Vets' group to open offices, expand lobbying effort

The Colorado Veterans' Alliance, a 32,000-member veterans' advocacy group, will soon be deploying new field offices across Colorado.

The Colorado Springs-based vets' group will open offices in Denver by late September, as well as regional offices in Fort Collins, Grand Junction and Lamar, said CVA President Rick Duncan, a retired Marine Captain who served three tours in Iraq.

The Denver office will be used to lobby the State Legislature when it reconvenes in January, Duncan said. The other offices will be used for advocacy, events organizing, and "to create a presence," he said.

While Duncan has often criticized the Iraq War, the CVA has endorsed both Republican and Democratic congressional candidates, including CO-2 Democratic candidate Jared Polis and CO-6 Republican Wil Armstrong.

The group is currently pushing three proposals to start a training program for first responders to deal with incidents involving veterans, grant immediate citizenship to non-citizens who serve in the military so they can receive in-state college tuition rates, and create special courts for veterans akin to existing mental health courts.