We are proud to be the leading force on NYC veterans policy since January 2015. 

On June 25, 2015, we released a report on the first-ever survey of the NYC veterans community on local veterans policy:

Change is Essential: Report on the 2015 Survey of NYC Veterans Policy Priorities

The NYC Veterans Alliance is pleased to announce the release of our new report:

This is a report on the 2015 Survey of NYC Veterans Policy Priorities, a survey that solicited responses to policy initiatives from NYC veterans, service members, family members, and service providers in early 2015.

From February 4 to March 13, 2015, the NYC Veterans Alliance and NY MetroVets invited veterans, service members, family members, service providers, and others connected to the veterans’ community in the New York Metropolitan area to take an online survey of their policy priorities for NYC government. The survey was disseminated via email and social media to as many NYC veterans and organizations as possible. In addition to NYC Veterans Alliance and NY MetroVets, organizations like Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Army Week, Women Veterans and Families Network, the Military Resilience Project, and others promoted it to their membership. Several elected officials also distributed the survey to their constituents.

Most of the survey’s 478 responses came from NYC, Long Island, Westchester, and other counties in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut that make up the New York Metropolitan area.  A total of 93.58% of respondents reported living in or within commuting distance to NYC. A smaller number reported living in the Albany area and on military bases in the U.S. and abroad. A total of 5.14% of respondents reported living outside of these areas. 

Veteran Service and Discharge Status. Of the veterans and currently-serving members of the military who responded, 97.96% indicated they received an honorable discharge for their service or are currently serving. A smaller number of veterans were discharged under conditions that were not characterized as honorable.

The survey listed sixteen current or proposed NYC veterans policy initiatives, and respondents indicated strong support for all of them. Even the lowest number of responses indicating an initiative is essential or very important still represented a strong majority at 65.39%. Each initiative in the survey is listed below in order ranging from what respondents rated as most to least important.

Advocates have proposed that NYC’s 3-1-1 information system directly connect suicidal veterans who dial the system to the federally-funded VA Suicide Hotline. This initiative received the strongest support of the sixteen listed in the survey. A total of 95.39% of respondents indicated that they view this as either essential or very important.

Advocates have proposed that veteran service organizations (VSOs) receiving NYC tax dollars to provide services to veterans should be held accountable for the services they provide and to NYC veterans spanning across all demographic groups and generations of service. This initiative ranked second in receiving the strongest support of the sixteen listed in the survey. A total of 94.26% of respondents indicated that they view this as either essential or very important.