California has a very large percentage of military veterans (over 2.1 million) and over 10% suffer from some form of physical or mental disability. Projections indicate a big spike in these numbers for California in coming years.
The state of California, as well as numerous other states, have a variety of programs to provide a helping hand to these service-disabled Vets.
As discussed in the link below, Los Angeles Times’ business reporter Cyndia Zwahlen provides a summary of the ways California is taking care of these business owners – including striving to allocate at least 3% of the $9 billion of government contract and purchasing commitments to businesses owned by disabled Vets.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-smallbiz-vets22-2010feb22,0,7826455.story
Also read more about the valuable state and federal tax benefits available for employers of Vets in this 2009 AICPA article. Veterans receiving food stamps, or those who have been discharged and unemployed during the last year can generate tax credits from $2,400 to $4,800 for a future employer – making Vets an attractive solution for hiring needs.
Additional hiring credit information is also avaialable at:

