The We Honor Veterans (WHV) Team is excited to announce an update to Level 5! This update will include a new schedule for partners to submit their Level 5 Reports and updated materials to improve comprehension of Level 5 required activities. These updates are aimed at ensuring the integrity and accessibility of Level 5. Our website team is currently working to update the WHV site with these improvements. Additional information on both of these updates is available below.
Level 5 Due Date Changes – Introducing Cohorts!
We Honor Veterans is transitioning to a cohort system to collect completed Level 5 Reports. Going forward, all Level 5 partners will be sorted into one of two cohorts: the Spring cohort or the Fall cohort. Partners in the Spring cohort must submit their completed Level 5 report on or before April 30th. Partners in the Fall cohort must submit their completed Level 5 report on or before October 31st. Your organization will receive their new Level 5 due date based on the following criteria:
- If your Level 5 Renewal Report is due between 3/1/24 and 4/30/24, your organization’s new due date is 4/30/24.
- If your Level 5 Renewal Report is due between 5/1/24 and 10/31/24, your organization’s new due date is 10/31/24.
- If your Level 5 Renewal Report is due between 11/1/24 and 4/30/25, your organization’s new due date is 4/30/25.
Which cohort is my organization in?
A separate communication will be sent via email to your WHV primary contact confirming your organization’s assignment to the Spring or Fall cohort. You will also be able to view your cohort and corresponding due date in the Partner Portal. If your organization was previously granted an extension for your Level 5 due date, we will utilize your extension due date to determine whether you fall into the Spring or Fall cohort.
Level 4 partners pursuing Level 5 will be automatically assigned to the Spring or Fall cohort upon committing to Level 5. All partners will have, at minimum, 1 year to complete their first Level 5 report.
Reviewing Submitted Reports: Submitted Level 5 reports will be reviewed and receive a notification of “approval” or “disapproval” within 1 month from their due date.
- For instance, all reports submitted on or before 4/30/24 by the Spring cohort will be reviewed between April 30 and May 31. Similarly, all reports submitted on or before 10/31/24 by the Fall cohort will be reviewed between October 31 and November 30.
Reports Requiring Revisions: If your report is “disapproved” you will receive an email notifying you of the reason for this disapproval as well as revisions required in order for your report to be approved. You will have 1 month from the final date of the reviewal period to submit your revised Level 5 report. Therefore, revised reports will be due on June 30 and December 31.
- For instance, if you receive notification of your disapproval on 5/10/24, your revised Level 5 report will be due on June 30.
Extensions
Going forward, We Honor Veterans will not offer any automatic Level 5 due date extensions. This change is intended to ensure fairness to our many Level 5 partners that complete their renewals within the allotted 1-year time frame. In extreme circumstances, requests for extensions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the WHV Team.
Re-Ranked at Level 4
Your organization will be re-ranked at Level 4 if:
- Your organization does not submit their Level 5 report by their respective due date, or
- Your organization’s Level 5 report is “disapproved” and you do not complete all required revisions for approval.
If your organization is re-ranked to Level 4, the following will occur:
- Your organization’s primary contact will receive notification of this re-ranking
- Your organization will receive the WHV Level 4 logo for use on your marketing and outreach materials
- Your organization will be listed in the Partner Directory as a Level 4 partner
- Your organization will remain in the respective Spring or Fall cohort and will have the opportunity to re-apply for Level 5 by your respective due date. For instance, if your organization does not submit your Level 5 report on 4/30/24, your organization will be re-ranked to Level 4. You will be able to re-apply for Level 5 on or before 4/30/25.
Level 5 Cohort Graphic
Please use this graphic below as an aid for understanding the respective dates for the Spring & Fall Cohorts.
Level 5 Materials Update
Our Level 5 materials, including the Level 5 Requirements webpage, Level 5 Report Template, and Level 5 Renewal Report Template, are getting a refresh!
The goal of this refresh is to ensure that our Level 5 requirements are clear and concise! There will be no major changes to the Level 5 required activities.
Level 5 Mentor
We are including a small change in the consent process to become a Level 5 Mentor. To ensure that all mentors are capable of providing guidance to lower-level WHV partners, we are including a self-assertion of WHV knowledge. Going forward, individuals will be asked to agree to the below statement:
“By agreeing, you assert that you have a firm understanding of the We Honor Veterans program and are capable of providing guidance to lower-level WHV partners. You also assert that you have been your organization’s WHV primary contact for at least one year, or that another member of your organization meets these qualifications and can serve as a mentor.”
Level 5 Forum Recording
The recording of our Level 5 Improvements Forum below provides an overview of the aforementioned updates.
We appreciate your patience as we make these necessary improvements!
