A Stronger Colorado for Veterans, Military Families, and Defense Communities

We can make Colorado the best state in the country for veterans and service members, and their families, by building systems that work earlier, coordinate better, and improve continuously.

Colorado is home to hundreds of thousands of veterans, tens of thousands of active-duty, Reserve, and National Guard service members, and some of our nation’s most critical military missions. These Coloradans protect our country, strengthen our economy, and anchor communities across the state.

Yet too often, military families and veterans must navigate fragmented systems at the moments when stability matters most. Service members and their families receive orders without clear information about housing or schools. Veterans transition out of service, unsure where to turn for the benefits they have earned. Guard members face uncertainty in education, health care, and workforce pathways that are intended to support readiness and retention.

Veterans and military families are not a special interest. They are a barometer of whether our systems work. They move more frequently, transition careers faster, and rely on housing, education, health care, and workforce systems under tighter timelines than most families. When those systems work, military families thrive. When they do not, they  feel the strain first — and so do the communities around them.

Colorado does not need to choose between supporting those who serve and strengthening communities for everyone. When systems work for military families and veterans, they work better for all Coloradans. And because there is no end point to readiness or community strength, Colorado will keep building — earlier, smarter, and together. 

Michael will lead a state effort to build better systems for Colorado’s service members, veterans, and the communities they serve by:

• Starting Support Earlier and Making Transitions Work
• Making Benefits Easier to Navigate and Access
• Strengthen Stability for Military Families, and
• Protecting and Growing Colorado’s Military Assets.

1. Start Support Earlier and Make Transitions Work. For military families, the most consequential decisions are often made before they arrive. Housing, employment, education, health care, and transportation decisions are shaped when orders are issued, long before a family sets foot in a new community. Michael will take steps to make military transitions work better through:
   • Strengthening Pre-Arrival Preparation. Starting earlier preparations reduces disruption for families, improves retention for the Guard, Reserve, and active-duty force, and helps employers and schools prepare for new residents. It is a practical, low-cost way to reduce friction and improve outcomes for everyone involved. Michael will work with military leaders to strengthen pre-arrival preparation and early integration, so support begins when orders to Colorado are issued, not after arrival. Michael will ensure information on housing availability, school supports, childcare, health care access, Guard education benefits, spousal licensure pathways, and cost-of-living realities is delivered through a clear, Colorado-specific access point that brings together state, local, and military resources so families have reliable guidance long before they arrive, not after they are already navigating a move.
   • Connect Service to Education and Good-Paying Jobs. Military service builds leadership, discipline, and technical skills. Colorado already evaluates military training for academic credit, but the way that credit applies toward career-aligned degrees and credentials varies widely across institutions. Michael will build on this foundation by setting statewide expectations and frameworks so military training and experience more consistently translate into credits that align with workforce needs and degree pathways, reducing time to completion and accelerating transitions into good-paying civilian careers. He will also ensure that education benefits, including those used by the National Guard, are reliable, usable, and structured to support readiness and long-term workforce development.
2. Make Benefits and Services Easy to Navigate and Trust. Veterans should not have to guess where to go for help, which organizations are credible, or whether the assistance they receive will actually move their claim or application forward. Michael will prioritize clear navigation, trusted access, and accountability across the veteran services ecosystem, including:
   • Strengthening Coordination Among Those Supporting Veterans. Michael will strengthen coordination with county Veteran Service Officers, expand partnerships with accredited and reputable Veteran Service Organizations, and improve transparency, so veterans can make informed choices about where to seek assistance. This includes giving counties and the state more flexibility to partner with accredited organizations to expand free, high-quality claims assistance when local capacity is limited.
   • Update Benefits Application System. When benefits systems work, claims are submitted correctly, timelines are shortened, and frustration is reduced. When they do not, veterans lose time, confidence, and resources. Colorado can improve outcomes by strengthening coordination across the benefits ecosystem, improving training and support for Veteran Service Officers, setting clear expectations for navigation and accountability, and ensuring veterans have access to trusted, accredited assistance. Doing so helps veterans receive the benefits they have earned while ensuring public resources are used effectively and consistently statewide.
3. Strengthen Stability for Military Families. Family stability is a readiness issue —  strong military and defense communities are simply strong communities. When systems are built to support military families, they improve quality of life for all Coloradans. Housing availability, child care, school continuity, physical and mental health care access, and spouse employment directly affect performance, retention, and long-term outcomes.
   • Improve Implementation of State Services for Transitioning Families. Colorado has made progress through initiatives like Purple Star Schools, military spouse licensure reforms, and investments in behavioral health. The challenge now is execution and consistency — ensuring these commitments work as intended across communities.
   • Create Seamless Coordination with Federal Agencies for Veterans. Colorado is home to multiple federally-operated Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and clinics that serve as critical healthcare anchors for veterans and their families. While these facilities are not state-owned, outcomes for veterans depend on effective coordination between VA care and state and local systems, particularly in behavioral health, housing stability, transportation, and emergency services. Michael will improve coordination by clearly assigning responsibility within state government for federal engagement, aligning agencies around shared expectations with the VA, the Department of Defense, the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), and ensuring state systems are built to match the realities of military transitions and veteran care. Where existing structures are insufficient, he will put in place durable coordination mechanisms, so this work is sustained and accountable.
   • Protect and Strengthen Veterans Community Living Centers. Colorado directly operates Veterans Community Living Centers across the state that provide long-term care for those who have served. In a constrained fiscal environment, protecting these resources is essential to ensuring veterans can age with dignity and access high-quality care close to home. Michael will prioritize staffing stability, protect core funding, and use existing VA Access to Care quality ratings to identify best practices and target support where facilities are struggling so care is consistent and equitable across the state.
4. Protect and Grow Colorado’s Military Missions. Colorado’s military installations and defense missions are long-term strategic assets for our state and U.S. national security. Protecting and growing those installations and missions requires continuous engagement with federal partners, not reactive responses after decisions are announced. Michael will:
   • Strengthen Coordination in Support of Military Assets. Colorado will strengthen civilian-led coordination with federal installations, the National Guard, VA partners, and defense organizations to improve newcomer experiences, align state and local investments with readiness needs, and reduce risk for future mission decisions.