NYHealth Submits Testimony to the New York City Council Committee on Veterans Oversight – Support and Programs for LGBTQ+ Veterans

Testimony of Emilia Cobbs
Policy and Research Associate
New York Health Foundation

Submitted to the New York City Council Committee on Veterans
Oversight - Support and Programs for LGBTQ+ Veterans
June 22nd, 2026

Thank you, Chair Morano and members of the Committee, for the opportunity to testify on behalf of the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth). NYHealth is a private, independent, statewide foundation dedicated to improving the health of all New Yorkers, including the approximately 120,000 veterans who call New York City home.

For over 15 years, NYHealth has worked to understand and support the health needs of New York's veterans. We do this through grantmaking, policy analysis, advocacy, research, and convenings. Our work has identified service gaps and helped develop innovative community-based programs that meet veterans where they are. Over the years, we have had the opportunity to partner closely with City agencies and partners to ensure New York's veterans receive high-quality, culturally competent care and support.

A persistent challenge in this work is a lack of timely, reliable data on specific veteran populations, including LGBTQ+ veterans. Veterans are often treated as a monolith, obscuring important differences in identity, experience, and need. Through our research partnerships, including work with the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), NYHealth has helped build evidence about veteran subpopulations. That research found that data collection is often incomplete and inconsistent, particularly for LGBTQ+ veterans and veterans with multiple minority identities.

New York has long been a leader in supporting both veterans and LGBTQ+ communities, but effective policymaking requires a clearer understanding of who LGBTQ+ veterans are, where they access care and services, and what barriers they face. Without data on veteran subgroups, disparities in health outcomes, service utilization, housing stability, and social support can remain hidden. Better information will help policymakers, health systems, and community organizations develop responsive programs, connect veterans to affirming care and support, and ensure resources reach those most in need.

What the Data Show: LGBTQ+ Veterans Face Elevated Risks

In 2020, NYHealth-supported research by CNAS found that LGBTQ+ veterans in New York often perceive traditional veterans' service organizations and, at times, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as unwelcoming because of experiences with harassment or discrimination. These experiences can make veterans less likely to engage in health care, benefits, and social support. The study found that discharge status continues to have a disproportionate impact on veterans who were separated under discriminatory policies such as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT)." Those with less than honorable discharge due to DADT were barred from accessing VA care, among other resources.^[1],[2] For example, the CNAS research also found that LGBTQ+ veterans face barriers within traditional homeless shelter systems.^[3]

These findings are consistent with national research showing that LGBTQ+ veterans face elevated risks of discrimination, stigma, victimization, and poor health outcomes compared with their non-LGBTQ+ veteran peers. LGBTQ+ veterans experience higher rates of mental health needs, driven in part by chronic exposure to discrimination, social exclusion, and barriers to care.^[4] These factors can have lasting effects on health and well-being, particularly among transgender and gender nonconforming veterans.^[5]

In the worst cases, these barriers contribute to significant suicide risks. The national suicide rate among sexual minority veterans is more than twice that of the overall veteran population.^[6] Within the LGBTQ+ veteran community, risks are not evenly distributed. Research has found high rates among transgender veterans, and studies consistently show elevated rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among bisexual veterans, particularly bisexual women.^[7],[8]

New York Has Been a leader in LGBTQ+ Veteran Support but there is More Work to Be Done

New York City and the VA have invested in improvement and demonstrated that progress is possible. The City's Department of Veteran Services' (DVS) has developed multiple LGBTQ+-specific programs, including a LGBTQ veteran liaison and VetConnectNYC, which helps connect LGBTQ+ veterans to needed resources, including connecting them to discharge upgrade assistance services.^[9]

Over the past decade, the VA has also become a national leader in LGBTQ+ health care and cultural competency. Most transgender veterans report respectful treatment and overall satisfaction with their care at the VA, reflecting years of investment in provider training, inclusive policies, and dedicated programming.^[10] For example, in New York, the VA also provides support groups for LGBTQ+ veterans in its Manhattan and Brooklyn campuses.^[11] Programs like these, which provide peer support, are an important mechanism to reach veterans. Veterans consistently report they are more likely to engage when outreach comes from individuals with shared lived experience.

At the same time, barriers remain. In 2020, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that 89% of veterans' health records lack gender identity data.^[12] As a result, health concerns that disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ veterans may go unrecognized or untreated.

Health systems must work to identify LGBTQ+ veterans both within and outside of VA care, as most veterans do not receive all their care through the VA. Many rely on community providers, private-sector care, City hospitals and clinics, behavioral health programs, homeless services, and the justice system, where providers may not be trained on veteran-specific needs. Each of these touchpoints represents an opportunity to identify veterans and connect them to benefits, services, and support that can improve health and well-being. And many LGBTQ+ veterans may not engage with traditional veteran-serving institutions at all. Reaching these individuals requires meeting them in spaces where they already feel welcome and connected.

Recent Cuts and Closures Should Not Erase Progress

Recent federal policy changes have created new challenges for LGBTQ+ veterans. Reports indicate that LGBTQ+-specific supports and therapies within some VA facilities have been reduced.^[13] On June 12, 2026, the Department of Veterans Affairs ordered all VA facilities to end gender identity-based initiatives and remove LGBTQ+ designations from medical coordinator networks.^[14]

In New York, New York University Langone's Military Family Clinic will be closing this September. This program provides free mental health care and its closure will impact LGBTQ+ veterans' access to care at these sites. These changes may also create uncertainty among veterans and contribute to perceptions that they are no longer welcome within the system.

These developments are concerning and may make it more difficult to build on the progress that has been made. They underscore the importance of ensuring that LGBTQ+ veterans have multiple pathways to support both inside and outside the VA. As some LGBTQ+ veterans reconsider their engagement with the VA or other veteran-serving institutions in response to these changes, it will become increasingly important to ensure they remain connected to care, benefits, and support through other trusted channels.

Recommendations

To better support LGBTQ+ veterans, we urge the City to consider the following recommendations:

Close critical data gaps. Significant data gaps persist across veteran subpopulations, particularly among LGBTQ+ veterans and those with intersecting identities. These limitations constrain meaningful analysis and hinder effective policymaking:

• Expand the City's disaggregated reporting on veteran health and well-being outcomes, including suicide, homelessness, and behavioral health indicators among LGBTQ+ veterans where data are available.
• Build on recent efforts to improve suicide surveillance by ensuring veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, and other relevant demographic characteristics are captured and reported whenever feasible.
• Identify mechanisms to strengthen mortality review processes, including proposals such as establishing or enhancing a suicide mortality review committee that better examines risk factors among veteran subpopulations.
• Encourage and support the consistent, culturally competent collection of veteran status, sexual orientation, and gender identity data, including the widespread adoption of veteran-status screening across Health + Hospitals facilities, behavioral health programs, homeless services, the justice system, and other health and social service systems.

Expand veteran identification and screening in non-VA settings. Many veterans receive care and services outside the VA-and some LGBTQ+ veterans may increasingly seek support outside traditional veteran-serving institutions:

• Ensure providers are trained to identify military service history and understand the unique health, behavioral health, and social service needs of LGBTQ+ veterans.
• Strengthen referral pathways so veterans identified in non-VA settings can be connected to benefits, housing assistance, behavioral health services, legal support, and peer-support programs when needed.
• Explore opportunities to expand public-private partnerships that support coordinated, affirming, and trauma-informed care for LGBTQ+ veterans.

Strengthen peer-support programming. Peer support remains one of the most effective ways to reduce isolation, build trust, and connect veterans to care:

• Ensure LGBTQ+ veterans are explicitly represented and supported within the Joseph P. Dwyer Veteran Peer Support Program and other veteran peer-support initiatives.
• Support LGBTQ+ cultural competency training for peer-support providers and veteran-serving organizations.
• Recruit and support LGBTQ+ veteran peer leaders who can help engage veterans who may be reluctant to seek services through traditional channels.
• Explore opportunities to develop or expand peer-support networks specifically focused on LGBTQ+ veterans, building connections to behavioral health care, housing resources, benefits counseling, and community support.

Strengthen outreach and engagement. Traditional outreach methods may miss LGBTQ+ veterans who do not self-identify as veterans or who have disengaged from veteran-serving institutions:

• Expand proactive, community-based outreach strategies by partnering with LGBTQ+ community organizations and participating in existing LGBTQ+ community events and networks.
• Utilize digital engagement strategies and targeted communications to reach younger veterans and veterans who may not be connected to traditional veteran-serving organizations.
• Build upon successful outreach models such as Mission: VetCheck, which uses peer-based outreach, wellness check-ins, suicide screenings, and referrals to connect veterans with critical resources.
• Consider ways not only to connect LGBTQ+ veterans to services, but also to meaningfully engage them and center their voices in shaping the policies and programs designed to serve them.

Conclusion

LGBTQ+ veterans have served our country with distinction and deserve access to high-quality, culturally competent care and support. The evidence shows that many face elevated risks related to suicide, homelessness, discrimination, and mental health challenges. By improving data collection, identifying veterans in non-VA settings, modernizing outreach, and strengthening peer support, New York City can continue its tradition of leadership and ensure that LGBTQ+ veterans receive the support they have earned.

At NYHealth, we remain committed to building the evidence base and helping ensure that those who have served receive the care and support they deserve. I hope you will look to the Foundation as a partner and resource for this work.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify, and I look forward to answering any questions.

Watch the full hearing

[1] Grogan N, Moore E, Peabody B, Seymour M, Williams K. 2020. New York State Minority Veteran Needs Assessment. Center for a New American Security. Commissioned by the New York Health Foundation. Available at: https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/files.cnas.org/documents/CNAS-Report-MVS-NY-Assessment-final.pdf.

[2] Center for American Progress. LGBTQ+ Military Members and Veterans Face Economic, Housing and Health Insecurity. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/lgbtq-military-members-and-veterans-face-economic-housing-and-health-insecurities/, accessed June 2026.

[3] Grogan N, Moore E, Peabody B, Seymour M, Williams K. 2020. New York State Minority Veteran Needs Assessment. Center for a New American Security. Commissioned by the New York Health Foundation. Available at: https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/files.cnas.org/documents/CNAS-Report-MVS-NY-Assessment-final.pdf.

[4] Boyer TL, Youk AO, Haas AP, Brown GR, Shipherd JC, Kauth MR, Jasuja GK, Blosnich JR. Suicide, Homicide, and All-Cause Mortality Among Transgender and Cisgender Patients in the Veterans Health Administration. LGBT Health. 2021 Apr;8(3):173-180. doi: 10.1089/lgbt.2020.0235. Epub 2021 Feb 5. PMID: 33544021.

[5] Harper KL, Blosnich JR, Livingston N, Vogt D, Bernhard PA, Hoffmire CA, Maguen S, Schneiderman A. Trauma exposure, mental health, and mental health treatment among LGBTQ+ veterans and nonveterans. Psychol Trauma. 2025 Nov;17(8):1651-1658. doi: 10.1037/tra0001735. Epub 2024 Jun 24. PMID: 38913715.

[6] Lynch KE, Gatsby E, Viernes B, Schliep KC, Whitcomb BW, Alba PR, DuVall SL, Blosnich JR. Evaluation of Suicide Mortality Among Sexual Minority US Veterans From 2000 to 2017. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Dec 1;3(12):e2031357. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.31357. PMID: 33369662; PMCID: PMC7770555.

[7] Kittel JA, Griffith AM, Monteith LL, Hoffmire CA. Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among lesbian, gay, and bisexual+ women veterans using Department of Veterans Affairs reproductive health care. Psychol Serv. 2026 Apr 27:10.1037/ser0001038. doi: 10.1037/ser0001038. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42043431; PMCID: PMC13266503.

[8] Lamba S, Frank DA, McCoy JL, Purkayastha S, Leder SM, Russell LE, Gordon JH, Procario GT, Moy EM, Hausmann LRM. Health-Related Social Needs Among LGB+ Veterans. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Oct 1;8(10):e2539986. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.39986. PMID: 41160026; PMCID: PMC12573039.

[9] New York City Department of Veteran Services. LGBTQ+ Veterans. https://www.nyc.gov/site/veterans/services/lgbtq-veterans.page, accessed June 2026/

[10] U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Study: Majority of transgender Veterans satisfied with VA care. https://www.research.va.gov/currents/0917-Majority-of-transgender-Veterans-satisfied-with-VA-care.cfm, accessed June 2026.

[11] One Degree. Join a support group for LGBTQ+ veterans. https://www.1degree.org/opp/join-a-support-group-for-lgbtq-nyc-department-of-veterans-new-york-ny, accessed June 2026.

[12] Government Accountability Office. 2020. VA Health Care: Better Data Needed to Assess the Health Outcomes of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Veterans. GAO-21-69. Available at: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-69

[13] U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA to phase out treatment for gender dysphoria. https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-to-phase-out-treatment-for-gender-dysphoria/, accessed June 2026.

[14] Advocate. Trump admin eliminates health care programs for LGBTQ+ veterans. https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/trump-abandons-lgbtq-veterans, accessed June 2026.