TESTIMONY
James Hendon, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Veterans Services, on Supporting Peace Time Era and Cold War Veterans
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17 min
Commissioner James Hendon of the New York City Department of Veterans Services testifies on the department's efforts to support peace time era and Cold War veterans.
- Hendon emphasizes the unique challenges and sacrifices of veterans who served during the Cold War, including the constant threat of nuclear war and engagement in espionage.
- He outlines various DVS initiatives aimed at recognizing and supporting these veterans, such as civil service veterans expansions and healthcare access initiatives such as 'Covered NYC Vet'.
- The testimony also addresses property tax exemptions for veterans, with Hendon advocating for the adoption of the Cold War Veterans property tax exemption in New York City.
- Challenges in accurately identifying the number of veterans due to self-identification and federal government exclusions are highlighted, impacting the implementation of support programs.
- Hendon concludes with a call for further review and implementation of the Cold War Veterans property tax exemption to honor the service of peace time era veterans.
James Hendon
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My name is James Hembin.
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I service commissioner of the New York City Department of Veterans Service.
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Just for the record.
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Good morning, chair Holden, committee members, veteran, and armed forces members and attendants, the loved ones and advocates.
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My name is James and our service commissioner for the New York City Department of Veterans Services.
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I'm joined today by my colleague, Sandra Alvarez, DBS's chief of staff.
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Thank you for providing us with the opportunity to discuss peace time era veterans and the work that we've done and are doing in support of New York City's peace time era veteran community.
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Almost all of whom living to day served during the Cold War.
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Following my testimony, we welcome any questions that committee members may have.
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The Cold War spanning from the end of World 42 in 1945 to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 was a time of heightened global tension amid an arms race that put servicemen and women in unique position of risk, while punctuated by direct periods of conflict from the Korean war to the Vietnam War, to operations does its shield and does its storm.
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Roughly 26 out of the call was 46 years consisted of traditional force on force confrontation.
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There were extended periods of time, cumulatively 20 years that did not include the conventional kinetic actions typically associated with times of war.
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Veterans serving during these occasions operated under the constant threat of nuclear war, engaged in espionage, and participated proxy operations that have left lasting impact on their physical and mental health.
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Despite these sacrifices, peacetime era veterans face several challenges recognizing and receiving benefits.
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Unlike their counterparts from other combat eras, many peacetime era veterans do not qualify for certain benefit due to the non combat nature of their service.
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That being said, for our peace time era veterans, DBS has gone beyond traditional support to create initiatives that honor their unique position in our nation's military history.
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We acknowledge their service in guarding our nation during times of global uncertainty and have taken steps to ensure that they were receive their prospect and opportunities they deserve.
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This includes facilitating their integration into the city's richer way of resources.
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DBS has demonstrated this commitment through offering operative services, establishing strategic partnerships, and conducting targeted outreach and engagement.
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Some notable programs, partnerships, and outreach that serve peacetime era veterans within the agency in include but are not limited to civil service veterans expansions, working in partnership with the New York City Partners administ city wide administrative services.
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DBS helped to expand New York City's veteran and disable veteran credit to include veterans who served during both peace time and conflict.
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Get covered in Waseem vet.
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Get covered in Waseem vet helps veteran and military families of all eras, access VA health care, and or the New York State of Health were applicable.
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HUD Vash Collaborative Case Management working with our partners at the VA, NICE, and HPD.
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DBS executes the veterans of Fair Supportive Housing Collaborative Case Management Program, or Vash ECM.
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Collaborative case management, formerly known as Vash Continuum, is a form of Vash, a section 8 style voucher for Red Veterans specific to veterans who are not eligible for VA health care.
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DBS provides case management to these veterans, notably including any peacetime era veterans who due to the nature of this service may not be eligible for the traditional HUD VASH program.
UNKNOWN
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Excuse me, commissioner.
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Could we just hold for one minute?
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We're having a little trouble with the QR code.
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We just need to get that working, and then we'll pick up with you again.
Robert Holden
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Don't worry.
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You could take a breath a little bit.
UNKNOWN
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Commissioner, please resume.
James Hendon
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Veteran resource centers.
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DBS positions the sorry.
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I'll I'm gonna go from HUD VASH.
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I'm so sorry.
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HUD VASH Collaborative Case Management working with our partners at the NIGHCHA, and HPDDBS, executes the veteran affairs support of housing, collaborative case management program, or VASH CCM.
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Collaborative case management, formerly known as VASH Continuum, is a form of VASH.
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A section 8 style voucher for veterans, specific to veterans who are not eligible via health care.
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DBS provides case management to these veterans, notably including any peacetime era veterans who do to the nature of their service may not be eligible for the traditional HUD VASH program.
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Veteran resource centers, DBS positions veteran affect advisers in each of the five boroughs to ensure that veterans of all eras, including peacetime era veterans, have access to our agency's support and services.
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Inogen Baron, through our working relationship with the office of the chief medical examiner.
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DBS ensures that no eligible veteran is without an honorary bearer in a VA National Cemetery regardless of the veterans personal financial disposition or era of service and claim support.
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Accredited DBS staff members process VA claims for New York City veterans and families, focusing on areas areas such as disability compensation, dependent indemnity compensation, nonservice connected pension, survivor's pension, and education benefits.
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We provide this offering to all veterans, including those who served during a peacetime era.
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I'll speak now about enhanced recognition through home ownership support.
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Turning to the tangible metrics of our commitment to veterans in New York.
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The property tax exemptions that currently exist for veterans highlight our city's substantial investment and the well-being of those who served.
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Per the New York City Department of Finance's annual report on tax expenditures for FY 24, 31,264 veteran property owners utilized a veteran property tax exemption, 2918 in Manhattan.
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2481 in the Bronx, 6330 in Brooklyn, 12396 in Queens, and 7000 139 in Staten Island.
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The total value of the exemption was $36,100,000, suggesting an average annual benefit of 1150 dollars per veteran.
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We acknowledge that homeownership is not just about having a roof over one's head.
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It's about stability, equity, and the promise of the American dream.
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The state of New York and city of New York, dedicated resources and enacted exemptions that ease the financial burden on our veterans, enabling them to secure and maintain a place they call home.
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During the mayoralty of Michael Bloomberg and Chitchat council's speakership of Christine Quinn, more than 10 years ago, The speaker and city council pledged to honor 2 out of the 3 state authorized exemptions for those who've served.
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The first exemption alternative veteran's exemption is available to eligible veterans of foreign wars.
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Those who have earned expeditionary metals, veterans with honorable discharges, spouses, widows, and widowers of veterans and Gold Star parents.
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The second is the eligible funds exemption.
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The eligible funds exemption is available for veterans who purchased homes using eligible funds such as pensions, bonuses, insurance, and mustering out of pay.
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The 3rd exemption, which was not adopted by the city of New York at the time, is the Cold War Veterans exemption.
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The Cold War veteran's exemption explicitly affords a property tax exemption to veterans who served during the Cold War from September 2 1945 through December 20 6 1991.
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The state authorizes New York's tax jurisdictions to offer all 3 exemptions if the jurisdiction so if the jurisdiction so chooses.
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New York City currently has chosen 2 out of the 3.
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That set of veteran cannot simultaneously utilize the alternative veterans exemption and the court or veterans exemption and once a tax jurisdiction officer, it's either 1 or the other.
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To address a concern raised by the city council and the president, regarding the question, what would it cost for the city to employ the Cold War Veterans Property Tax exemption in 2024?
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This question does not have a direct answer for reasons that we will describe at its heart are 2 challenges.
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1, a majority of veterans in New York City do not self identify.
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75 8% of veterans in the city don't self identify according to the VA as of FY22.
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And 2, the federal government excludes a large number veterans and the population numbers that it tracks.
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This is true for both the VA and the Census Bureau.
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Regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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The VA excludes veterans who were not eligible via health care in its population counts.
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Among other things, a person who enlisted after September 7 1980 needs at least 2 years of active service in the military to be eligible for VA health care.
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Also, a person is not automatically eligible for VA health if they have a discharge that is lower than a general discharge under honorable conditions.
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These people are not accounted for in the VA's data.
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Meanwhile, the census bureau only conveys a number of veterans who served on active duty status at some at some point and no longer served.
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I serve.
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Many guards, many reservists are not included within that group.
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Speaking for myself, I'm a US army reservists who've served in the military for more than 20 years.
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I am not counted as a veteran for the Census Bureau's metrics.
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It's because I'm still serving.
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I will be counted as a veteran once I retire from the army because I have active duty service time.
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If I did not have active duty service time, if I'd spent my entire career as a guardian or reservist who was never placed on federal active duty orders.
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Then I would never be counted by the Census Bureau.
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Many veterans are excluded from what the Census Bureau and VA track when it comes to active versus non active service.
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Many of those folks were excluded are national guardsmen and reservists to put things in perspective.
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Nationwide, approximately 1,300,000 people serve on active duty status in the US off forces right now.
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Another 770,000 are national guardsmen or reserve and reservists.
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These numbers were significantly higher during the Cold War.
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In 19 85, they were 2,200,000 servicing was on active duty and 1,100,000 reserve on in the reserve and national guard.
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The number of veterans in New York City, according to the census Bureau.
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It's a 2022 ACS 5 year estimate, which is recently released, is 135,138.
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Of whom 106,952 served during periods of conflict, World War 2, Korea, Vietnam, golf war onwards into what we now know is the goal global war and terror.
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The remaining 28,006 private servicemen is our peacetime era veterans.
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It is important to remember, the Census Bureau does not break out veterans by error.
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However, it only include it the Census Bureau does break out veterans by era.
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However, it only includes those who serve on active duty status at some point in their careers and who no longer serve.
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Many veterans of the guard and reserve who never served on act of duty are not included in the Census Bureau's data.
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The NYC Department of Veterans Services estimates that at least 103,357 veterans live in New York City.
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Our numbers derived from VA data.
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VA's gross domestic expenditure report for 2022.
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3 which we know the number of past service members, eligible VA Health Care in New York City.
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It's 159,132.
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And beyond this, we estimate that 31,000, 1 04 veterans are not eligible for VA health care.
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This is informed by multiplying national discharge averages by known VA information.
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Separately, from the defense department, we know that 13,000, 121 active duty personnel, guardsmen, and reservists currently reside in the 5 boroughs.
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R Three numbers combined, 150 9,132, 31,104, 13,121, give us a known veteran population of 203 1357.
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Even our numbers because they're informed by federal entities exclude a significant numb significant number of guardsmen and reservists who because they never served on federal active duty orders are not eligible for VA health care.
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DBS estimates that at least 30,000 New York City veterans, many of whom are former Osmond reserves who serve during periods of peace amongst this excluded but equally important group.
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Another piece of information that we believe may be valuable to this conversation According to the 2022 ACS 5 year estimate, approximately 33% of all housing units in New York City are owner occupied.
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1,000,000 owner occupied units out of 3,200,000 total units.
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A 2020 Urban Institute study holds that nationwide, the veteran home ownership rate is 14 percentage points higher than the rate for the total population.
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This suggests a home ownership rate of 47% for veterans throughout the city of New York.
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33% +14%.
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Using ACS data, which holds once again 28,186 piece time era veterans in New York City.
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Simultaneous, excluding those guardsmen reserves, I've mentioned.
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1 can assume just looking at ACS veteran data.
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At least 13,247 veterans or 47% of our peacetime era veterans in this city are homeowners, staying with the American Community Survey, given that a 106,952 combat veterans in New York City, are in New York City.
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Once again, based on this 5 year estimate, which we do not believe is fully inclusive, and assuming a home ownership rate of 47%, we can conclude it conclude that least 50,000, 267 combat era veterans in New York City are homeowners, given what we know from the tax report.
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31,260 New York City veterans used a veteran's property tax exemption in FY 24, knowing that there at least 50,267 combat era veterans will own homes in the five boroughs, the utilization rate of the existing property tax exemptions in New York City for veterans.
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Amongst those eligible for it, among combat veterans, own homes is 62%.
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So 62% of all veterans who are homeowners, who are combat veterans, or homeowners, use 1 of the existing veteran property tax exemptions.
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Should we apply the same utilization rate 62% to the minimum number of peacetime era veterans in the city, who own homes, 13247.
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Then one can estimate that at least 8213 peacetime era veterans in New York City would avail themselves.
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Of a cohort property tax exemption if allowed.
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So once again, we believe that 808,213 Peacetime era veterans who own homes would avail themselves of a Cold War Property Tax exemption if allowed.
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In total, that 8213 veterans multiplied by the average annual benefit of the existing property taxes and and detention for veterans.
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It's $1155 equals $9,500,000.
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So we believe that 8213 veterans who a peacetime era owned homes would use an exemption if allowed.
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The average annual benefit is $1155 per veteran for the combat vet to use it that comes out to $9,500,000.
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Given all of the assumptions made using publicly available data to reach an estimated number, and recognizing gaps in our core facts regarding the number of New York City's peacetime era, national guardsmen and reservists.
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We urge further review of the budget impacts of enacting New York state's court war veteran property tax exemption in the city of New York.
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In conclusion, we pray that this testimony his body with a firm understanding of our agency's efforts to support peacetime era veterans and their families.
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Additionally, we hope that our analysis may undergo future deliverations on the costs to employ New York State's Cold War veteran property tax exemption.
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We recognize how important this is to our peacetime era veterans.
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Beyond just speaking of veteran property tax exemptions, a key factor to this in all of our actions and conversations is taking steps to remove walls from within New York City's mill terrain veteran community.
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In the city with the most permissive definition of veteran in the nation and perhaps the world, we do not want brothers and sisters to feel as though we are treating them differently based on their length of service, their character of service, their type of service along with when and where they've served.
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Lastly, we welcome continued collaboration as we work together to connect to mobilize and empower New York City's veteran community.
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I urge you all to please contact me, our chief of staff Cassandra Alvarez, or our senior adviser of intergovernmental affairs, Jason Loughron, with follow-up questions or thoughts.
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Thank you.