For the purpose of determining eligibility for any veterans benefit offered by the state, a veteran who has individual unemployability status, as determined by the United States department of veterans affairs, shall be treated equivalently to a veteran who has a service-connected disability that has been rated as one hundred percent permanent disability by the United States department of veterans affairs.

Source: L. 2023: Entire section added, (HB 23-1052), ch. 131, p. 498, § 2, effective January 1, 2025 (see editor's note).

Editor's note: Section 11(3) of chapter 131 (HB 23-1052), Session Laws of Colorado 2023, provides that this section takes effect January 1, 2025, only if, at the November 2024 statewide election, the people approve a constitutional amendment to section 3.5 (1.5) of article X of the state constitution that modifies the definition of disabled veteran by changing the term to veteran with a disability and including a veteran who has individual unemployability status as determined by the United States department of veterans affairs. The ballot issue, referred to voters as Amendment G (see L. 2025, p. 3631), was approved on November 5, 2024, and was proclaimed by the Governor on December 17, 2024. The vote count for the measure was as follows:

FOR: 2,212,022

AGAINST: 812,638

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in HB 23-1052, see section 1 of chapter 131, Session Laws of Colorado 2023.