Where is the Updated Annual VEVRAA Hiring Benchmark?

By Victoria Ungvary and Amanda Bowman

Historically, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has published an annual Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) hiring benchmark on or around March 31^st. However, as of July 8^th, the OFCCP webpage remains offline, and the agency has not issued any official communication regarding the delay.

This silence leaves federal contractors in an uncertain position. The VEVRAA regulations and the associated hiring benchmark requirement are still in effect (and further would not be impacted by current rulemaking). According to 41 CFR § 60-300.45(b), contractors must either:

1. Adopt the national benchmark, defined as the percentage of veterans in the civilian labor force, which OFCCP typically publishes annually on its website, or
2. Develop a custom benchmark using five specific data factors, two of which have historically been compiled by OFCCP from other federal sources.

Despite the lack of updates from OFCCP, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is still releasing the relevant data to calculate the national benchmark (option 1 above). Using Table A: Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, and sex, 2023-2024 annual averages (last modified March 20, 2025), we can calculate the veteran percentage of the civilian labor force as follows:

Based on the available data and following agency methodology from previous years, OFCCP would establish a 5.1% benchmark for the 2025–2026 period if it were maintaining its usual update schedule. In the absence of official guidance, contractors may reasonably choose to adopt the newly calculated 5.1% figure or continue using the previously published 5.2% benchmark, effective as of March 31, 2024.

While the regulations allow contractors to calculate a custom benchmark using a five-factor analysis, this approach relies on data typically published by OFCCP, some of which is not currently available. Although veteran labor force data (Factor 1) remains available from the BLS, other required data is not readily accessible (Factor 2, state-level veteran participation in employment services). As a reminder, contractors must retain documentation of their benchmarks for three years, including supporting documentation.

DCI will continue to monitor OFCCP activity and provide updates as they become available.