What Is a Protected Veteran on a Job Application?

A protected veteran is a US military veteran who fits at least one of four categories in the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA): disabled veteran, recently separated veteran, active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran, or Armed Forces service medal veteran. Federal contractors ask the question so they can count the protected veterans who apply and get hired. If any category fits you, tick “I identify as one or more of the classifications of protected veteran.” If none fits, tick “I am not a protected veteran.” If you would rather not say, choose the decline option. Answering is voluntary. Not every veteran is a protected veteran, but more are than many people expect, because the current wartime period has been open since August 2, 1990. This is general information, not legal advice.

This guide covers the veteran question only. For the whole self-identification section (gender, race, veteran status and disability), see voluntary self-identification questions on job applications.

Veteran vs protected veteran

Two checks come first. The Department of Labor’s “Am I a Protected Veteran?” guide asks whether you served on active duty in the US military, and whether you were discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. If either answer is no, you may not be a protected veteran. Federal law defines active duty as full-time duty in the Armed Forces other than active duty for training, which matters for Guard and Reserve members whose only service was training.

Being a veteran is not enough on its own. The Department of Labor’s VEVRAA FAQ says the law does not cover all veterans, only the four categories below. You need to fit just one, and you may fit several.

The four protected veteran categories

These are the definitions in the VEVRAA regulations, in plain words.

The wartime periods

The wartime category reaches further than its name suggests. The VEVRAA FAQ says the covered periods of war are World War II, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam era and the Persian Gulf War, and that the Persian Gulf War runs from August 2, 1990, to the present. The Department of Labor’s guide gives these dates:

So if you served on active duty at any point since August 2, 1990, and were not dishonorably discharged, you likely fit this category, whether or not you deployed. Service between May 1975 and August 1990 can still count through a campaign badge, an Armed Forces Service Medal or one of the other categories, so check your DD-214 before deciding you are not covered.

What each checkbox means

Covered contractors must invite you twice: once before any job offer, and again after an offer but before you start work. The two forms ask different things.

Before an offer

The pre-offer question only asks whether you belong to any category, not which one. The Department of Labor’s sample form offers three choices:

The sample says the answer helps the employer measure how well its outreach to veterans works. Employers word the choices in their own way. A plain “Yes / No / Decline” set means the same thing as long as the definitions are shown alongside it.

After an offer

The post-offer form may ask you to pick your categories. The model invitation in the regulations lists the four categories with “choose all that apply,” plus “I am a protected veteran, but I choose not to self-identify the classifications to which I belong” and “I am not a protected veteran.” The VEVRAA FAQ adds that contractors are not required to ask by category, because the annual report they file needs only totals, so your post-offer form may be a simple yes or no.

If you tick “disabled veteran,” the model form invites you (without requiring it) to say whether an accommodation would help you do the job, such as special equipment or changes to how the work is done. The regulations say the contractor should ask whether you need one.

Which box should you tick? Five examples

These people are fictional, built to show how the rules apply.

If you do not have your DD-214 or cannot tell which category applies, the Department of Labor’s guide points you to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

What happens after you answer

• It is kept confidential. The invitation must say your answer will be kept confidential and used only as the law allows. The model form lists narrow exceptions: supervisors may be told about work restrictions or accommodations for a disabled veteran, first aid and safety staff may be told about conditions that could need emergency treatment, and government officials enforcing these laws may see it.
• It is counted. Each year the contractor records how many applicants self-identified as protected veterans, how many were hired, and the totals for all applicants and hires, and keeps those figures for three years.
• It is compared with a benchmark. Contractors set an annual hiring benchmark for protected veterans, a way to measure progress in hiring them. The regulations say it is not a quota that must be met, and that quotas are forbidden.
• It can bring you referrals. Contractors must list their openings with the state or local employment service and ask for priority referrals of protected veterans. The VEVRAA FAQ says that by self-identifying you could potentially become a priority referral for job openings.

Your status can change after you are hired, for example if the VA awards you disability compensation. If you want your record to match, ask HR:

Hi [Name], I’d like to update my voluntary protected veteran self-identification. My situation has changed since I last completed it [for example: I now receive VA disability compensation]. Could you send me the current form, or tell me how to update my record? Thank you, [Your name]

What if you decline?

The regulations require the invitation to say that refusing to answer will not subject you to adverse treatment, so declining is a normal answer. Three things are worth knowing before you choose it:

• If you said yes before the offer and skip the post-offer form, the VEVRAA FAQ says the contractor may still count you as a protected veteran.
• The counting rule also covers applicants who are “otherwise known” to be protected veterans, so declining does not always keep you out of the totals.
• If your resume lists military service, the employer already knows you served. The checkbox is about which legal category you fit, not about hiding your service.

For what declining means on the gender, race and disability questions too, see what “decline to self-identify” means.

Who asks, and is it still required in 2026?

VEVRAA’s basic rules apply to employers with a federal contract or subcontract of at least $200,000, and the self-identification invitations sit in the affirmative action part of the rules, which applies to contractors with 50 or more employees and a contract of $200,000 or more. The dollar threshold rose from $150,000 on October 1, 2025, according to a Department of Labor final rule published August 21, 2026. That rule took effect September 21, 2026. It mainly removed references to the revoked Executive Order 11246 and updated the thresholds, and it left the veteran invitations in place.

The disability question went the other way: on the same day, a separate rule ended the requirement to ask about disability. See the voluntary self-identification of disability form for what changed.

Protected veteran status vs veterans’ preference

If you apply to a federal agency, for example through USAJOBS, you will meet a different system. The Office of Personnel Management describes veterans’ preference as a federal employment benefit based on dates of active duty service, a campaign badge, a Purple Heart or a service-connected disability, with its own rules and paperwork. Protected veteran status is about private employers that hold federal contracts. You may qualify for one, both or neither, so answer each question on its own terms.

Autofill tools and the veteran question

Because the right answer depends on your service record, it is a question to answer yourself. Leepo Companion, Leepo’s free Chrome extension, fills application forms on sites such as Workday, Greenhouse and Lever and attaches your resume, and you check the form and press the employer’s own Submit button. Gender, veteran status, disability and salary questions always wait for you. See how autofill for job applications works.

The short version

• A protected veteran fits at least one of four VEVRAA categories; being a veteran alone is not enough.
• Active duty service since August 2, 1990, without a dishonorable discharge, usually counts as wartime.
• Before an offer you only say whether any category fits. After an offer you may be asked which.
• Answering is voluntary, and declining cannot be held against you under the rules.
• Veterans’ preference for federal agency jobs is a separate system with its own rules.