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Q&A

Morano asks about certificate of eligibility details and benefits

New York City Council · Jun 22, 2026 · starts 0:46:43 · 1 min 15 sec

Morano asks about the certificate of eligibility. Nicole explains it would cover four city benefits requiring DD-214 presentation, allowing veterans to present a certificate instead of a discharge paperwork showing DADT-related status.

Frank Morano

One thing that caught our ear was the certificate of eligibility, because it was new, at least to me.

Frank Morano

What exactly would this certificate do?

Nicole

So this certificate would be able to, there's about four different city benefits that are executed on a city level that someone needs to provide their DD-214 for.

Nicole

So they may still be able to receive the benefit even though they are dishonorably discharged, but there's a lot of shame in presenting that when you do have, you know, you're a dishonorable discharge for under don't ask, don't tell.

Nicole

So what we're doing on the city level is for those benefits where that DD-214 needs to be presented, instead of them having to present that DD-214, they would

Nicole

present the certificate that would be given out by our agency where information about service would be verified from our agency so that they don't need to provide that to the different city agencies.

Frank Morano

Do you know which four benefits that that would unlock?

Nicole

Yeah, so that would unlock different residency points for civil service exams through DCAS.

Nicole

There's NICER's pension buyback.

Nicole

There's Department of Finance for tax benefits.

Nicole

And I believe there's two different types for Department of Finance.