Committee on Veterans meeting
March 20, 2026, 10:30 AM
The Committee on Veterans held its FY2027 preliminary budget hearing on the city's Department of Veterans' Services. The committee took testimony and recorded no votes.
What was discussed
- Chair Frank Morano opens the DVS preliminary budget hearing Chair Frank Morano opened the Committee on Veterans hearing on the Department of Veterans' Services FY2027 preliminary budget, calling the agency's roughly $6.6 million budget woefully inadequate and framing veterans spending as an investment that drives self-identification and unlocks federal
- Administration witnesses sworn in Committee Counsel administered the oath to the Department of Veterans' Services witnesses, Commissioner Yesenia Mata and Deputy Chief of Staff Nicole Orlando, before testimony began.
- Commissioner Mata's opening testimony on DVS's role and FY27 budget Commissioner Yesenia Mata testified that DVS serves about 131,000 NYC veterans by translating complex federal systems into workable plans rather than duplicating the VA, and that DVS directly served 1,509 veterans in FY25. She said the January Plan moves the budget from $7.7M in FY26 to $6M in FY27
- How does Commissioner Mata see DVS's role evolving, and what are her goals? Asked by Chair Frank Morano how DVS's role might deepen or expand, Commissioner Yesenia Mata said her short-term goal as a new commissioner is to re-evaluate the agency's systems and relationships through roundtables, citing a first-of-its-kind roundtable for women veterans; mid-term, to improve
- Will the Mayor's savings mandate force cuts at DVS, and are the nine new positions at risk? Pressed by Chair Frank Morano on the Mayor's mandate to find 1.5% savings in FY26 and 2.5% in FY27 and whether the nine positions added at adoption could be lost, Commissioner Yesenia Mata and Executive Director Jack Brodie said no decisions have been made and discussions with OMB are ongoing, with
- How are federal VA cuts and the shift to privatized care affecting NYC veterans? Asked by Chair Frank Morano about VA staffing shortages, the move toward privatized Community Care, and the VA's push to act as veterans' legal guardian, Deputy Chief of Staff Nicole Orlando said many NYC veterans rely heavily on VA benefits and that DVS aims to keep veterans connected by leveraging
- Why does DVS's budget drop from $7.7M to $6.6M, and what services are at risk? Asked by Chair Frank Morano how the reduction affects operations, Commissioner Yesenia Mata said the apparent drop is driven mainly by funding that is time-limited or not yet reflected, specifically the state Dwyer dollars (whose FY27 rollover is not yet shown) and Council discretionary funding
- What does it mean when DVS says a veteran was 'served,' and how many reach a concrete outcome? Asked by Chair Frank Morano what qualifies as a veteran being served and how many of the 1,509 reached outcomes like housing, jobs, or benefits approval, Commissioner Yesenia Mata and Deputy Chief of Staff Nicole Orlando described service as a spectrum, from a single counseling session to a
- What is DVS doing to reach veterans who don't self-identify? Asked by Chair Frank Morano how DVS reaches veterans not engaged at all, Commissioner Yesenia Mata reframed the issue from why veterans don't self-identify to what DVS can do to make identifying easier, citing roundtables and one-on-one meetings, and said she hopes a year from now to be reporting
- Why was Mission Vet Check paused, and has it restarted? Asked by Chair Frank Morano about the buddy-check wellness call program, Deputy Chief of Staff Nicole Orlando said Mission Vet Check, run with New York Cares, was paused for the first four months of FY26 due to volunteer-retention issues and the need to have crisis care managers on the line, and
- Why did NYC Vet Connect usage decline 14%, and how is the new software working? Asked by Chair Frank Morano why Vet Connect served 14% fewer people in the first four months of FY26 and how the updated software is performing, Deputy Chief of Staff Nicole Orlando attributed the decline to timing and cyclical fluctuation in when veterans seek help, and Commissioner Yesenia Mata
- How did DVS achieve an 18% increase in veteran housing placements? Asked by Chair Frank Morano how DVS increased placements of homeless veterans and families by 18%, Deputy Chief of Staff Nicole Orlando credited the additional housing specialists among the nine positions added at adoption, which let the team work proactively in shelters and the community rather
- Where are the limits of DVS's 'connector' model, and should the city provide services directly? Asked by Chair Frank Morano where the connector model reaches its limits and whether the city should provide some services directly, Commissioner Yesenia Mata said DVS adds cultural competency that other systems lack and that the answer is to bring other commissioners and agencies to the table
- Ryan Graham (VFW) urges raising the DVS budget to $15–20 million Ryan Graham, of the VFW Department of New York and the NYC Veterans Advisory Board, testified that DVS is severely underfunded at $6.6 million and recommended raising it to $15–20 million, prioritizing the overwhelmed housing and transition-services units. He highlighted the Vallone Veterans
- Ashton Stewart (MJHS Hospice) seeks funding for veteran end-of-life care Ashton Stewart, Veterans Program Manager at MJHS Hospice, testified that its grant-funded We Honor Veterans program has been cut twice in two years even as most NYC veterans are over 65, and requested $50,000 from the FY2027 Veteran Services Initiative. He said the program assisted 323 veteran
- Coco Culhane (Veteran Advocacy Project) on claims capacity and unfulfilled local laws Coco Culhane of the Veteran Advocacy Project testified that DVS's claims team is badly needed and underfunded, that bringing in federal dollars through claims and discharge upgrades eases strain on city systems, and that numerous local laws directing DVS (including a peer hotline and mental health
- Bill Gross (SAGE) on LGBTQ+ older veterans and discharge upgrades Bill Gross, Chief Services Officer at SAGE, testified that LGBTQ+ older veterans face higher rates of homelessness and financial instability stemming from anti-gay military policies and Don't Ask Don't Tell, and that SAGE Vets helps them with VA navigation and discharge upgrades. He requested
- Charlotte Martin (Intrepid Museum) on cultural engagement for veterans Charlotte Martin, Director of Access Initiatives at the Intrepid Museum, testified that its 11-year Veterans Access Initiative welcomes more than 14,000 veterans a year through free admission and programs like Intrepid Afterhours, and asked for increased Veterans Community Development Initiative
- Joe Bello (NY Metro Vets) raises DVS accountability and transparency concerns Joe Bello of New York Metro Vets testified that DVS's small size magnifies the impact of across-the-board cuts and raised concerns that a Comptroller audit found DVS failed to submit legally required reports and that service metrics may obscure performance. He criticized management of the Paul
- Timothy Pena (Veterans Justice Project) on DHS shelter conditions for veterans Timothy Pena of the Veterans Justice Project, a disabled veteran, testified that honorably discharged veterans are placed in unsafe MICA shelters such as Borden Avenue and described three veteran deaths there in 11 days. He urged the Council to pull the transitional-housing contract from the
Agenda
1 item
- T2026-1373 New York City Council Budget and Oversight Hearings on The Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2027, The Preliminary Capital Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2030 and The Fiscal 2026 Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report 10:30 a.m. Department of Veteran Affairs 11:30 a.m. Public Hearing Held by Committee