Committee on Veterans meeting
April 23, 2026, 10:00 AM
The Committee on Veterans held an oversight hearing on services for post-9/11 veterans in New York City and a hearing on Int 0488, a bill amending the administrative code on a veterans-related matter. No votes were taken.
What was discussed
- Committee on Veterans convenes; mic check and opening announcements The Sergeant-at-Arms conducted a mic check and opened the April 23, 2026 hearing of the Committee on Veterans, reminding attendees of decorum and appearance-card procedures before turning the floor to the Chair.
- Chair Morano opens an oversight hearing on serving post-9/11 veterans Chairperson Frank Morano framed the oversight topic, noting New York City is home to roughly 28,000 post-9/11 veterans and describing their distinct challenges — younger and still mid-career, a higher share of women and LGBTQ veterans, and acute affordability pressures. He observed that no sitting
- Council Member Vernikov introduces Intro 488 on Mitchell-Lama veteran preference Council Member Inna Vernikov presented Intro 488, which would require the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to report annually on veteran preference in Mitchell-Lama developments. She argued the preference is underused and cited a 2012 State Comptroller review finding only 14 of 332
- Chair cites an 85% drop in veteran homelessness and welcomes committee members Chairperson Frank Morano noted that veterans in NYC shelters fell from over 4,600 in 2011 to about 600 in 2024, pledged to push that number toward zero, welcomed Council Members Phil Wong and Carmen De La Rosa, and thanked committee staff before the oath.
- Administration witnesses sworn in The Committee Counsel administered the oath to the Department of Veterans Services witnesses, including Commissioner Yesenia Mata, Donee Smalls, Nicole Orlando and Noah Bray.
- DVS Commissioner Mata testifies on serving post-9/11 veterans Commissioner Yesenia Mata testified that roughly 28,555 NYC veterans (about 23%) served in the post-9/11 era, concentrated in Queens and Brooklyn, and are among the city's most diverse and educated veterans. She described elevated rates of PTSD, depression and substance use, the state-funded Dwyer
- What specific outcomes should a post-9/11 veteran expect from DVS, and how is success measured? Commissioner Yesenia Mata said veterans are connected first to claims services — disability, pension, education, VA health care, housing, and employment — and then to nonprofit partners for community support, and acknowledged that DVS's tracking of outreach, intake, referrals and follow-up has been
- How many post-9/11 veterans aren't reached by VetConnect, and what are the barriers? Commissioner Yesenia Mata reported that in FY2026 the housing team assisted 1,264 veterans and the claims team 4,644 — about 1,200 of them post-9/11 — and said the VetConnect platform, run on Combined Arms software, does not track events or partnerships and is being reviewed for whether it fits the
- Is the veteran self-identification gap about awareness, trust, or relevance — and what's the single biggest fix? Commissioner Yesenia Mata said all three factors are in play and pointed to full implementation of Local Law 37 — which asks every city agency to add a 'have you served?' question to its forms — as the key change, noting the law passed two years ago but was never implemented and that DCWP would be
- Is the city meeting post-9/11 veterans' mental-health and substance-use needs, or playing catch-up? Commissioner Yesenia Mata said DVS conducts intake and then refers veterans to the VA or the 988 crisis line and to the Dwyer program's 31 partner organizations, but acknowledged the city must do better at surfacing the many other, non-designated organizations that also support veterans.
- How is DVS measuring whether veterans' spouses and children benefit, not just the veteran? Commissioner Yesenia Mata cited the agency's first women-veteran roundtable, a food-pantry partnership with Blue Star Families, and a planned Gold Star families roundtable, and described DVS's new practice of ensuring dignified transfers for fallen service members returning to the city.
- Council Member Paladino urges partnering with family-oriented neighborhood nonprofits Council Member Vickie Paladino, saying she was offering a statement rather than a question, urged DVS to bring veterans and their families into established neighborhood nonprofits such as Commonpoint and the Korean community center in Bayside, and to help veterans' children understand that their
- Does the Administration support Intro 488? Commissioner Yesenia Mata said DVS supports the bill and wants to work with the Council and HPD, and Nicole Orlando (DVS) added that the agency is in support but has tweaks on required documentation, eligibility, and clarifying definitions between veterans and spouses. The Chair noted it was the
- Do post-9/11 veterans struggle even more than others with self-identifying as veterans? Responding to Council Member Phil Wong, Commissioner Yesenia Mata said reluctance to self-identify cuts across generations rather than being unique to post-9/11 veterans, and again pointed to Local Law 37 and to expanding funding for veteran nonprofits as ways to close the gap.
- What's in the Veterans Advisory Board report, and when will it be public? Nicole Orlando (DVS) said the Veterans Advisory Board report had been posted to the agency's website the previous night, that many new board members contributed, and that its themes — housing affordability and data transparency — overlap with post-9/11 veteran needs, with the next board meeting set
- How does DVS coordinate with federal VA hospitals on wraparound services and data? Donee Smalls (DVS), an executive director of housing and supportive services and a post-9/11 veteran, said DVS works closely with the Bronx and Brooklyn VA campuses on HUD-VASH housing, mental-health and women's-health referrals, and shares limited data with the VA through an MOU within HIPAA
- What services exist for immigrant and green-card service members? Commissioner Yesenia Mata said green-card soldiers are often left out of the conversation, drew on her personal experience (her husband was a green-card soldier), and said she is working with Assembly Member Catalina Cruz and the Office of New Americans on legal services for service members, while
- What targeted recruitment will DVS use to engage post-9/11 veterans for civic participation? Commissioner Yesenia Mata and Nicole Orlando (DVS) said DVS holds data on which veterans live in each Council district and urged members to connect with the agency for it; Orlando added that DVS supports veterans' civic engagement and partnerships with non-veteran-specific local organizations but is
- Why was the post-9/11 veterans ticker-tape parade canceled, and how will the city honor these veterans? Commissioner Yesenia Mata did not detail the reasons behind the Mamdani administration's decision to drop the 'Homecoming of Heroes' parade but said DVS is instead planning a five-borough ruck march and a resource fair shaped by veterans themselves — working with groups such as the Travis Manion
- Council Member Paladino demands action on VA hospital conditions, access, and the veterans budget Council Member Vickie Paladino, reading concerns from a veteran constituent, called VA hospital conditions unacceptable, demanded that elected officials be allowed unannounced visits, urged EBT access for veterans, and criticized the flat $5 million Council veterans budget, suggesting DVS tap other
Agenda
2 items
- T2026-1530 Oversight - Serving Post-9/11 Veterans. Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0488-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of housing preservation and development to submit reports on veteran preference in Mitchell-Lama developments Hearing Held by Committee