TRANSITIONVA program
HIRE Vets Medallion Award
Federal recognition program for employers demonstrating commitment to veteran hiring, retention, and mentoring. Helps veterans identify veteran-friendly employers during their civilian job search.
Step-by-step guide
What you get
A yearly Department of Labor award for employers that hire, keep, and develop veterans. Job seekers can search the public list of award winners by state, size, level, and year.
How to use the award in a job search
- An employer on the awardee list, for a named yearEach award names the year it was given. Winners get a certificate stating the year and a medallion image to use in ads and other business uses. It is unlawful for an employer to display the award for a year it did not receive it.
Source: HIRE Vets Medallion Program: questions and answers (opens in new tab); HIRE Vets Medallion Program: awardees table (opens in new tab)
Are you looking for work, or applying as an employer?
- Veterans looking for work
The Department of Labor calls the HIRE Vets Medallion Award the only federal-level veterans' employment award. It gives the award each year to employers for recruiting, hiring, and keeping veterans and for programs that help veteran employees grow. The Department of Labor says the award signals to veterans that an employer is committed to them. You can search the list of winners by employer name, year, gold or platinum, employer size, and state.
Source: HIRE Vets Medallion Program (opens in new tab); HIRE Vets Medallion Program: questions and answers (opens in new tab); HIRE Vets Medallion Program: awardees table (opens in new tab)
- Employers, including veteran business owners
Any employer with at least one employee can apply, except the federal government or a state or foreign government. Local and tribal governments can apply. Awards come at platinum and gold levels for small (50 or fewer employees), medium (more than 50 but fewer than 500), and large (500 or more) employers.
- An employer that is not a federal, state, or foreign governmentThe rule defines an employer as any person, institution, organization, or other entity that pays wages or controls job opportunities, except the federal government or a state or foreign government. The employer applies under its Employer Identification Number (EIN).
- Veteran hiring and retentionFor 2026, platinum looks for veterans to be at least 10 percent of the prior year’s hires, and gold at least 7 percent. Retention means keeping at least 85 percent (platinum) or 75 percent (gold) of the veterans hired 2 calendar years before, for at least 12 months. Large employers need both. Medium and small employers need the hiring share, or the retention share plus a veteran share of all employees of at least 10 or 7 percent.
- Programs that support veteran employeesDepending on the award, the employer shows programs such as a veteran employee group, a leadership program, human resources staff or initiatives for veterans, pay differential for Guard and Reserve employees on active duty, and tuition assistance. The criteria table lists which ones each award needs; small employers applying for gold need none.
- No recent USERRA or VEVRAA violationsAn employer with an adverse labor law decision, a stipulated agreement admitting a violation, a contract debarment, or a contract termination under USERRA or VEVRAA cannot receive an award, generally for violations in the prior or current year. A contract debarment bars an award for as long as it is in effect.
Source: HIRE Vets Medallion Program: about the program (opens in new tab); HIRE Vets Medallion Program: questions and answers (opens in new tab); HIRE Vets Medallion Program: 2026 award criteria table (opens in new tab); HIRE Vets Medallion Program: sample application, large employer gold (opens in new tab)
What to gather, and what it shows VA
| Document | What it shows | How VA gets it | Have it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Award certificate and medallion image What a winning employer receives: a certificate stating the award year and a digital medallion image it may use in advertising, solicitations, business activity, or products. | The year the employer earned the award | Check the employer on the HIRE Vets awardees table, which lists name, location, size, level, and year. | |
| Employer Identification Number (EIN) The EIN the employer uses to issue IRS Form W-2 to employees. | Which employer is applying | The employer enters it on the application, and the form says not to enter a Social Security number there. An employer that uses a payroll agent, payor, or Certified Professional Employer Organization may leave it blank; the FAQ adds that an employer with no EIN leaves it blank. | Yes |
| Veteran hiring and retention numbers Counts of veterans hired in the prior calendar year, veterans hired 2 calendar years before who stayed at least 12 months, and veterans on staff on December 31. | Whether the hiring and retention shares meet the award level | The employer pulls them from its own records for the application. | |
| Descriptions of veteran programs Short descriptions of each program the award level calls for. A link to the company website alone is not enough. | How the employer supports veteran employees | The employer writes them on the application form. | |
| Executive attestation A statement under penalty of perjury by the chief executive officer, chief human resources officer, or an equal official, such as the owner of a small firm, that the employer meets the award criteria and the application is true and accurate. | That a senior official stands behind the application | The official signs it on the application before it is submitted. | |
| USERRA and VEVRAA certification A statement on the application that the employer has not had an adverse labor law decision, stipulated agreement, contract debarment, or contract termination under USERRA or VEVRAA. | No recent violation of the two veteran employment laws | The employer selects I agree on that item of the application. |
Employers send these to the Department of Labor on the HIRE Vets site. BeneVets does not ask for them.
Steps, in order
- Free help with your VA benefits
The award is a Department of Labor program, not a VA claim, and a VSO does not file it. If you have a VA claim while you look for work, a VSO can help. Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at Find an accredited VSO near you.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)
- Search the award winners
Open the awardees table on HIRE Vets and filter by employer name, award year, gold or platinum, employer size, and state.
Source: HIRE Vets Medallion Program: awardees table (opens in new tab)
- Check the award year
Each award names its year. Look at the year on the list; an employer may not display the award for a year it did not receive it.
Source: HIRE Vets Medallion Program: questions and answers (opens in new tab); HIRE Vets Medallion Program: awardees table (opens in new tab)
- Review the criteria for your size
On HIRE Vets, pick your employer size and read the platinum and gold criteria, or download the full table. Size is counted as of December 31 of the year before you apply.
Source: HIRE Vets Medallion Program (opens in new tab); HIRE Vets Medallion Program: 2026 award criteria table (opens in new tab); HIRE Vets Medallion Program: questions and answers (opens in new tab)
- Apply between January 31 and April 30
Complete the online form on HIRE Vets, get the executive attestation, and submit it. Pay the fee for your size through pay.gov; the Department of Labor asks for payment by April 30, and the fee is not refundable.
Source: HIRE Vets Medallion Program: questions and answers (opens in new tab); HIRE Vets Medallion Program: about the program (opens in new tab)
Good to know
The Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service runs the program under the HIRE Vets Act of 2017.
Source: HIRE Vets Medallion Program: questions and answers (opens in new tab)
Applications open by January 31 and close April 30. The Department of Labor tells employers the outcome by October 11 and announces winners in November, around Veterans Day.
Source: HIRE Vets Medallion Program: about the program (opens in new tab); HIRE Vets Medallion Program: questions and answers (opens in new tab)
Email hirevets@dol.gov or call 202-693-4745.
Source: HIRE Vets Medallion Program: questions and answers (opens in new tab)
BeneVets is informational and is not an accredited representative. Free help: an accredited VSO can work through VA benefits with you at no cost. Find an accredited VSO near you
Sources checked October 16, 2026: HIRE Vets Medallion Program (opens in new tab), HIRE Vets Medallion Program: about the program (opens in new tab), HIRE Vets Medallion Program: questions and answers (opens in new tab), HIRE Vets Medallion Program: 2026 award criteria table (opens in new tab), HIRE Vets Medallion Program: sample application, large employer gold (opens in new tab), HIRE Vets Medallion Program: awardees table (opens in new tab), VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)