NYC's Fiscal Year 2020 budget has #NoCutsforVets! Thanks to the sustained advocacy of our members and community partners, the newly released budget for NYC's Department of Veterans' Services (DVS) is increased by $77,500 rather than cut, as had been proposed by Mayor de Blasio in January and again in April of this year. This will fund our city's newest independent agency with a budget of $5.3 million in FY 2020 and keep it on track for continued growth, outreach, and impacts on the lives of veterans and their families. Please contact DVS at 212-416-5250 with your questions or to get help for yourself or a veteran you know. Veterans and family members can also request help through the city's online service network, VetConnectNYC.

We offer our sincere thanks to all those who rallied, advocated, and kept up the pressure with us. In particular, we appreciate the efforts of Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Council Members Ben Kallos and Mark Gjonaj for standing with us to oppose budget cuts, as well as Vietnam Veterans of America, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Veteran Advocacy Project, New York State Veterans Chamber of Commerce, and PROVE.

We are also grateful to Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Council Member Chaim Deutsch for increasing the Council's discretionary funding for organizations serving veterans by more than $500,000 from last year.

When veterans and families are prioritized in the budget, our community wins!