Federal contractors with a contract worth $150,000 or more are required to file a VETS-4212 Report, which is due on September 30 of each year.

The VETS-4212 Report generally requires information about a contractor’s workforce at each hiring location, including the following:

• Number of employees
• Number of protected veterans
• Number of new hires during the year
• Number of protected veteran hires during the year

Covered contractors are required to provide applicants and new hires with the opportunity to self-identify as protected veterans. There are four categories of protected veterans:

• Active duty wartime or campaign badge Veteran – A veteran who was on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the U.S. Department of Defense. According to information from the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, federal law defines “period of war” as including World War II, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam era, and the Persian Gulf War, which is defined as August 2, 1990, to the present. Therefore, a veteran who was on active duty during any of those periods (and was not dishonorably discharged) is an "active duty wartime" veteran.
• Armed Forces Service Medal Veteran – A veteran who, while on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service, participated in a U.S. military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.
• Disabled Veteran – A veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who, but for the receipt of military retired pay, would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.
• Recently Separated Veteran – A veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

Employee responses to the voluntary self-identification questionnaires should be used to complete the VETS-4212 Report.

Detailed instructions for completing the VETS-4212 report can be found here.