More than 409,000 veterans call Colorado home, with approximately 170,000 of them over the age of 65. Service in the U.S. armed forces earns a veteran and his or her family a wide range of benefits, but knowing where to start can be a bit daunting. Here are some of the top veteran resources for the state of Colorado.

Since 1951, the VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System has provided quality care to veterans in Denver and the surrounding areas. Located at 1055 Clermont Street, the facilities offer primary care, rehabilitation, surgery, diagnostics, audiology services and surgical services. If you are closer to Colorado Springs, you can visit the PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom Outpatient Clinic for a long list of primary and specialty care, including several surgical specialties. The Colorado Springs location is one of several Easter Colorado Healthcare System community clinics located throughout the state. Most also provide additional VA support services for families and caregivers of veterans.

Colorado offers extensive employment benefits to veterans who are searching for a job, including support from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. Each of its nearly 60 locations provides veterans with “Priority of Service” for employment, training, and placement services. You can get more information at any of these locations, or start your search with the online Connecting Colorado job search portal.

Senior veterans needing assistance with activities of daily living may be eligible to receive 24-hour skilled nursing care from one Colorado’s five Veterans Community Living Centers. These communities serve honorably discharged veterans, veterans’ spouses/widows, and Gold-Star parents whose child died while serving in the armed forces. The available services vary slightly depending on the location, but generally they provide assisted living options for those more independent, rehabilitation recovery after surgery, short-term respite care, long-term skilled nursing care, memory care, and hospice services.

• Aurora: Veterans Community Living Center at Fitzsimons
• Florence: Bruce McCandless Veterans Community Living Center
• Monte Vista: Veterans Community Living Center at Homelake
• Rifle: Veterans Community Living Center at Rifle

The VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System is also a member of the Medical Foster Home (MFH) care initiative, first established in Arkansas in 1999 and now a national effort across the VA. Medical Foster Home care is an alternative to nursing home care and places a veteran in an approved family home where he or she has an individual room, family meals, laundry and cleaning, and regular visits and care as needed from the professional VA hospital staff. This initiative receives a 90% satisfaction rate from both veterans and caregivers and offers flexibility, independence, and a community while still providing round-the-clock care and easy access to professional health care.

Colorado veterans also have a great resource in the Colorado Division of Veteran Affairs, whose mission is to be an advocate for Colorado veterans and their families, and to assist them in getting all the benefits their service has earned. Representatives are extremely familiar with a wide range of state and national benefits, services, and processes regarding the VA and other laws. In addition to the two main locations in Denver and Lakewood, the department deploys numerous nationally trained County Veteran Service Officers throughout the state. It’s best to call ahead to make an appointment, and the office typically responds within 24 hours. They also offer an extensive Frequently Asked Questions section of their website to ensure that your appointment is as productive as possible.

Find more benefits for Denver veterans and for Colorado Springs veterans at SeniorAdvisor.com

To find out what veterans benefits exist in other states in the U.S. please visit our complete Veterans Benefits by State guide here.

Colorado Veterans Benefit for Assisted Living

The Aid and Attendance pension benefit is available to Colorado senior veterans and their spouses to help pay for senior care like assisted living, home care, or nursing home care. Here is more information on how the Aid and Attendance benefit helps Colorado veterans.

Written By Megan Hammons