Colorado Veterans Benefits & Disabled Veterans Benefits
Colorado Veterans Benefits & Disabled Veterans Benefits
Veteran and Disabled Veteran Benefits for Colorado
The following are the Colorado state benefits programs for military members. You can also learn about veterans’ benefits in other states.
Education Benefits for Veterans In Colorado
In addition to federal programs such as the GI Bill, there are veterans’ benefits programs provided by the states.
Colorado National Guard Tuition Waiver Program
Members of the Colorado National Guard may qualify for the state tuition waiver program, which covers up to 100% of in-state tuition at any state-approved public Designated Institution of Higher Education (DIHE) in Colorado. This program replaces the old State Tuition Assistance Program.
Every service member must submit a separate application for each individual semester (Fall, Spring, and Summer) in which they intend to take classes. Because each semester’s state budget is managed independently, approval for one term does not automatically guarantee or reserve waiver funds for subsequent terms.
Students who depend on this waiver must submit their paperwork by the state’s strict deadlines before the academic term starts. If a deadline is missed or if a student withdraws from a course after the institution’s official add/drop period, the waiver will be canceled, and the service member will be personally responsible for paying the remaining tuition balance.
The tuition waiver covers up to 65 credit hours for an Associate degree (2-year), up to 130 credit hours for a Bachelor’s degree (4-year), or a combined maximum of 145 credit hours. It can also be used for one postgraduate degree and one certificate program. The waiver covers base tuition only; mandatory student fees, textbooks, and equipment are the responsibility of the service member. To qualify, undergraduate applicants must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (3.0 for graduate students) and must have completed Basic Training.
RELATED: National Guard Tuition Assistance
Colorado In-State Tuition for Nonresident Service Members, Veterans, and Families
Military members and their immediate family members may qualify for in-state tuition at Colorado colleges and universities. Physical residence and/or military service in the state is required. You must be able to provide orders or other documentation that establishes military duty in the area.
Once approved for in-state tuition, the approval is valid indefinitely. Family members must apply for this benefit while the service member is still serving within the state. Discuss your needs with an admissions counselor or Veteran Service Officer for more information on how to claim this benefit in the current academic year.
>> Find VA-approved colleges and universities in Colorado with our School Finder.
Housing Benefits for Veterans In Colorado
Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption
This property tax exemption is available to qualifying veterans with a disability and Gold Star Spouses. Under Amendment G, eligibility includes veterans rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as 100% permanently and totally disabled, as well as veterans awarded Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU) status.
Applicants must have owned and occupied their property as their primary residence since January 1st of the application year. The Colorado property tax exemption is 50% of the first $200,000 of a primary residence. To qualify, the applicant must own and occupy the home as their primary residence on or before January 1st of the year they apply.
Completed applications and the required VA Summary of Benefits letter must be submitted directly to their County Assessor’s office during the official filing window between January 1st and July 1st. Applications received after that date will not be processed or held for the current tax year, requiring the applicant to wait and reapply entirely when the window reopens the following January.
Colorado Property Tax Deferral Program for Active Duty Military
The Property Tax Deferral program was created to help both military members and senior citizens via deferred property tax payments. Under this program, the Colorado State Treasurer’s office makes tax payments on behalf of the veteran.
That assistance is viewed as a loan, and a lien is placed on the property for the tax. The loan is not due “until the participant no longer qualifies to defer their property taxes,” according to the State of Colorado.
Who qualifies?
- The applicant must be either a senior citizen or a member of the military called to active service.
- You cannot be delinquent on past year’s taxes.
- Applicants must own and occupy the property as their primary residence.
- The property cannot produce income of any kind.
- The total value of liens against the property “cannot exceed 100% of the assessed market value” of the home.
- The assistance must include lender participation; the lender must agree that the state’s interest in the property has priority.
- The deferral amount must be paid upon the sale or transfer of the property.
You must apply for this benefit via your county Treasurer’s Office. The state Treasurer’s office will create an account for your tax-deferred property; the interest on this account is paid to the State General Fund.
Health Care Benefits for Veterans In Colorado
Colorado State Veterans Community Living Centers
There are five Colorado State Veteran Community Living Centers. They are located in:
- Fitzsimmons
- Florence
- Homelake
- Rifle
- Walsenburg
These centers serve honorably discharged veterans, spouses, and Gold Star parents. Each of the 5 locations offers 24-hour nursing care, meals, physician services, therapy, transportation, and activities.
Admissions policies may vary depending on whether the applicant needs memory care, palliative care, or other specialized services. Short-term, long-term, assisted care, and hospice care may all be available.
Vacancies may be limited due to demand, depending on the time of year and other variables. Medicaid requirements may vary depending on the nature of care needed and other factors.
Colorado State Burial Benefits for Veterans
The Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado was created by Colorado state law in 1999 and officially opened in 2002. Eligible service members, their dependents, and other qualifying applicants may be buried here at no cost.
Next-of-kin is provided with zero-cost options such as:
- A gravesite or niche
- Opening and closing of the gravesite or niche
- An upright granite headstone or granite niche marker with the inscription,
- Concrete vault or grave liner
- Perpetual care
Pre-need arrangements are possible, but a grave location cannot be reserved in advance.
Employment Benefits for Veterans In Colorado
Career Assistance for Veterans
Career assistance is available to all individuals eligible for veteran services. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) and the American Job Center (AJC) partner to offer career assistance to those who have served in the US military and those eligible for veterans’ priority of service.
Using Connecting Colorado, users can register in order to receive automatic job matching from the statewide database. There is help for developing and customizing resumes and cover letters, job search guidance, information on licensure, certification, apprenticeship, and training programs, information on rights and priority for veterans, and direct referrals for job openings.
Their Veterans Employment Specialists serve fellow veterans by providing expertise in job and training opportunities. They have a partnership with local Workforce Centers that will allow any veteran who has served at least one day of active duty to receive that additional support with their job search. Eligible spouses are also included.
You can find their two main locations in Denver and Lakewood; the department also deploys many nationally trained County Veteran Service Officers throughout the state.
Veterans Hiring Preference
State and federal job opportunities in Colorado include a hiring preference for veterans for positions that require a state or federal examination. Preference points are added after the job exams have been scored but prior to the referral of any applicant for the next steps.
- Five-point preference may be awarded to those with honorable discharges who meet other approval criteria; these points may also be awarded to a qualifying military spouse.
- A 10-point preference is available to those who meet state-disabled veteran hiring preference criteria.
In the case of certain layoffs in state agencies, those hired under veteran preference may qualify for service credit “on a year-for-year basis for up to ten years of military service,” according to the State of Colorado.
Military Tax Benefits for Veterans In CO
Colorado State Income Tax Exemption For Military Retirement Pay
Colorado residents receiving military retirement pay may be permitted to deduct a percentage of that pay from their state income tax.
- Retired Military Under Age 55: May claim a military retirement pay deduction up to $15,000.
- Retired Service Members Age 55 to 64: May claim a military retirement pay deduction of up to $20,000.
- Retired Service Members Age 65 or Older: May claim a military retirement pay deduction of up to $24,000.
The Colorado Military Spouse Residency Relief Act
This state law says wages and tips earned in Colorado by an eligible “nonresident military Spouse” are not subject to state taxes. To qualify, you must be married to a service member, have moved to Colorado from elsewhere, and work in Colorado, and do so to accompany a spouse on military orders.
For more information regarding Colorado veterans’ benefits, please visit the Colorado Division of Veterans Affairs website.
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About the author
Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
Michelle Nati is a contributing writer to CollegeRecon who has written about higher education and finance for Granita Media/Big Edition site Work and Money. She's also written law content for Leaf Group's Legal Beagle site and is a ghostwriter of non-fiction books. She lives in Los Angeles and spends her spare time combing flea markets for vintage photos and decor and playing with her dogs, Jellybean and Jukebox.
