Offering discharge upgrade assistance and extending city veteran benefits to service members who were discharged because of their LGBTQ status.

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to offering discharge upgrade assistance and extending city veteran benefits to service members who were discharged because of their LGBTQ status

This bill would extend all city benefits and services to veterans who have bad discharge papers due solely or in part to their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or, for veterans who identify as LGBTQ, untreated trauma, including that resulting from sexual assault which occurred during military service. This bill would also require DVS to issue a certificate of eligibility to a discharged LGBTQ veteran on request that can be used as proof of their eligibility to receive certain city benefits and services available to veterans. The bill would also require DVS to conduct outreach to raise awareness about these certificates of eligibility and the availability of legal services for discharged LGBTQ veterans, and to also make information about obtaining such certificates or legal services available on the department’s website. This bill further requires DVS to offer discharge upgrade assistance to LGBTQ veterans who were discharged from military service with an other-than-honorable discharge status due solely or in part to sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or, for veterans who identify as LGBTQ, untreated trauma, including that resulting from sexual assault which occurred during military service.