Q: What Resources and Assistance Does the SBA Make Available for Vets?

A: If you are a veteran and either own a small business or wish to start one, or you currently own a small business and an essential employee has been called up to serve, there are many resources and services available from the U.S. Small Business Administration, and you may be eligible.

Start by going to the SBA Web Site www.sba.gov for the following information:

SBA's OFFICE OF VETERANS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (OVBD) is coordinating the outreach to and policy recommendations for SBA assistance to veterans www.sba.gov/vets

RESERVE AND GUARD SMALL BUSINESS GUIDE -- Small business owners can receive a comprehensive guide that provides resources available from the SBA to address restarting your business after returning from active duty. www.sba.gov/reservists

PLANNING ASSISTANCE -- Through local district offices and SBA's resource partners, you can receive business planning, counseling and training to help your business prepare for a call to active duty. After you or your employees return, the SBA can help with marketing and other plans to re-establish and grow your business. http://www.sba.gov/starting_business .

The SCORE, SBDC (Small Business Development Centers), VBOC (Veteran Business Outreach Centers), and WBCs (Women's Business Centers) can provide one-on-one counseling for veterans. www.sba.gov/vets & www.sba.gov/ed

ONLINE TRAINING -- The SBA's E-Business Institute ( www.sba.gov/training ) is a customer-focused online training environment designed to enrich, educate and enable small businesses.  It is a virtual campus offering online courses, workshops, information resources, learning tools and direct access to electronic counseling and other forms of technical assistance. 

FINANCING OPTIONS -- Small businesses may need financing as a result of the owner or key employees being called away to serve the country or returning veterans may need financing to expand an existing business or start a new one. The SBA's loan programs can help provide veterans with small business financing that may not be available through other channels. www.sba.gov/loans

MILITARY RESERVIST ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTER LOANS (MREIDL) -- For eligible small businesses facing financial needs because an owner or an essential employee was called to active duty, the SBA can offer loans tailored to those needs. Small businesses may apply for the loan after the employee(s) receive his/her orders to report for active duty. The loan application can be downloaded from the Web site at www.sba.gov/reservists/disloan.html

COMMUNITY EXPRESS -- Veterans interested in conventional SBA financing for business start-up/expansion are targeted under SBA's Community Express program. This program provides streamlined and expedited loans up to $250,000 and includes management and technical assistance. For information and lenders on this and the following loan programs, contact your local SBA District Office. www.sba.gov/financing

SBA 7(a) LOANS -- Operates through private-sector lenders that provide loans guaranteed by the SBA – the Agency has no funds for direct lending (other than MREIDL) or grants. The maximum loan amount available is $2 million, although the maximum dollar amount the SBA can guarantee is generally $1 million. www.sba.gov/financing

504 CERTIFIED DEVELOPMENT COMPANY (CDC) PROGRAM -- The CDC Program provides growing businesses with long-term, fixed-rate financing for major fixed assets, such as land, buildings, or major equipment. A CDC is a nonprofit corporation set up to contribute to the economic development of its local community. CDCs work with the SBA and private-sector lenders to provide financing otherwise unavailable to small businesses. http://www.sba.gov/financing/sbaloan/cdc504.html

DEBT RELIEF -- If your small business currently has an SBA direct or guaranteed loan, you can ask for repayment deferrals, interest-rate reduction and other assistance. www.sba.gov/reservists/debtrelief.html

FIRMS PARTICIPATING IN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING 8 (a) / Small and Disadvantaged Business (SDB) -- If a call to duty requires that the day- to-day management of the company must be transferred to an individual other than the one on whom the original certification was granted, the transfer will not disqualify the firm from program participation. www.sba.gov/8abd

SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATIONS RESEARCH (SBIR)/SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) -- If a call to duty results in a firm not being able to complete a grant's objectives within the original timeline, that timeline can be extended. www.sba.gov/sbir

HUBZONE -- Individuals who are employed by H UBZone firms and are called for military service will continue to be counted as employees when calculating the 35% H UBZone residency requirement or determining the firm's principal office, assuming they continue to be employed by the firm. www.sba.gov/hubzone

FOR MORE INFORMATION -- Visit our Web site at www.sba.gov/vets , or call our Office of Veterans Business Development at 202-205-6773.