DVS Commissioner Yesenia Mata defends preliminary FY27 budget as council presses for clearer data on services

Commissioner Yesenia Mata told the New York City Council Veterans Committee on Tuesday that the Department of Veterans Services (DVS) is operating under a preliminary FY27 budget of $6.6 million and is coordinating with the Office of Management and Budget to avoid interruptions in services.

“DVS exists because of New York City veterans,” Mata said in her opening testimony, adding that New York is home to “about 131,000 veterans” and that the department’s role is to connect those veterans to federal, state and city resources.

The preliminary FY27 figure is smaller than the FY26 adopted baseline, a decline the department attributed to time-limited state dollars and council discretionary funding that are not yet reflected in the January plan. Mata and agency staff said they expect post-allocation adjustments — including rollovers and discretionary items — to alter the final FY27 total.

Committee members pressed the administration on how the mayor’s savings mandate and vacancy controls could affect DVS programs and newly authorized positions. Mata said DVS is in active conversations with OMB and that no final decisions have been made. Jack Brody, DVS’s executive director of finance, told the committee that the agency is operating within the January plan while it continues discussions with OMB.

The committee also focused on program performance and data. Chair Marano flagged gains in the agency’s Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report: an 18% increase in veteran housing placements and broad increases in outreach events. But he and other members pressed Mata on two concerning indicators: a 14% decline in users served through the VetConnect platform in the first four months of FY26 and a reported pause in Mission Vet Check for the first four months of the fiscal year.

Nicole Orlando, DVS deputy chief of staff, said the VetConnect decline likely reflects timing and cyclical demand and that the agency is watching trends and adjusting outreach. On Mission Vet Check — a volunteer-led “buddy check” program run with New York Cares — Orlando said the pause occurred because of volunteer retention challenges and the need to ensure crisis-management infrastructure for calls; she confirmed the program restarted ahead of the holidays in December.

Committee members sought clarity about what the agency counts as a documented service. Mata said DVS records interventions that involve sustained follow-up — for example tracking a VA claim or housing case — and acknowledged the agency needs to do better at standardizing and reporting outcome measures.

Mata and staff described DVS as a “connector” agency: the department helps veterans navigate federal claims and city programs and steps in when veterans are not connected to the VA. The agency plans to expand partnerships, hold roundtables with veteran groups and pursue improved data collection through VetConnect to better track outcomes.

The hearing closed for public testimony, and committee members invited written materials and further follow-ups. The committee did not take formal votes during the session; members signaled they will continue to seek budget adjustments and clearer performance reporting in the coming weeks.