City council hearing spotlights gaps in services for women veterans; DVS urges standardizing self‑identification

The New York City Council convened a joint oversight hearing of its Veterans Committee and the Committee on Women and Gender Equity to examine how the city serves women veterans and to question the newly appointed commissioner of the Department of Veteran Services.

"I intend to use this committee to help a lot of folks," said Council Member Frank Morano, chair of the Veterans Committee, opening the hearing he said was his first as chair. Co-chair Council Member Amanda Faras said the session would focus on visibility, dignity and whether city systems are meeting the needs of women who served.

Commissioner Yenya Mata, who testified for the Department of Veteran Services, framed DVS as the city's "sole connector" to federal, state and local services and urged several practical priorities for the council. "Our job is practical. We help women veterans move from eligibility to access," Mata said. She recommended three council actions: normalize asking a standard veteran self‑identification question at city touch points, clarify which agencies do what so veterans know where to seek help, and design services that address real‑world logistics such as scheduling and child care.

Mata cited national and local context in her remarks, noting that women are the fastest growing segment of the veteran population. She told the committee that 15,678 women veterans have been identified in New York City and detailed DVS services including housing stabilization, employment support and claims assistance. "When a woman veteran is not seen or supported, it affects more than just her," she said.

Council members pressed Mata about implementation of Local Law 37 (Intro 1237), passed in 2024, which requires city agencies to include a voluntary veteran self‑identification question in intake forms. Mata said ensuring that question appears and functions across agencies is a DVS priority for the year and that the agency will report back on which city units already collect the information.

The hearing also focused on coordination with the federal Department of Veterans Affairs. Committee members asked how DVS tracks enrollment versus active use of VA services and how DVS handles referrals when VA facilities lack capacity for gender‑specific care. Mata and DVS staff described ongoing partnerships with VA hospitals and city health systems and noted limits: "We are not the provider, but we are the connector," she said, adding that DVS shares front‑line information with federal partners and city agencies to help veterans navigate complex systems.

Advocates and service providers who testified urged more proactive outreach, better disaggregated data and concrete policy changes. Michael Moss of Five Borough Veterans and other advocates pressed the council to ask the New York City Housing Authority to include a veterans admission preference in its next agency plan so that homeless veterans — including women — have a clearer path to public housing. Moss said NYCHA has declined to add such a preference despite repeated requests.

Legal and health advocates described persistent barriers that keep women veterans from getting benefits and care. Koko Callhane of the Veteran Advocacy Project recounted clients whose discharge records, administrative errors or long appeals timelines have impeded access to VA benefits. Derek Koy of the New York Health Foundation highlighted data gaps and higher suicide rates among women veterans, and called for improved, gender‑disaggregated reporting to target services.

Two council items were placed on the record during the hearing. Reso. 00014 (sponsored by Council Member Joanne Areola) would call on the New York City Housing Authority to include an admission preference for veterans in its next agency plan. Reso. 0131 (sponsored by Council Member Paladino) would ask the Department of Education to adjust school observance of Veterans Day when the holiday falls on a weekend. No formal votes were held at the hearing.

Public testimony included service providers and community organizations describing outreach efforts, clinical training tools and events aimed at connecting women veterans to services. Several speakers emphasized that routine, respectful asking of "Have you served in the U.S. military?" at city intake points can identify veterans who otherwise fall through the cracks.

Committee members and advocates also raised budgetary limits at DVS. Commissioner Mata said the department's operating budget is constrained and that much of the agency's work is focused on navigation and referral rather than direct service provision. She asked for council support to amplify DVS programs, to help implement Local Law 37, and to explore targeted funding and partnerships that expand child care, scheduling flexibility and culturally competent care for women veterans.

The hearing closed with chairs calling for continued engagement from advocates and for the council to follow up on implementation steps. Committee staff said they expect DVS to report back on which city agencies have implemented the self‑identification question and on next steps for improving data collection and interagency coordination.

Next steps: The committee recorded the two resolutions on the hearing record; no votes were taken. Members asked DVS to return with more detailed implementation plans and data about agency compliance with Local Law 37 and about service gaps in VA women’s health and housing at a later oversight session.