How can you tell which employers stand behind veterans after the words “thank you for your service”? The U.S. Department of Labor has selected VetRamp (LGE Consulting, LLC) for the 2026 HIRE Vets Medallion Award at the Platinum level. VetRamp is Providence Partners’ veteran-focused sister company. The award recognizes employers for recruiting, employing, and retaining veterans, including the support that helps them stay.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, veteran unemployment rose from 3.0% in 2024 to 3.5% in 2025. Because the 2025 figures exclude October, the 2 years are not strictly comparable. Still, veterans need a clear path into lasting work. VetRamp shares that focus with Providence Partners, a Texas engineering recruitment agency.
What Is the HIRE Vets Medallion Award?
The HIRE Vets Medallion Program began under the HIRE Vets Act of 2017. The Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service runs it. More than 2,000 employers have earned an award since applications opened in 2019. It is the only federal award for employers that hire, keep, and support veterans. The public list helps veteran job seekers find veteran-friendly employers.
The rules depend on employer size:
- Small employers have 1 to 50 employees, including many veteran-owned firms.
- Medium employers have 51 to 499 employees and need more formal veteran hiring programs for Platinum.
- Large employers have 500 or more employees. Their 2026 application fee is $640, versus $120 for small and $250 for medium employers.
What Small Employers Must Show for Platinum
The 2026 criteria give small employers 2 routes to the HIRE Vets Platinum Medallion Award. On the first route, veterans must make up at least 10% of the firm’s 2025 hires. On the second, the firm must have kept at least 85% of veterans hired in 2024 for 12 months. Veterans must also have made up at least 10% of its staff on December 31, 2025.
Small Platinum applicants must also offer at least 2 approved forms of support. They can include a veteran resource group, leadership program, HR initiative, Guard or Reserve pay differential, or tuition assistance. Certain adverse actions under USERRA or VEVRAA, which protect service members and veterans at work, can make a firm ineligible.
The HIRE Vets Gold Medallion Award uses lower employment targets. Here is the small-employer comparison for 2026:
| Requirement | Gold | Platinum |
| Veterans among previous year’s new hires | 7% | 10% |
| OR: Veterans retained for at least 12 months | 75% | 85% |
| AND, if using retention: Veterans in the workforce | 7% | 10% |
| Veteran support programs | None required | At least 2 |
| Application fee | $120 | $120 |
Why VetRamp’s Platinum Recognition Matters
VetRamp is an SBA-certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Texas-certified VetHUB based in Austin. As a veteran staffing agency and IT services firm, it builds teams that run and secure IT and cybersecurity systems for agencies, prime contractors, and private companies. Its certifications show who owns the firm; the federal award shows how it hires and supports veterans.
That difference matters if you are choosing a staffing partner or leaving military service. You want someone who understands veteran skills and supports careers beyond the first hire. The Department of Labor checks the firm’s signed figures and federal labor records. That goes beyond a company promise, though it is not a full workplace audit.
Together, the companies have leaders who know military service and Texas hiring:
- Joel Holst, CEO of VetRamp, served 6 years in the U.S. Navy, including Desert Storm. He has spent 28 years staffing high-tech, financial, and government roles.
- Kevin Mueller, VetRamp’s Chief Growth Officer, brings over 15 years in staffing and deep Texas roots as a sixth-generation Texan.
Both firms work in roles where a job title may hide valuable skills. At Providence Partners, we bring that care to IT recruitment, searches for engineering talent, and state agency hiring that may need clearance support.
What Veterans Bring to Tech and Engineering Teams
Military IT and communications work involves setting up systems, keeping them available, and protecting them. Those skills can transfer into civilian network, cybersecurity, and systems roles. Yet hiring veterans as a business advantage requires matching each person’s experience to a real job.
- If your team runs critical systems, look for people who have managed system changes, kept clear records, and followed security procedures.
- For a role that requires a security clearance, check its current status and whether it applies to that job. Prior service alone does not settle eligibility.
- If you need leadership experience, review the full record. In 2025, 41.8% of employed Gulf War-era II veteran men held management or professional jobs, compared with 39.5% of nonveteran men, according to the BLS.
Military job titles do not always match civilian ones. If recruiters screen only for title matches, they can miss strong candidates. Reviewing duties, training, and certifications gives veteran talent a fairer chance.
Veteran Hiring in Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth
Chip plants, data centers, aerospace programs, and fintech firms across Central and North Texas need cybersecurity engineers, network administrators, and systems engineers. Yet general job boards may miss veterans leaving Fort Hood or Guard members returning to civilian work. Clear job descriptions improve veteran hiring and help employers reach more veteran talent.
How Employers Can Reach Qualified Veterans
For tech and engineering roles, these steps make veteran recruitment more useful:
- Write posts around duties and results, so a former military network specialist can recognize a systems administrator role.
- Review service history, clearance status, and certifications such as Security+ or CCNA during the first screen.
- Consider contract-to-hire if both sides want to assess the fit before a permanent offer, with clear terms for the candidate.
- Offer a peer mentor or veteran resource group to help new hires adjust to civilian work.
These changes help when recruiters can read military experience in context. If you are hiring in Central Texas, our tech recruiters in Austin can assess experience and clearance status. Providence Partners also offers IT staffing in DFW for cybersecurity, DevOps, and engineering roles.
2026 Platinum Award Date and Next Steps
VetRamp’s selection email sets November 10, 2026, the day before Veterans Day, as the official award date. VetRamp can then use its digital medallion in ads and proposals. The email also explains what follows:
- The Department of Labor will mail an official certificate showing 2026. VetRamp must apply again to earn awards in later years.
- The company will join the public awardee map, where agencies, prime contractors, and veteran job seekers can find it.
The year on a veteran medallion matters because recognition is annual. The DOL HIRE Vets Medallion is most useful alongside a company’s current jobs and veteran support.
Turning Recognition Into Lasting Careers
For a veteran, this recognition matters when a job offers clear duties, a fair review of military skills, and support after the first day. That approach to veteran hiring helps people build careers while employers gain valuable skills.
Providence Partners congratulates the VetRamp team. In our engineering and IT searches across Texas, we check a candidate’s skills against the work, not just a job title. If you have an opening, hire top talent with Providence Partners or call 512-750-0778 to discuss it.
FAQs
1. What is the HIRE Vets Medallion Award?
The Department of Labor gives this federal recognition to employers that meet its veteran employment criteria. Recipients get a certificate and digital medallion for use after the official award date.
2. What is the difference between Gold and Platinum HIRE Vets Medallion Awards?
The HIRE Vets Platinum Medallion Award has higher employment targets. Small employers also need at least 2 approved support programs for Platinum, while Gold requires none. Criteria vary by employer size.
3. Who can apply for the HIRE Vets Medallion Award?
Private companies, nonprofits, local governments, and Tribal governments can apply if they pay at least 1 employee and meet program rules. Federal and state governments cannot apply. Applicants must have hired a veteran within the last 2 calendar years and satisfy USERRA and VEVRAA eligibility rules.
4. When are HIRE Vets Medallion Award winners announced?
Applications open by January 31 and close on April 30. The Department of Labor notifies applicants by October 11. VetRamp’s email gives November 10, 2026, as its official award date.
5. Why should Texas tech companies focus on veteran recruitment?
Some veterans have worked on secure networks and in roles with strict rules for safety and records. Austin and DFW employers can benefit when they check those skills against each job. Providence Partners helps them do that from the first screen.