HIRE Vets Medallion Program — Federal Recognition for Veteran-Friendly Employers

The HIRE Vets Medallion Program — established by the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act of 2017 (Pub. L. 115-31) and implemented at 20 CFR Part 1011 — is a voluntary federal award program that recognizes private-sector employers who demonstrate a commitment to hiring, employing, and retaining veterans. An employer who receives a HIRE Vets Medallion Award can display it as a signal to prospective employees, customers, and business partners that the company actively recruits and supports veteran workers. The program is administered by the Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) and is the only federal program that directly certifies private-sector employers on their veteran hiring practices.

Legal Authority

• Pub. L. 115-31 (HIRE Vets Act of 2017) — Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act; creates the HIRE Vets Medallion Program; directs DOL VETS to establish award criteria, application procedures, and Gold/Platinum/Platinum+ tier distinctions; authorizes employers to display official program medallions upon award
• 38 U.S.C. § 4212 — Veterans' employment emphasis under federal contracts; the broader statutory framework for veteran employment preferences and employer obligations; HIRE Vets Medallion operates as a complementary recognition program to this existing framework
• 20 CFR Part 1011 — DOL VETS implementing rule; establishes the application process, eligibility criteria by employer size, performance metrics (veteran hiring percentage, veteran retention, dedicated HR programs), award tiers, application window, and program renewal requirements

Key Mechanics

The HIRE Vets Medallion Program recognizes employers who meet quantitative and qualitative veteran hiring criteria. Employers apply annually (application window opens January 31 each year) and must meet criteria that vary by company size (small: under 50 employees; medium: 50–499; large: 500+). For large employers, Gold Medallion requires that at least 7% of new hires in the prior year be veterans and that at least 75% of veteran employees hired the previous year are retained; Platinum adds requirements for a veteran-specific human resources program, pay differential during reservist active duty, and dedicated veteran recruiting program. DOL VETS reviews applications and verifies criteria through submitted documentation; there is no on-site inspection. Award winners receive a physical medallion certificate and permission to use the official medallion in marketing materials. The program has no enforcement mechanism and no penalty for non-compliance with criteria after award — it is purely reputational. Employers renew annually by meeting current-year criteria; an employer who fails to renew cannot display the medallion. As of 2025, several thousand employers hold active medallion awards.

Current Rule (2026)

What This Program Does

The HIRE Vets Medallion is a voluntary recognition — not a grant, contract preference, or regulatory requirement. Employers apply annually, self-certify their veteran hiring data (subject to VETS verification), and if they meet the criteria, receive a certificate and a digital medallion image they can display on websites, job postings, and materials. The program creates a market signal: veterans can identify employers that have demonstrated commitment to veteran hiring, and employers can differentiate themselves in recruiting and procurement contexts.

The program has three employer size categories (large, medium, small) and three award tiers (Gold, Platinum, Platinum with Special Distinction) — resulting in nine distinct award types. Larger employers face higher thresholds and additional criteria (like a dedicated HR professional for veteran recruiting and access to Employee Assistance Programs for veterans) compared to small employers.

Key Provisions

§ 1011.000 — Program overview: the HIRE Vets Medallion Program is a voluntary employer recognition program administered by VETS; it recognizes employers who recruit, employ, and retain veterans; the award does not confer contract preferences or regulatory benefits — it is a reputational and marketing recognition

§ 1011.010 — Eligibility: all employers with at least one employee may apply; the employer must satisfy the size-category criteria for the appropriate award; employers with adverse labor law decisions from the prior year — findings of violations of the FLSA, OSHA, NLRA, VEVRAA, or other applicable labor laws — are ineligible for an award regardless of their veteran hiring metrics

§ 1011.015 — Award categories:

• Large Employer Awards: for employers with 500 or more employees
• Medium Employer Awards: for employers with 51 to 499 employees
• Small Employer Awards: for employers with 50 or fewer employees

§§ 1011.100–1011.110 — Award criteria (the substantive thresholds):

Large Employer — Gold Award requires all of the following:

• At least 7% of the employer's new hires during the prior year were veterans
• At least 75% retention of veteran employees for at least 12 months
• At least one full-time person dedicated to recruiting and retaining veterans (a dedicated human resources professional for veteran recruiting)
• An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or similar program available to all employees, including veterans

Large Employer — Platinum Award adds to the Gold criteria:

• At least 10% of new hires were veterans
• At least 85% veteran retention for 12 months
• A pay differential continuation policy for employees who leave for active duty military service (the employer pays the difference between the employee's civilian salary and military pay during deployment)

Large Employer — Platinum with Special Distinction adds to Platinum:

• At least 75% of veteran employees have been employed for at least 12 months (a population-level, not just cohort-level, retention measure)
• A tuition assistance program available to all employees to support education and training

Medium Employer — Gold Award requires:

• At least 7% of new hires were veterans
• At least 75% veteran retention for 12 months
• An EAP or similar assistance program available to all employees

Medium Employer — Platinum Award adds:

• At least 10% of new hires were veterans
• At least 85% veteran retention for 12 months
• A pay differential continuation policy during employee military deployments

Small Employer — Gold Award requires:

• At least 7% of new hires were veterans OR at least 35% of all employees are veterans
• An EAP or similar assistance program available to all employees

Small Employer — Platinum Award adds:

• At least 10% of new hires were veterans OR at least 45% of all employees are veterans
• A pay differential continuation policy during military deployments

The small employer threshold allows the "35% of all employees" alternative because small employers with very few total hires in a given year might not achieve a 7% veteran-hire rate simply due to low hiring volume — even if a large fraction of their workforce is veterans.

§ 1011.120 — Labor law ineligibility: an employer with an adverse determination in the prior year from any of the following is ineligible: NLRB unfair labor practice finding, FLSA wage violation, OSHA willful violation, VEVRAA (Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act) affirmative action violation, or violations of other applicable labor laws; VETS checks these determinations through interagency data before issuing awards

§ 1011.200–1011.230 — Application administration: VETS administers the award process annually; applications are submitted electronically through the HIRE Vets award portal; VETS may verify information through IRS wage records, state unemployment insurance records, NLRB databases, and other sources; VETS may deny an award if the application contains false information, the employer fails to provide requested verification, or an adverse labor law determination is found; VETS may revoke a previously issued award if post-award investigation reveals the employer misrepresented its data

§ 1011.300 — Application fees: the Act requires VETS to charge an application fee sufficient to cover program costs; fee amounts are set annually and vary by employer size category; fees are non-refundable (even if the award is denied); VETS may set annual caps on the total number of applications accepted

§ 1011.400–1011.405 — Award form and display restrictions: the award consists of a certificate stating the year for which it was awarded and a digital medallion image; it is unlawful for any employer to publicly display a HIRE Vets Medallion Award in a misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent manner (for example, displaying a prior-year award as if it were current, or displaying an award the employer did not receive); violations are enforceable under the Act

§ 1011.500 — Reconsideration: applicants whose awards are denied or revoked may file a request for reconsideration with VETS within 30 days; the reconsideration is reviewed by a VETS official who was not involved in the original determination; VETS's decision on reconsideration is final administrative action

§ 1011.600 — Record retention: applicants must retain all information supporting their application for a period of 5 years after the award year; VETS may audit retained records as part of verification or reconsideration proceedings

How It Affects You

If you are an employer seeking to attract veteran talent: the HIRE Vets Medallion is a cost-effective way to signal veteran-friendliness to prospective applicants — particularly to veterans using DOL's online veteran employment resources, which cross-reference HIRE Vets award recipients. The Gold Award's 7% new-hire threshold and 75% retention standard are achievable for many employers with existing veteran hiring programs; the Platinum tier requires the additional investment of a pay differential continuation policy during employee military deployments, which is the most substantive commitment the program requires.

If you are a veteran job-seeker: you can search DOL's directory of HIRE Vets award recipients to identify employers who have been recognized for their veteran hiring practices. The Gold Award indicates the employer hired veterans at above-minimum rates and retained them well; the Platinum and Platinum with Special Distinction tiers indicate deeper institutional commitment (dedicated HR staff, EAP, military pay differential during deployments). The award's annual-renewal structure means recipients must maintain their practices year to year to retain the medallion.

If you are concerned about award legitimacy: VETS verifies application data through external sources (IRS, UI records, labor law databases) and can revoke awards discovered to be fraudulently obtained. The prohibition on misleading display of the medallion is enforceable under the HIRE Vets Act. The 1-year ineligibility after receiving an award means a company cannot stack multiple consecutive awards without reapplying and re-meeting the criteria.

Statutory Authority

This rule implements:

• HIRE Vets Act of 2017 (Pub. L. 115-31, Division O): establishes the HIRE Vets Medallion Program; requires VETS to administer an annual award cycle; sets the employer size categories; requires fee collection sufficient to cover program costs; prohibits misleading display of awards; authorizes enforcement against fraudulent use
• 38 U.S.C. § 4212 — Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA): the broader statutory framework requiring federal contractors to take affirmative action toward veteran employment; HIRE Vets operates alongside VEVRAA as a voluntary complement to VEVRAA's mandatory requirements

Recent Rulemakings

2018 Final Rule (83 FR 48249): established Part 1011 implementing the HIRE Vets Medallion Program created by the 2017 Act; set the initial award criteria, fee structure, and administration process; set initial application fees and announced the first award cycle. The program has been administered annually since 2018 with minor administrative adjustments. No major structural amendments since 2018.

Pending Action