Colorado VA Disability Benefits & Resources for Veterans

The Colorado Division of Veterans Affairs, part of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, shares a Lakewood address with the VA’s Denver Regional Benefit Office. Colorado’s best-known benefit is a property tax exemption that voters extended in 2024 (Amendment G) to veterans with Individual Unemployability. Colorado Parks and Wildlife gives a free lifetime fishing or small game and fishing license to veterans rated 50% or higher.

State benefit details verified against official state sources on September 27, 2026.

Key benefits at a glance

Property tax exemption

Colorado exempts 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value of a qualifying veteran’s primary residence. Who qualifies:

• Disabled veterans: an honorable discharge and a service-connected disability rated 100% permanent and total. A 100% permanent disability retirement from the Department of Homeland Security or a military department also qualifies.
• Individual Unemployability: starting in 2025 under Amendment G, veterans with VA IU status, meaning rated at least 70% but paid at the 100% rate.
• Gold Star spouses: surviving spouses of service members who died in the line of duty (with a DoD death gratuity) or from a service-connected cause, if the spouse receives DIC. CDVA’s eligibility section says the spouse must not have remarried, but its FAQ says remarriage does not disqualify a Gold Star spouse. If you’ve remarried, confirm with your county assessor.
• Surviving spouses of veterans who already had the exemption, as long as they stay in the same home and don’t remarry.

You must have owned and lived in the home since January 1 of the year you apply. Since 2024, applications go directly to the county assessor, not to the Division of Veterans Affairs or DOLA. Include your VA benefit summary letter, and use one dated within the last year because most assessors ask for it. The filing window is January 1 to July 1. Applications that arrive after July 1 are not held for the next year. You don’t reapply unless your VA status changes or you move.

State income tax

• Under 55: You can subtract up to $15,000 of military retirement benefits included in federal taxable income. The limit is set at $15,000 for tax years 2022 through 2028.
• 55 and older: You can’t use the military subtraction. Instead, you take the general pension and annuity subtraction: up to $20,000 if you are under 65 and up to $24,000 at 65 or older. Surviving beneficiaries of any age can also claim it.
• Both subtractions are claimed on DR 0104AD. VA disability compensation isn’t included in federal taxable income, which is Colorado’s starting point, so it isn’t taxed.

Vehicle registration and license plates

The Colorado DMV offers two disabled-veteran plates, both applied for at your county motor vehicle office with form DR 2002:

• Disabled Veteran: for a service-connected rating of 50% or more, loss or loss of use of one or both hands or feet, or permanent impairment of vision in both eyes. You also need proof of an honorable discharge. The first set is exempt from plate fees under C.R.S. 42-3-213. This plate does not allow parking in disability spaces.
• Disabled Veteran Handicapped: for veterans who are 50% or more service-connected disabled and also have a physical impairment certified by a licensed provider. It adds disabled-parking privileges, requires form DR 2219, and is limited to one set.

The DMV also offers a Disabled Women Veteran plate on the same terms as the standard Disabled Veteran plate.

Hunting and fishing licenses

Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers a free lifetime fishing license or a lifetime small game and fishing combination license to Colorado residents with a service-connected rating of 50% or more. Purple Heart recipients also qualify for the combination license. Holders don’t have to buy the annual Habitat Stamp, and the license stays valid only while you keep your Colorado residency. You have to apply for it through CPW rather than buy it over the counter.

Education benefits

Colorado has no general state tuition waiver for children of disabled veterans. The Dependent Tuition Assistance Program (DTAP), run by the Colorado Department of Higher Education, covers dependents of:

• prisoners of war and service members missing in action
• Colorado National Guard members killed or permanently disabled on state active duty or authorized training duty
• certain law enforcement officers and firefighters

A parent’s VA disability rating alone does not qualify a child. Dependents must enroll before 24 and keep a 2.5 GPA. Benefits last up to eight semesters, and applications are accepted March 1 through June 30. Most children and spouses of disabled veterans should look at VA’s Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) instead.

State veterans homes

The Colorado Department of Human Services operates five Veterans Community Living Centers:

• Veterans Community Living Center at Fitzsimons: Aurora
• Bruce McCandless Veterans Community Living Center at Florence: Florence
• Veterans Community Living Center at Homelake: Monte Vista (also has domiciliary cottages)
• Veterans Community Living Center at Rifle: Rifle
• Spanish Peaks Veterans Community Living Center at Walsenburg: Walsenburg

Honorably discharged veterans, their spouses or widows, and Gold Star parents may apply if they meet medical criteria. The centers accept Medicaid and private pay.

Employment preference

Article XII, Section 15 of the Colorado Constitution gives preference points on state personnel system exams:

• 5 points for veterans who meet the service requirements
• 10 points for veterans receiving compensation or disability retirement for a disability incurred in the line of duty
• 5 points for certain surviving spouses of eligible veterans

No candidate can receive more than 10 points, and preference never applies to promotions. Attach your DD-214 (Member 4) to the application, plus a VA letter showing a service-connected disability if you’re claiming 10 points.

How to apply for Colorado veteran benefits

1. Download your VA benefit summary letter from VA.gov. It is required for the property tax exemption, plates and CPW license.
2. Between January 1 and July 1, send the disabled veteran property tax application and the letter to your county assessor, not to the state.
3. For plates, take DR 2002, your DD-214 and the VA letter to your county motor vehicle office. For parking privileges, add DR 2219 and a provider’s certification.
4. Apply to Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the lifetime fishing or combination license.
5. Claim the military retirement or pension subtraction on DR 0104AD with your state return.
6. For help, contact your county veterans service officer or the Division of Veterans Affairs at 155 Van Gordon, Suite 201, Lakewood, CO 80228, 303-914-5832.

VA offices and medical centers in Colorado

Denver VA Regional Benefit Office: 155 Van Gordon Street, Lakewood, CO 80228.

VA medical centers in Colorado:

• Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center: Aurora
• Grand Junction VA Medical Center: Grand Junction

Find outpatient clinics near you with the VA facility locator.

Filing a federal VA disability claim from Colorado

Federal VA claims work the same way in Colorado as anywhere else. See how to file, check your claim status and the 2026 compensation rates. County veterans service officers, listed in the Division of Veterans Affairs directory, help with claims and appeals for free. If you’re in crisis, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 988 and press 1.