New Mexico veterans department outlines mobile unit, cemetery and benefit changes

Cabinet Secretary of Veterans Services Secretary David Herrera told the House Labor, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee that his agency is expanding field services, preparing to implement recently approved veteran tax changes and seeking state funds to maintain and expand veterans cemeteries.

The department’s mission, Herrera said, is “to build healthier communities, connecting all veterans and their families to the highest quality care services and eligible benefits through advocacy and collaboration.” He told legislators the department now has 33 certified veteran service officers and that the agency received funding last year that added five full‑time positions to help close gaps in rural coverage.

Herrera described a pending mobile outreach vehicle funded with $600,000 the agency lobbied for in the previous legislative session. The unit is being built with lifts and a satellite uplink so two veteran service officers can work on site in rural and tribal areas. “I really believe that this is gonna be a huge boom for us,” Herrera said.

The secretary reviewed several program areas: - Tax and benefits: Herrera said voters approved two constitutional amendments that raise the state veteran property tax exemption from $4,000 to $10,000 and allow assessors to apply a disability percentage to property values. He told the committee House Bill 47 was scheduled for committee action and that the department expects the change to increase DVS workload because veterans claiming a disability‑percentage exemption will need certified documentation. Implementation timing is tied to assessor notice schedules. - Cemeteries and memorials: Herrera said the department is seeking approximately $1 million to stand up the Carlsbad Cemetery and cover initial equipment and staffing; he noted some previously encumbered capital could reduce that request to about $700,000. He also said operations for a typical state veterans cemetery run “about $400 to $500,000,” depending on needs, and described warranty and mitigation work at Gallup and Angel Fire that resulted in about $4.1 million in fronted funds the department wants replaced in next year’s budget. - Honor guard and funeral honors: The department supports 29 honor guard teams and last year spent about $186,000 on stipends and uniforms; Herrera said the program had already spent about $112,000 so far this fiscal year and warned the program may need additional support as military funding recedes and volunteer capacity tightens. - Suicide prevention and homelessness: Herrera reported the department has encumbered about $209,000 in contracts for suicide prevention work with eight vendors statewide and said the agency is developing a veterans‑talking‑to‑veterans peer support capability to expand rural options. - Transportation and outreach metrics: Herrera said the VA‑funded rural highly rural transportation grant grew to more than $400,000 this year and the state transportation program added $175,000, serving 25 counties. He cited program metrics through December showing 733 rides and 170,642 miles driven in support of veterans’ appointments, and he noted that many interactions recorded by veteran service officers can range from five minutes to two hours depending on complexity. - Facilities planning: The department received $1.2 million for a feasibility study for a proposed 25,000‑square‑foot veterans service center in Albuquerque, with an estimated construction cost of $15 million if the study supports building.

Herrera also described the department’s tribal liaison and women veterans coordinator positions, noting outreach successes in getting more women veterans to identify themselves and claim benefits. He closed by asking legislators to account for the department’s staffing and mobile outreach needs as tax and benefit expansions increase demand.

The committee did not take formal action on the presentation; Herrera and staff stood for questions after the briefing.