QUESTION
How can the NYC City Council improve support for Cold War veterans?
0:32:00
·
3 min
Council Member Robert Holden queries about enhancing support for Cold War veterans, and officials discuss property tax exemptions and outreach strategies.
- Discussion highlights the historical federal decisions impacting veteran services and how NYC can address these issues.
- A proposed bill to establish property tax exemptions for Cold War veterans in NYC is debated.
- Commissioner James Hendon voices strong support for the bill, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging all veterans.
- Officials outline ongoing and potential outreach efforts to better inform veterans about available benefits.
- The session concludes with a focus on engaging veterans from the Bronx.
Robert Holden
0:32:00
So how could the our city council better support the provisions and services to the to the Cold War veterans.
0:32:09
What would you suggest?
0:32:11
That's
James Hendon
0:32:13
trick question.
0:32:15
I wanna If you don't mind, I wanna just take it 30,000 feet and drill down.
0:32:21
I think that it's key to know as as as as policymakers too that the original send here was the federal government's decision to divide the groups, to really separate the peacetime error versus the wartime era as a way to cut costs, a way to save money.
0:32:38
You know, there was that decision made back in the 19 eighties where you have to have at least 2 years of active federal service to even be eligible via health care, which is the turnkey for so many other things.
0:32:47
And I think we've seen that kind of metastasized in other ways where state and local levels folks started making these decisions to surgically, you know, set things up where we wanna I'm gonna I'm gonna have some money.
0:33:01
I'm gonna give this group of veterans benefit versus
Robert Holden
0:33:03
this group.
0:33:03
Right.
0:33:03
Right.
0:33:03
And I
James Hendon
0:33:03
just you know, and I think
Robert Holden
0:33:04
We we know the motives of the save money, obviously.
0:33:07
But the city the city can compensate somewhat Mhmm.
0:33:12
With legislation that we could we've introduced actually in the last council, and I'd like your opinion on on the bill even though it's about to be reintroduced.
0:33:25
It was a council member Barelli's bill.
0:33:29
It was introduced in the last session, and it like I said, it's about to be reintroduced, which would amend the administrative code to establish in New York City the real property tax exemption.
0:33:41
For cold war veterans that is allowed by the state of New York.
0:33:45
The state of New York says we could we could do it.
0:33:48
We elected not to.
0:33:49
Mhmm.
0:33:50
And I think we need to fix this.
0:33:51
So I know that you supported Mhmm.
0:33:54
Because we've had conversations.
0:33:56
I hope I didn't, you know, but I but I think I don't wanna speak for you.
0:34:00
But I think it's it was your priority.
0:34:02
It was my priority when I became the veteran's chair because it's the right thing to do.
0:34:06
Mhmm.
0:34:06
So I think the New York City needs to catch up.
0:34:08
We'll certainly talk to leadership, but I think that needs to be, you know, really put on the fast track as a bill.
0:34:18
So I mean, Mister
James Hendon
0:34:20
Shih, just to to to double down where you are as a veteran, I I can't sit there and not support this as far as doing right for
Robert Holden
0:34:26
some people.
James Hendon
0:34:27
And it it gets to me, it gets at the heart of self identification, you know, like, when you remove these walls where people think I am a veteran, oh, I'm not a veteran.
0:34:36
Etcetera, and you took the oath we need to do right by you.
0:34:39
So as a veteran, I'd I'd wholeheartedly in favor of it on the administrative side with my government had on what's tough is that my mandate is to focus on assisting and forming the military community and veteran community in areas laid out already where we talk about health care, housing, benefits, culture, education, employment.
0:34:57
This piece, as far as I don't have the authority to weigh in in that capacity.
Robert Holden
0:35:02
I get that.
0:35:02
That's why.
0:35:03
But as
James Hendon
0:35:03
a as a veteran, I wanna be very collabed.
0:35:05
Right.
Robert Holden
0:35:05
This is a I know this is critical.
0:35:07
Again, there's there's there's a you can't speak for the administration that the bill hasn't been reintroduced yet.
0:35:13
I I expected that, but I'm that's why I was speaking to the veteran, the side of view, and I should have qualified that.
0:35:20
But like the offshoot, there's so many other, like, I mentioned before about the benefits, not only if, you know, they could self identify and get more benefits.