Audit Report On the Compliance of the New York City Department of Veterans’ Services with Local Law 214 Regarding Benefits Counseling Services for Veterans
Executive Summary
In 2018, the New York City Council enacted Local Law 214, which requires the New York City Department of Veterans’ Services to provide benefits counseling services to veterans seeking benefits offered by the City of New York, the State of New York, and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, to which they, their spouses, domestic partners, dependents, and family members may be entitled because of their military service. Pursuant to Local Law 214, counseling services must include advice, evaluation, and information, and must be provided by trained staff in each of the five boroughs, including at each veterans resource center.
This audit focuses on whether the New York City (City) Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) complied with Local Law 214. DVS, created in April 2016, works with City, New York State (State), and federal agencies, as well as regional private and not-for-profit partners, to improve the lives of all City veterans and their families. DVS seeks to ensure that homeless veterans have permanent housing and access to the support services they need to find and maintain their homes. In addition, DVS seeks to expand education and career opportunities for veterans and to provide information to them and their families about the availability of benefits, resources, and care Citywide. DVS states that it is committed to supporting veterans’ mental health overall and to addressing the full impact of war and their military service. DVS serves service members, veterans, and family members regardless of era of service, branch of service, or discharge status.
Audit Findings and Conclusions
We found that DVS generally complied with Local Law 214. Specifically, our audit found that DVS provides counseling services in person, by phone, and by email to veterans seeking assistance regarding City, State, and federal benefits to which they, their spouses or domestic partners, dependents, and family members may be entitled because of their military service.
Our audit also found that DVS’ Engagement and Community Services staff provide benefits counseling services in each of the five boroughs, including at each veterans resource center, and that Engagement and Community Service Coordinators receive training with a focus on military and cultural competencies, engagement best practices, and various mental health related topics, including DVS’ Mental Health First Aid Training Program and the City’s Mental Health First Aid Training Program. DVS’ Mental Health First Aid Training Program was designed to specifically address the mental challenges faced by veterans and service members and is staffed by DVS Peer Coordinators. The City’s Mental Health First Aid Training provides guidance to help staff recognize the early signs and symptoms of mental illness and substance abuse in the form of a free eight-hour training course available online and in person. After completing the training, participants receive a three-year certification in Mental Health First Aid. In addition, in 2020, the New York State Division of Veterans’ Services trained and accredited five members of DVS’ Community Services team to process claims and assist veterans and their families who need claim advisement.
Furthermore, we found that DVS offers several programs to ensure that veterans are connected to benefits, including VetConnectNYC and VetsThriveNYC. VetConnectNYC, which is staffed by DVS, is a program that reduces the complexity of navigating resources and benefits by operating as a hub through which veterans can connect to over 80 vetted service providers and a coordination team dedicated to connecting them to the necessary services. VetsThriveNYC is a program that provides an integrative approach to health and healing for veterans and their families. Additionally, DVS maintains a Veterans Resource Guide which provides updated information on DVS’ services as well as contact information for DVS and its veterans resource centers. DVS also utilizes its website, social media accounts, podcast, and newsletters to connect with veterans and veteran family members to ensure they are connected to benefits. During our audit scope, DVS updated its website to include a Government Benefits List which provides a comprehensive list of federal, City, and State benefits offered to veterans.
Although COVID-19 caused DVS to temporarily close its veterans resource centers in March 2020, we found that DVS continued to offer its services online, by email, and by phone. DVS actively reaches out to veterans through email and phone and is committed to staying in touch with veterans are during COVID-19 through active wellness checks. In coordination with this effort, DVS makes calls to check up on formerly homeless veterans and connect them to eligible services. Furthermore, DVS updated the frequency of its newsletter distribution from monthly to weekly beginning March 24, 2020, to ensure veterans receive continuous information and connections to benefit resources during COVID-19.
DVS serves as a hub that puts veterans at the center of all of its efforts and coordinates services with a range of agencies at the City, State, and federal levels, as well as through public-private partnerships. Our audit concluded that DVS is in compliance with Local Law 214. Appendices I and II contain details of the specific items we tested and the results of our tests. Appendix III illustrates DVS’ efforts to ensure Local Law 214 compliance.