Defining Disability

For most people, the word "disabled" conjures up images of wheelchairs, guide dogs or paralysis. For some government contractors, it means money-at least in theory.

Ever since the 1999 Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act was passed, agencies have faced a 3 percent target

for contract awards to service-disabled veterans. The 2003 Veterans Benefits Act allowed agencies to award sole-source contracts and restrict competition to small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans. President Bush further upped the ante when he issued an executive order in October 2004 requiring agencies to "more effectively implement" the two laws.

The focus on the service-disabled has led some veterans to ask, "What about me?"

"One of the unintended results of the mandate [is that] it diminishes the role of the veteran-owned business," says Sherry Vance, vice president of business development for LSI, a small, veteran-owned business in Washington that provides information technology training. "Anyone who volunteers and puts their life on the line should receive special treatment." Vance would like to see set-asides for all veteran-owned businesses, not just service-disabled.