NEWSLETTER
Division of Veterans' Services and Department of Labor Expand Successful Pilot Program to Further Improve Access to Services
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the installation of kiosks at several locations on Long Island and in the Southern Tier that will connect veterans, service members and their families with specialized information and assistance. Another six kiosks will be installed at welcome centers and transit hubs across the state and serve as an easily accessible gateway for veterans to learn about more than 60 state programs and services for which they may be eligible.
"Every day in New York, we strive to ensure that those who have served our country have easy access to all of the benefits and programs available to them," Governor Hochul said. "Through cross-agency collaborations and initiatives like this expansion of digital kiosks, we are improving access to services and demonstrating New York's continued commitment to making our state the best place for veterans and their families to call home. We thank and honor them for their service to our nation."
Kiosks are now located at the Long Island Welcome Center on the Long Island Expressway in Dix Hills and the Veterans, Service Members, and Gold Star Families memorial room at the Tompkins County Airport in Ithaca. Those kiosks join another already online at the Capital Region Welcome Center in New Baltimore.
Six other kiosks have been purchased and will be installed after they are delivered at the following locations: Adirondacks Welcome Center (Interstate 87, Queensbury); Finger Lakes Welcome Center (Lake Front Drive, Geneva); Mohawk Valley Welcome Center (Interstate 90, Fultonville); North Country Welcome Center (Collins Landing Road, Alexandria Bay); Southern Tier Welcome Center (Interstate 81, Kirkwood); and Western New York Welcome Center (Alvin Road, Grand Island).
In addition to the kiosk initiative, the Division of Veterans' Services will expand a pilot program it began this spring with the New York State Department of Labor. At five field offices, veterans and military families receiving services from either DOL or DVS were asked whether they would like to be referred from DVS to DOL for employment assistance, or from DOL to DVS for veterans' benefits assistance.
Veterans who opted in received a secure referral that provided them with additional advocacy and assistance to make the most of the benefits, services and resources that they have rightfully earned. The pilot resulted in more than 200 veterans receiving referrals for services between March 2022 and October 2022. Based on that success, DVS and DOL will expand the initiative to every DOL and DVS field office statewide.
New York State Division of Veterans' Services Director Viviana DeCohen said, "We are grateful to Governor Hochul for her continued support and championing of new and innovative ways to reach the Veterans of New York through technological solutions such as the digital Welcome Center Kiosks. Her administration's support of these initiatives ensures we fulfill our mission of assisting all of New York's veterans, service members and their families in accessing the benefits they earned through their military service."
Additional Resources for Veterans
New York State is proud to offer a suite of programs, services, and benefits to veterans. The New York State Department of Civil Service's Veterans Temporary Hiring Program is a centralized hub where veterans can submit documentations for temporary job opportunities within the New York State system. The New York State Experience Counts program gives veterans credit toward state licenses for military experience.
In addition, New York State also offers incentives to encourage businesses to hire veterans, such as the Hire-A-Vet Credit, which provides eligible businesses with up to $5,000 for hiring a qualified veteran and up to $15,000 per hire for hiring a disabled veteran.
Veterans in search of careers are also encouraged to take advantage of the New York State Department of Labor's many no-cost services, including the newly expanded Virtual Career Center, which utilizes cutting-edge technology to help connect New Yorkers to 250,000 available job opportunities across New York State.
For more resources, visit the website for the New York State Division of Veterans' Services.
Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, "The New York State Department of Labor proudly provides our veterans with a wide variety of assistance to help them find careers they love, including priority service, training and education opportunities, outreach programs for disabled vets and temporary hiring programs. These new digital kiosks are part of New York State's ongoing effort to ensure that these heroes are connected to every available resource to support their needs."
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