diff --git a/parm/config/gfs/config.base b/parm/config/gfs/config.base
index 186e4ea5041..4d97dd1aa7f 100644
--- a/parm/config/gfs/config.base
+++ b/parm/config/gfs/config.base
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ export binary_diag=".false."
 # Verification options
 export DO_METP="YES"         # Run METPLUS jobs - set METPLUS settings in config.metp
 export DO_FIT2OBS="YES"      # Run fit to observations package
-export DO_VRFY_OCEANDA="NO"  # Run SOCA Ocean DA verification tasks
+export DO_VRFY_OCEANDA="@DO_VRFY_OCEANDA@"  # Run SOCA Ocean and Seaice DA verification tasks
 
 # Archiving options
 export HPSSARCH="@HPSSARCH@"        # save data to HPSS archive
diff --git a/parm/config/gfs/yaml/defaults.yaml b/parm/config/gfs/yaml/defaults.yaml
index e6108fff29d..9c90255cdd7 100644
--- a/parm/config/gfs/yaml/defaults.yaml
+++ b/parm/config/gfs/yaml/defaults.yaml
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ base:
   DO_MERGENSST: "NO"
   DO_GOES: "NO"
   FHMAX_GFS: 120
+  DO_VRFY_OCEANDA: "NO"
 
 atmanl:
   LAYOUT_X_ATMANL: 8