NYC Veterans Alliance, together with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Black Veterans for Social Justice, Veterans Mental Health Coalition of NYC, CUNY PROVE Program, and Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 72, call upon NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson to appoint new, dedicated leadership to the NYC Council Veterans Committee in the wake of former Chair Chaim Deutsch's pleading guilty to tax fraud and subsequent expulsion from the Council.

The Committee on Veterans has jurisdiction over the matters pertaining to New York City’s Department of Veterans’ Services and other veteran focused issues. A new Chair of the Veterans Committee, committed to sound, ethical leadership, must be appointed immediately to develop meaningful solutions to the issues impacting our city's veterans and their families.

On April 20, 2021, NYC Veterans Alliance provided written testimony for the NYC Council Committees on Aging and Veterans hearing on Introduction 1616-2019, which would require the NYC Department of Veterans' Services (DVS) to report the number of senior veterans DVS serves, as well the number of inquiries received by DVS from veterans regarding social service programs, such as the supplemental nutrition assistance program and the New York State veteran property tax exemption; and affordable housing programs, such as those run through the New York Housing Authority and the New York Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

Below is the testimony we provided: 

Far too many veterans and families were already on the brink of financial crisis before the COVID-19 pandemic. As we've worked to aid our community over the last year through our Veterans Mutual Aid program, we've heard from so many who were pushed into total catastrophe. The least our federal government can offer is immediate, significant debt relief. Student loans have placed a tremendous burden on our community, and we join with a number of veterans organizations in urging President Biden to  to cancel up to $50,000 in debt to keep veteran families stable in their homes and their lives.

Last week, universal access to Veterans Treatment Courts across New York State was signed into law. We're proud to have been part of this tremendous push by the New York State Health Foundation, and we thank NYS Senator Brad Hoylman for championing this legislation. 

First implemented in Buffalo, NY, in 2008, by Judge Robert Russell, Veterans Treatment Courts seek to connect veterans in the criminal justice system as a result of untreated mental health conditions with treatment, benefits, and support to get them back on the right track. Under this new law, qualifying veterans in every county in the state will be able to have their cases diverted from traditional criminal prosecution into the more specialized treatment path of a Veterans Treatment Court. 

Since 2016, Veterans Treatment Courts have been fully operational in all five boroughs of New York City, with Manhattan and Staten Island being the final additions. Veterans Treatment Courts are effective diversionary programs that have been shown to decrease recidivism, improve outcomes, save costs, and give a second chance to those who have served our nation. The NYC Veterans Alliance has strongly advocated for expansion of Veterans Treatment Courts in all five boroughs and across New York State.

January 14, 2021 - Yesterday, as the nation watched as he was impeached for the second time, President Donald J. Trump signed into law H.R. 1925 / S. 898 (now known as Public Law No: 116-331), which is the culmination of more than two years of steadfast advocacy by NYC veterans and allies. This new law designates the Manhattan Campus of the New York Harbor Health Care System of the Department of Veterans Affairs as the Margaret Cochran Corbin Campus of the New York Harbor Health Care System, the first VA Medical Center to be named in honor of a woman who served as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. 

The U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs is charged with care and services for ALL who have "borne the battle" in service to our nation. Back in 2018, we raised concerns about Robert Wilkie's background of discriminatory conduct and policies at the time of his confirmation. This week, the VA's own Inspector General released a report showing that he and VA senior staff deliberately targeted a Navy veteran (who hails from New York, no less!) who reported that she was sexually assaulted on her visit to the VA Medical Center in Washington, DC. Wilkie, Acting Deputy Secretary Pam Powers, senior public affairs staff, and even Congressman Dan Crenshaw were named in the report as focused on smearing the reputation of this Navy veteran rather than actually addressing the environment of harassment at that facility that many other women veterans had already made known to VA leadership.

On August 14, 2020, Deputy Director James Fitzgerald testified before a joint hearing by the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security & Military Affairs, Assembly Standing Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and Assembly Subcommittee on Women Veterans on the impacts of COVID-19 on New York's veterans. His full testimony:

NOTE: Since we made this posting in July, NYC budget numbers have changed--again. We continue to find the city's budget reporting processes frustrating and unclear to taxpayers, who deserve to know how their money is being spent. We will provide updates as we can. Thank you. 

Last week the NYC Council voted to adopt a budget for Fiscal Year 2021 that made deep cuts in NYC government. The NYC Department of Veterans' Services was cut, as was the amount of discretionary funding for veteran-serving nonprofits provided by NYC Council members. Here is what happened:

Last year's adopted budget for NYC DVS was $5.36 million. The adopted 2021 budget for DVS is $4.2 million, a reduction of approximately 22% from last year's adopted budget of $5.36 million. The agency's personnel headcount has been reduced by 5 positions. 

Juneteenth commemorates the anniversary of Union troops arriving in Galveston, Texas, and reading the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been originally issued in 1863, to enslaved Americans who were not yet free. Celebrated annually by many Black communities since 1865, Juneteenth is a day of reflection and celebration of Black American history, culture, and unique food traditions. This year, Juneteenth has been declared an official holiday in New York in recognition of our collective need to recognize Black freedom and to stand in solidarity against racism and racist violence. As veterans, we take this holiday to reflect on the profound history of Black New York veterans of the Civil War who served and sacrificed to make freedom and democracy possible for all of us.