VEVRAA Mandatory Job Listing Toolkit for Federal Contractors
Federal contractors and subcontractors with a contract worth $200,000 or more must list their open positions with the appropriate Employment Service Delivery System (ESDS), also known as a state job bank. The requirement comes from the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), and it exists to give protected veterans priority access to those openings.
This toolkit brings together DCI's Mandatory Job Listing Best Practices Checklist, our interactive ESDS map with links to the state job bank for every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands, and answers to the questions contractors ask most often about mandatory job listings.
What Employers Need to Know
- List every open position with the relevant ESDS concurrently with any other recruitment source you use.
- Three kinds of positions are excepted: executive and senior management positions, positions filled from within your organization, and positions lasting three days or less.
- Tell each ESDS that you are a federal contractor or subcontractor, that you are requesting priority referrals of protected veterans, the names and addresses of your establishments in the state, and the contractor official responsible for hiring at each one.
- Include an Equal Employment Opportunity tagline in every posting. The checklist also recommends listing the minimum qualifications and essential functions of the role, plus pay range information where a state or city requires it.
- Keep each job listed with the state job bank for as long as it is live on your career page.
- Listings can go to the ESDS by mail, fax, email or electronic submission, and a third party can transmit them for you, as long as the ESDS accepts the format.
- The requirement is still in force. VEVRAA was unaffected by the rescission of Executive Order 11246, and the August 21, 2026 final rules did not change the job listing obligation.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Do federal contractors have to list job openings with the state job bank?
Yes. Federal contractors and subcontractors with a contract worth $200,000 or more are covered by VEVRAA, which requires them to list open positions with the appropriate Employment Service Delivery System, also known as a state job bank.
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Which job openings are exempt from mandatory job listing?
Contractors must list all open positions except executive or top management positions, positions that will be filled from within the contractor's organization, and positions lasting three days or less.
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How long do jobs have to stay listed with the ESDS?
Jobs are listed concurrently with the appropriate ESDS. In practice, that means that as long as a position is live on your organization's career page, it should remain open on the state job bank.
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How do I find the right state job bank?
DCI's free ESDS map links to the Employment Service Delivery System for every state, as well as the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.
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Do contractors still have to list jobs now that Executive Order 11246 has been rescinded?
Yes. VEVRAA remains an active law of the United States despite the rescission of Executive Order 11246. The VEVRAA and Section 503 final rules published on August 21, 2026 did not eliminate or alter the requirement to list open positions with the relevant ESDS.
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What happens if a contractor does not list its jobs?
Consequences of non-compliance can include conciliation agreements requiring corrective action and increased reporting, loss of federal contract eligibility, and reputational harm.
What Has Changed Since the Checklist Was Published
- August 21, 2026: OFCCP published final rules updating the VEVRAA regulations, including the $200,000 contract threshold, effective September 21, 2026. The mandatory job listing requirement was not changed.
- October 26, 2026: The rescission of the Executive Order 11246 regulations takes effect. VEVRAA obligations, including job listing, continue.
Inside the Toolkit
- Mandatory Job Listing Best Practices Checklist (download): A one-page checklist covering what to list, what every posting should include, what to tell each ESDS, and the potential consequences of non-compliance.
- ESDS Map: An interactive map linking to the state job bank for every state and U.S. territory where the listing requirement applies.
- Mandatory Job Listings FAQ: Answers to common questions on exceptions, listing methods, recordkeeping and the 2026 final rules.
- Complimentary Job Listing Compliance Assessment: Want a second look at your own process? Schedule a complimentary assessment of your organization's compliance with VEVRAA's mandatory job listing requirement, and a member of our team will reach out within one business day.