Joint committee hears DMVA pitch to protect veterans services amid budget squeeze
Loading...
Summary
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs told lawmakers it must prioritize recruitment and basic services amid a roughly $1 billion structural budget gap; department sought a $320,000 general‑fund reduction option, a cash‑fund transfer for cemetery maintenance, and defended the National Guard tuition waiver as a recruitment tool while promising follow‑up data.
The Joint Committee on Appropriations heard a presentation from the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs on its Smart Government Act submission and program priorities, with lawmakers pressing the department on veterans services and cost shifts.
Michael Bruno, deputy executive director of the department, said the agency’s strategic goals include improving veterans’ customer experience and strengthening National Guard recruiting and retention. He highlighted performance metrics: a net promoter score of 57.2 for veterans services, 100% access for veteran service officers to benefits systems, and progress on veterans assistance grant execution (about 55% toward a year‑end target).
Bruno told the committee the department was proposing a $320,000 general‑fund reduction as part of statewide savings and requested a cash‑fund transfer to sustain Western Slope cemetery operations. He also said the state’s $20,000,000 investment in the department represents just over 8% of the agency’s operational footprint and that rising inflation outpaces federal burial reimbursements, which is prompting the cemetery transfer request.
Several lawmakers pressed the department on the Colorado National Guard tuition‑waiver program. Representative Kelty asked whether moving funds — including the JBC‑noted transfer of about $2,000,000 cited in briefing materials — would create an ongoing diversion that could deplete veterans programs. Lawmakers also sought projections for the tuition waiver if participation rises from past usage (the department estimated historically low uptake at roughly 4% of eligible members). Senator Bridges and other members said the waiver has been a key recruitment and retention tool and that neighboring states with stronger benefits had drawn members away.
Bruno and panel members said the waiver was intended to sustain force levels and that, if it remains an effective recruitment tool, it could improve staffing. The department committed to providing requested fiscal analysis and program data, including claims‑processing and retention figures, to the committee within two weeks.
Lawmakers and the department debated trade‑offs under TABOR and the broader structural shortfall the JBC described as about $1 billion. JBC representatives emphasized the limited options for cuts and encouraged members to propose specific line‑item reductions rather than broad rhetoric.
Bruno also described other DMVA operations and accomplishments: explosive‑ordnance disposal missions supporting multiple local agencies, counter‑drug task force assistance, outreach to incarcerated veterans that produced claims and benefit awards (VSOs worked with 149 incarcerated veterans and submitted 58 claims totaling about $365,000), and recognition of the state cemetery with a National Cemetery Administration Operational Excellence Award in 2025.
The hearing included public testimony sign‑ups for the department, but the first remote speaker’s remarks focused on the Secretary of State; the chair deferred that testimony to the Department of State panel. The committee closed the DMVA segment after questions and asked staff to follow up with written data.
The committee did not take a formal vote on DMVA budget items during this meeting; the department and JBC exchanged follow‑up requests for numbers and analysis.
What’s next: DMVA will provide the committee with requested staffing, claims‑processing and tuition‑waiver fiscal projections within two weeks, and members will review analyst issue briefs and budget reduction options ahead of the long‑bill process.
