Veterans Employment Services

Veterans’ Employment Services

Priority of Service
Our mission is to provide Veterans, transitioning service members and eligible spouses with the resources and services to succeed in the 21st Century workforce by meeting labor-market demands with qualified Veterans. To assist in meeting this mission, Priority of Service is given to Veterans and eligible spouses. Priority of Service means that veterans and eligible spouses are given priority over non-covered persons for the receipt of employment, training, and placement services provided under a qualified job training program. This means that a veteran or an eligible spouse either receives access to a service earlier in time than a non-covered person or, if the resource is limited, the veteran or eligible spouse receives access to the service instead of or before the non-covered person.

Veteran, for the sole purpose of Priority of Service, means a person who served at least one day of active duty in the any branch of the Armed Forces and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.

Active duty includes full-time Federal service in the National Guard or a Reserve component. This definition of “active service” does not include full-time duty performed strictly for training purposes (i.e., that which often is referred to as “weekend” or “annual” training), nor does it include full-time active duty performed by National Guard personnel who are mobilized by State rather than Federal authorities (State mobilizations usually occur in response to events such as natural disasters).

Eligible spouse means the spouse married to any of the following:

1. Any veteran who died of a service-connected disability;
2. Any member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty who, at the time of application for the priority, is listed in one or more of the following categories and has been so listed for a total of more than 90 days:
   • Missing in action;
   • Captured in line of duty by a hostile force; or
   • Forcibly detained or interned in line of duty by a foreign government
3. Any veteran who has a total disability resulting from a service connected disability, as evaluated by the Department of Veterans Affairs
4. Any veteran who died while a service-connected disability was in existence (whether or not that disability was the cause of death). A spouse whose eligibility is derived from a living veteran or service member (i.e., categories b. or c. above) would lose his or her eligibility if the veteran or service member were to lose the status that is the basis for the eligibility (e.g. if a veteran with a total service-connected disability were to receive a revised disability rating at a lower level). Similarly, for a spouse whose eligibility is derived from a living veteran or service member, that eligibility would be lost upon divorce from the veteran or service member.

Jobs for Veterans

Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s Veteran Employment Specialists and Workforce Employment Advisors provide hands-on assistance to veterans and spouses seeking guidance in obtaining employment. Our team is dedicated to helping you understand, harness and align your skill sets with currently available opportunities across the state. Our goal is to provide you with the information necessary to make confident and rewarding choices in your career. Here are some of the services they provide:

• Case Management — Close follow-up, job development, and intensive job search for veterans.
• Job Referral — Referrals to jobs from the Colorado Workforce Center database.
• Job Development — Veterans Employment Specialists work closely with local employers in developing jobs for veterans.
• Coordination — Veterans Employment Specialists work closely with local organizations that provide services and assistance to veterans, e.g. Colorado State Vocational Rehabilitation, the Boulder County Veterans Service Office, the Boulder Vet Center, and local veterans service organizations (Disabled American Veterans, American Legion, and the Veterans of Foreign wars).
• Local Employer Information — Information is available on employers in Boulder County.
• Job Search Assistance — Veterans Employment Specialists provide guidance in searching for employment locally and nationally.
• Referrals to Training — Veterans Employment Specialists will refer veterans to appropriate training to improve employability.

State Veteran’s Services
Additionally within the Workforce Centers certain eligible veterans and spouses may receive enhanced services — see checklist below.

Eligible Veteran applies if you have served at least 181 federal active duty days and fall in one or more of the target groups. See the checklist below.

Other Eligible Persons applies to spouses of: 1) a totally disabled or deceased veteran whose disability or death was service-connected, or 2) a service member who was listed for 90 or more days as missing in action or forcibly detained by a foreign power while serving on active duty. Simply contact the Boulder: 303-413-7086; or Longmont: 720-864-6657; Workforce Center and they will connect you with the Veterans Employment Specialist.

Services Referral Checklist — One or More Required

• Do you have a service connected disability? (Entitled to compensation from the VA or was discharged or released from active duty for a service connected disability.)
• Are you currently homeless?
• Are you a recently-separated service member, who at any point in the previous 12 months has been unemployed for 27 or more consecutive weeks?
• Have you been released from incarceration?
• Do you lack a high school diploma or equivalent certificate?
• Do you receive public assistance under one or more federal, state or local income based public assistance programs, for example: TANF, SNAP (food stamps), SSI, or GA? Or are you low income?
• Are you a veteran between the ages of 18-24 years old?
• Are you within 24 months of retiring from military service or within 12 months of separating from military service and have been through a TAP?
• Are you a Wounded Warrior assigned to a Wounded Warrior Transition unit or the caregiver for a Wounded Warrior?
• Are you the spouse of 1) a totally disabled or deceased veteran whose disability or death was service-connected, or 2) a service member who was listed for 90 or more days as missing in action or forcibly detained by a foreign power or hostile entity while serving on active duty?