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Colorado selected for Labor Department NEON grant program
ColoradoBiz Staff //March 18, 2026//
DENVER — The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment said its Division of Vocational Rehabilitation has been selected as a “core state” in the U.S. Department of Labor‘s National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) initiative. It is the division’s fourth NEON award.
In Brief:
- Colorado’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation was selected as a “core state” in the U.S. Department of Labor’s NEON initiative.
- The program provides technical assistance to expand employment opportunities for people with serious mental health conditions and disabilities.
- Previous NEON work showed participants receiving intensive benefits planning saw median weekly earnings increase by $561.60.
- Colorado joins Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, New York, Tennessee and Washington, D.C., in the 2026 NEON grant program.
The program provides technical assistance focused on expanding employment opportunities for people with serious mental health conditions, including those with co-occurring disabilities. The effort will connect the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation with the state Behavioral Health Administration.
Previous NEON awards addressed barriers to benefits planning services for people with disabilities. An analysis found that vocational rehabilitation participants who received intensive benefits planning had a median increase in weekly earnings of $561.60, compared with $54.62 for those who did not receive the service.
“I began my career in the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and it’s exciting to see the progress we have made,” Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera said. “This program builds on that momentum. It’s another step toward ensuring that everyone in Colorado has access to meaningful employment.”
Kristin Corash, director of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, said the grant will help expand employment programs for people with serious mental illness and additional disabilities, including youth.
“With an employment rate for people with disabilities in the top 10% of the nation, I am so proud that DVR is consistently recognized as an innovative partner by the U.S. Department of Labor,” Corash said.
Colorado will join Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, New York, Tennessee and the District of Columbia in the fiscal year 2026 NEON grant program.
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