incorporated in Washington or, if unincorporated, have its principal place of business in Washington. WDVA: "Certification is free and requires only basic veteran discharge status and business information to complete." Register in WEBS, the state's vendor system, then send WDVA proof of qualifying discharge status (a DD-214 member 4 copy, retiree VA ID, retirement or discharge certificate, or for those serving a military ID or recent pay statement) and proof of 51 percent ownership. A 50/50 community property or two-veteran split qualifies if the veteran keeps day-to-day control. Purchasing goals. RCW 43.60A.200 encourages agencies to award three percent of contracts exempt from competitive bidding to certified veteran-owned businesses and to report how many they award; Executive Order 22-01 (2022) set an agency target for veteran-owned procurement, and WDVA's 2025 report raised its suggested FY2026 targets to 5 percent of qualifying spending for executive cabinet agencies and 3 percent for small cabinet agencies. These are goals that make a certified firm worth finding in WEBS, not set-asides or bid preferences. The Linked Deposit Program. RCW 43.86A.060 lets the State Treasurer place surplus funds with participating banks against qualifying loans to certified veteran-owned businesses: terms of no more than ten years, no more than $1 million a loan, an interest rate no higher than 200 basis points below the bank's rate for a similar loan, and closing points or fees of no more than one percent. To use it, the firm must also be certified under RCW 43.60A.190(3): the veteran owner has the expertise to direct the business, it is for profit and performs a commercially useful function, and it is a small business concern under chapter 39.19 RCW. WDVA lists participating lenders; the firm must still meet the bank's credit criteria. No disability rating is required. Washington certifies veteran-owned and service-member-owned businesses generally rather than only service-disabled owners. Apply to WDVA, 360-791-1788, [email protected]. Professional licences. The Department of Licensing says military experience or training may count toward a professional licence, a service member or spouse moving with a current out-of-state licence may get it expedited, and a Washington licence holder deployed outside the state may place it in military inactive status: "Your license will remain active while deployed. You will get courtesy renewal notifications but won't be charged a renewal fee."