In this Issue:

New DVS Initiatives:

On Veterans Day 2021, DVS launched VetConnectPro, a first-in-the-nation employment tool that connects NYC veterans to employment opportunities in the public and private sector.
 
VetConnectPro features a job board with listings from employers looking to hire veterans. Veterans can start applying to open job opportunities by uploading their resumes. The website can also help veterans develop customized resumes compatible with all Applicant Tracking Systems.

VetConnectPro includes a Military Skills Translator that matches a veteran’s military skills and Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) to current job opportunities and civil service exams in NYC. The platform also allows veterans the opportunity to create personalized dashboards they can use to connect to jobs and resources based on their MOS and location.

For veterans looking for professional guidance or training, VetConnectPro includes a library of over 250 career training courses; veterans can also use the site to contact Workforce One Counselors who will provide updates on recent job postings and resources.

Find your next job or launch a new career at nyc.gov/vetconnectpro.

If you are an employer interested in posting your job on VetConnectPro to connect with qualified veterans across the City, please reach out to a DVS representative by calling 212-416-5250.

In 2021, DVS launched VetBizNYC, an interactive map that identifies veteran-owned businesses (VOB).

The VetBizNYC map allows citizens to find and support those who have served our country and stimulate local commerce. It also gives veterans a platform to promote their business to their neighbors and fellow New Yorkers.

Find a veteran-owned business near you or add your business to the map: nyc.gov/vetbiznyc.

This year, DVS administered the NYC Veteran and Military Community Survey to learn more about the community's demographics and identify service gaps. The survey delved into numerous topics such as age, income, housing, employment, and health care status to produce a detailed portrait of NYC's veteran population. Insights gained through the survey will be used to develop future policies and programs that will serve NYC's veterans and their families.

Key Events

DVS celebrated Veterans Day in person this year! The agency hosted the annual NYC Veterans Day Mayor’s Breakfast at AES NYC's Iron23. The event was attended by leaders from the veteran community, student veterans, activists, veteran business owners, military families, and NYC public servants. DVS Commissioner James Hendon, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force General CQ Brown, Jr., and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed the audience. 

Throughout 2021, DVS launched pop-up exhibits to showcase the agency’s oral history initiative, the Veteran Voices Project (VVP). Exhibits were launched at the Morris Jumel Mansion in Washington Heights, the Staten Island Museum, and the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum.

The pop-up exhibits included a collection of photos from VVP participants and QR codes to connect users to the VVP Oral History Library where they could listen to recordings of veteran stories from across all military branches and service eras.

Visit nyc.gov/vetvoices to learn how you can preserve your story in our oral history library!

DVS and the NYC Department of Education (DOE) held a ceremony to celebrate and honor the naming of DOE’s District 7 Administration Building in the Bronx after fallen local veteran Sgt. Jose M. Velez. The building is located at 501 Courtlandt Avenue.

Velez was assigned to the 773rd Transportation Company, Army Reserves, Fort Totten, NY. He was 35 when he died on June 9, 2006, from injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his humvee in Kirkuk, Iraq. 

Continuing Programs

At the start of 2021, Army veteran Jocelyn Miller became the 1,000th veteran moved by DVS into permanent housing. Her new one-bedroom apartment is in the Lower East Side. This move was completed by DVS’s Housing Support Services (HSS) team.

Our HSS team helps veterans experiencing homelessness find and process necessary documentation, provide virtual and socially distanced tours of new apartments, procure furniture, and help veterans move into their new homes. HSS’s work is part of the agency’s mission to rapidly rehouse veterans experiencing homelessness. Learn more about our efforts to end chronic veteran homelessness.

DVS assists veterans in filing VA claims so they can receive the benefits they have earned. 

Schedule an online appointment with a VA-accredited DVS staff member to represent you in your claim by filling out the form at VetConnectNYC and selecting "Benefits Navigation" as your preferred service.

As part of the Mission: VetCheck initiative, volunteers call NYC veterans to provide information on free meals, COVID-19 updates, and mental health resources. Mission: VetCheck has placed over 33,000 calls to veterans throughout the City since launching in 2020. 

To sign up as a volunteer or to request a check-in call, visit nyc.gov/MissionVetCheck.