diff --git a/.github/workflows/go-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/go-tests.yml
index 20c4544df294..c298623144eb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/go-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/go-tests.yml
@@ -408,9 +408,11 @@ jobs:
       consul-license: ${{secrets.CONSUL_LICENSE}}
       datadog-api-key: "${{ !endsWith(github.repository, '-enterprise') && secrets.DATADOG_API_KEY || '' }}"
 
-  go-test-api-1-19:
+  go-test-api-backwards-compatibility:
+    name: go-test-api-${{ needs.get-go-version.outputs.go-version-previous }}
     needs:
     - setup
+    - get-go-version
     - dev-build
     uses: ./.github/workflows/reusable-unit.yml
     with:
@@ -418,7 +420,7 @@ jobs:
       runs-on: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.compute-large }}
       repository-name: ${{ github.repository }}
       go-tags: "${{ github.event.repository.name == 'consul-enterprise' && 'consulent consuldev' || '' }}"
-      go-version: "1.19"
+      go-version: ${{ needs.get-go-version.outputs.go-version-previous }}
     permissions:
       id-token: write # NOTE: this permission is explicitly required for Vault auth.
       contents: read
@@ -427,9 +429,10 @@ jobs:
       consul-license: ${{secrets.CONSUL_LICENSE}}
       datadog-api-key: "${{ !endsWith(github.repository, '-enterprise') && secrets.DATADOG_API_KEY || '' }}"
 
-  go-test-api-1-20:
+  go-test-api:
     needs:
     - setup
+    - get-go-version
     - dev-build
     uses: ./.github/workflows/reusable-unit.yml
     with:
@@ -437,7 +440,7 @@ jobs:
       runs-on: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.compute-large }}
       repository-name: ${{ github.repository }}
       go-tags: "${{ github.event.repository.name == 'consul-enterprise' && 'consulent consuldev' || '' }}"
-      go-version: "1.20"
+      go-version: ${{ needs.get-go-version.outputs.go-version }}
     permissions:
       id-token: write # NOTE: this permission is explicitly required for Vault auth.
       contents: read
@@ -446,9 +449,11 @@ jobs:
       consul-license: ${{secrets.CONSUL_LICENSE}}
       datadog-api-key: "${{ !endsWith(github.repository, '-enterprise') && secrets.DATADOG_API_KEY || '' }}"
 
-  go-test-sdk-1-19:
+  go-test-sdk-backwards-compatibility:
+    name: go-test-sdk-${{ needs.get-go-version.outputs.go-version-previous }}
     needs:
     - setup
+    - get-go-version
     - dev-build
     uses: ./.github/workflows/reusable-unit.yml
     with:
@@ -456,7 +461,7 @@ jobs:
       runs-on: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.compute-large }}
       repository-name: ${{ github.repository }}
       go-tags: "${{ github.event.repository.name == 'consul-enterprise' && 'consulent consuldev' || '' }}"
-      go-version: "1.19"
+      go-version: ${{ needs.get-go-version.outputs.go-version-previous }}
     permissions:
       id-token: write # NOTE: this permission is explicitly required for Vault auth.
       contents: read
@@ -465,9 +470,10 @@ jobs:
       consul-license: ${{secrets.CONSUL_LICENSE}}
       datadog-api-key: "${{ !endsWith(github.repository, '-enterprise') && secrets.DATADOG_API_KEY || '' }}"
 
-  go-test-sdk-1-20:
+  go-test-sdk:
     needs:
     - setup
+    - get-go-version
     - dev-build
     uses: ./.github/workflows/reusable-unit.yml
     with:
@@ -475,7 +481,7 @@ jobs:
       runs-on: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.compute-large }}
       repository-name: ${{ github.repository }}
       go-tags: "${{ github.event.repository.name == 'consul-enterprise' && 'consulent consuldev' || '' }}"
-      go-version: "1.20"
+      go-version: ${{ needs.get-go-version.outputs.go-version }}
     permissions:
       id-token: write # NOTE: this permission is explicitly required for Vault auth.
       contents: read
@@ -521,10 +527,10 @@ jobs:
     - go-test-race
     - go-test-envoyextensions
     - go-test-troubleshoot
-    - go-test-api-1-19
-    - go-test-api-1-20
-    - go-test-sdk-1-19
-    - go-test-sdk-1-20
+    - go-test-api-backwards-compatibility
+    - go-test-api
+    - go-test-sdk-backwards-compatibility
+    - go-test-sdk
     - go-test-32bit
     # - go-test-s390x
     runs-on: ${{ fromJSON(needs.setup.outputs.compute-small) }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-get-go-version.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-get-go-version.yml
index efd936c06c7f..ea2d6f5c8fd8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-get-go-version.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-get-go-version.yml
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ on:
       go-version:
         description: "The Go version detected by this workflow"
         value: ${{ jobs.get-go-version.outputs.go-version }}
+      go-version-previous:
+        description: "The Go version (MAJOR.MINOR) prior to the current one, used for backwards compatibility testing"
+        value: ${{ jobs.get-go-version.outputs.go-version-previous }}
 
 jobs:
   get-go-version:
@@ -13,6 +16,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     outputs:
       go-version: ${{ steps.get-go-version.outputs.go-version }}
+      go-version-previous: ${{ steps.get-go-version.outputs.go-version-previous }}
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@c85c95e3d7251135ab7dc9ce3241c5835cc595a9 # v3.5.3
       - name: Determine Go version
@@ -32,3 +36,7 @@ jobs:
           GO_VERSION=$(head -n 1 .go-version)
           echo "Building with Go ${GO_VERSION}"
           echo "go-version=${GO_VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          GO_MINOR_VERSION=${GO_VERSION%.*}
+          GO_VERSION_PREVIOUS="${GO_MINOR_VERSION%.*}.$((${GO_MINOR_VERSION#*.}-1))"
+          echo "Previous version ${GO_VERSION_PREVIOUS}"
+          echo "go-version-previous=${GO_VERSION_PREVIOUS}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT