Because of advocates (including us!), NYC in December 2015 created an independent, fully-funded agency, now known as the NYC Department of Veterans' Services (NYC-DVS), to serve our city's approximate population of 210,000 veterans, plus an estimated additional 250,000 caregivers and family members who are also impacted by whether these veterans are able to fully access the benefits and services they have rightfully earned. Separately, the NYC Council manages discretionary funding for purposes that include services to veterans and their families. Both of these sources of city funding and support are detailed below.
NYC-DVS BUDGET SINCE FY 2017
Our membership has consistently prioritized accountability of city tax dollars used to serve our veterans community, even as we have consistently advocated for increased resources and growth of NYC-DVS. It takes years of hard work to transform a city government that previously did little in recent decades to reach and serve veterans and families into one that prioritizes, connects, and makes substantive impacts for our community. The table below shows the expansion of NYC-DVS since its creation:
| Fiscal Year | Adopted Budget | Actual Expenditures | Authorized FT Employees | Actual FT Employees |
| 2020 | $5,361,344 | -- | 48 | -- |
| 2019 | $5,113,994 | not yet available | 44 | not yet available |
| 2018 | $4,418,769 | $3,573,000 | 40 | 34 |
| 2017 | $3,843,222 | $2,468,000 | 33 | 32 |
Notes on the table above:
- NYC's fiscal year runs from July to June; the first fiscal year for NYC-DVS was 2017 (beginning July 1, 2016).
- "Adopted Budget" refers to the budget as passed, and reflected in a unique column in city budget documents which can be found HERE. This amount differs from subsequent modifications and actual expenditures.
- "Actual Expenditures" are as reflected by the NYC Independent Budget Office which can be found HERE.
- "Authorized Full-Time (FT) Employees" refers to the number of full-time employees included in the Adopted Budget. This is not the same number as later modifications or actual employee count.
- "Actual Full-Time (FT) Employees" refers to the actual year-end employee headcount reflected by the NYC Independent Budget Office which can be found HERE.
MAYOR'S MANAGEMENT REPORT
The Mayor's Management Report (MMR) is an annual report produced every September showing key performance metrics of city agencies for the prior fiscal year. Reporting on veterans, despite our recommendations emphasizing the importance of veteran-related data, have been inconsistent. Below are performance metrics related to veterans and families for NYC-DVS and other city agencies reported in MMRs:
| Performance Indicators | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Number of career/job events targeted at veterans attended by Dept of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) | 18 | 18 | 21 |
| Homeless veterans who received housing through DVS Vet Peer Coordinator program | -- | 169 | 158 |
| Veterans receiving homelessness prevention assistance from DVS | -- | 466 | 438 |
| Veterans and their families engaged by DVS | -- | 7,521* | 12,896 |
| Veterans and their families given assistance to access resources | -- | 2,791* | 3,087 |
| ThriveNYC/DVS total requests from veterans, family members and caregivers that resulted in a successful connection to care, services or resources | 194 | 282 | 293 |
Notes on the table above:
- The term "engaged" is defined in the MMR as "by providing any type of information or support."
- Numbers for 2018 above reflect the numbers reported in the 2018 MMR. In the 2019 MMR, these numbers were revised (as described on p. 243 of the 2019 MMR), explained as follows: "‘Veterans and their families engaged by DVS’ and ‘Veterans and their families given assistance to access resources’ were revised. In anticipation of a new Client Relationship Manager platform, DVS staff compiled client records, trackers, and spreadsheets previously stored on individual workstations. Duplicate cases were scrubbed and additional records surfaced, resulting in a net increase in clients served for both indicators."
- Revised numbers for 2018 were 12,099 veterans and their families engaged by DVS; and 3,230 veterans and their families given assistance to access resources.
- The reasons stated in the 2019 MMR for the decline in homeless services was due to staff vacancies that have since been filled. Not specified in the MMR is that during FY 2019 was a months-long hiring freeze by the administration, preventing those vacancies from being filled in a timely manner.
NYC Council Discretionary Funds for Veterans
The NYC Council awards discretionary funds to organizations serving New Yorkers. Below is a full listing of organizations serving veterans and/or are conducting projects serving veterans and the families of veterans:
| Funding Recipients | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| 161st Street Merchants Association, Inc. | $8,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 |
| Allied Veterans Memorial Committee of Greater Ridgewood and Glendale | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| American Legion - Post 131 Edward M. McKee | -- | -- | -- | $5,000 |
| American Legion - Post 398 Colonel Charles Young | $5,000 | -- | -- | -- |
| American Legion - Post 1424 Continental | $10,000* | $10,000* | $10,000* | -- |
| American Legion - Post 1871 Co-Op City | $10,000 | -- | -- | -- |
| Art Connects New York, Inc. | -- | -- | $10,000 | -- |
| Bailey House, Inc. | -- | $25,000* | $25,000* | $35,000* |
| Bailey's Café | -- | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Be Proud, Inc. | $4,000 | -- | -- | -- |
| Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park, Inc | -- | -- | -- | $10,000 |
| Black Spectrum Theatre Company, Inc. | $5,000 | $5,000 | -- | -- |
| Black Veterans for Social Justice, Inc. | $25,000* | $140,000* | $480,000* | $395,750* |
| Bohemian Brethren Presbyterian Church, a.k.a. Jan Hus Presbyterian Church | $5,000 | -- | -- | -- |
| Chabad of Rego Park Corona, Inc. | $5,000 | $5,000 | -- | -- |
| Community Healthcare Network, Inc | -- | -- | -- | $95,000 |
| Corporal Allen F. Kivlehan Korean War Veterans Association, Inc. | $10,000* | $9,000* | -- | -- |
| CUNY - Project for Return and Opportunity in Veterans Education | -- | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 |
| Giving Alternative Learners Uplifting Opportunities, Inc. - GallopNYC | -- | -- | -- | $80,000* |
| Greater Bethel Interdenominational Church, Inc. | $5,000 | $35,000 | -- | -- |
| Harlem United Community AIDS Center, Inc. | -- | $20,000 | $20,000 | -- |
| Helmets to Hard Hats | $150,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 | -- |
| Hibernian Baile Na Nagael | $2,500 | -- | -- | -- |
| Intrepid Museum Foundation, Inc. | -- | -- | -- | $60,000 |
| Jericho Project | $50,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $305,000* |
| Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT) | -- | -- | -- | $50,000 |
| Legal Services NYC | $150,000 | $125,000 | $125,000 | $150,000 |
| LSNY Bronx Corp. | $10,000 | -- | -- | -- |
| New York Legal Assistance Group, Inc | $200,000 | $175,000 | $175,000 | $175,000 |
| New York University - Military Family Clinic | $150,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 | $175,000 |
| NIA Community Services Network, Inc. | $7,500 | -- | -- | -- |
| Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow | $5,000 | -- | -- | -- |
| Polish and Slavic Center, Inc. | $5,000 | $4,500 | $4,500 | $4,500 |
| Project Renewal, Inc. | $310,000* | $160,000* | $250,000* | $400,000* |
| Rego Park Jewish Center | $11,000 | $9,000 | $9,000 | $9,000 |
| Row New York, Inc. | -- | -- | -- | $70,000 |
| Samaritan Daytop Village, Inc. | -- | -- | -- | $75,000 |
| Services And Advocacy For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual And Transgender Elders, Inc. | -- | -- | -- | $100,000 |
| Theatre Development Fund, Inc. | -- | $50,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 |
| United Forties Civic Association, Inc | $5,000 | -- | -- | -- |
| United Military Veterans of Kings County, Inc. | $5,000 | $37,500* | $37,500* | $83,500* |
| United Staten Island Veterans Organization, Inc. | $5,000 | -- | $5,000 | -- |
| United War Veterans Council | $25,000 | $25,000 | -- | -- |
| Urban Justice Center - Veteran Advocacy Project | -- | -- | $50,000 | $75,000 |
| Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of New York - PFC JG McLaughlin Post 8540 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | -- |
| Veterans Sports Association, Inc. | -- | -- | -- | $5,000 |
| VETS, Inc. | $5,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Vietnam Veterans of America - Chapter 32 Queens | $34,500* | $36,000* | $36,000* | $36,000* |
| Vietnam Veterans of America - Chapter 421 | $8,000 | $9,000 | $9,000 | $18,000* |
| Volunteers of America - Greater New York, Inc. | -- | -- | -- | $10,000 |
| Yeshiva University - Repair Cafe | -- | $75,000 | $75,000 | $75,000 |
Notes on the above table:
- Amounts listed with an asterisk (*) reflect the total amount of two or more separate awards.
- Information above is drawn solely from the NYC Council "Schedule C" document from the Adopted Budget each year and does not reflect subsequent modifications which are not published.
- 2017 Schedule C
- 2018 Schedule C
- 2019 Schedule C
- 2020 Schedule C
Interested in applying for NYC Council discretionary funds for your veteran-serving project or organization? Applications for FY 2021 funding open up in January 2020. Click HERE for more information on discretionary funding for nonprofits.
Need to connect with resources for veterans and families? Find help HERE.
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