Wong asks about certificate of eligibility identification approach

I want to back, I'm reading your statement.

You're saying that you're going to explore the creation of a certificate of eligibility of LGBTQ.

So what is your approach if you have problems identifying them?

Then how do you find these LGBTQ veterans and give them the certificate of eligibility?

Yeah, so to speak a little bit more on their certificate.

So what we've been noticing is that on the state level and the city level, there are veterans who are discharged due to their status as LGBTQ, whether that was under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the trans ban, or anything else.

And for us, what we're seeing is that there's a lot of fear in applying for benefits due to the fear that you have to show your DD-214 that says you were discharged under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, or whatever it may be.

So for us, what we're acting as is that safe space for them to come to us and say, I've served my country,

show us their paperwork in a trusted space with our LGBT plus liaison, who will then be able to verify their service,

create a certificate that then can be given to different city agencies to verify that service so that they don't actually have to provide their DD-214

that says what they were discharged for while they may be in the process of upgrading or whatever that may be, but still verifies their military service.

So for us, we don't want someone's fear of having to show their discharge be a barrier to getting a benefit.

So that's why we want to be those that will provide that certificate that won't say anything on it.

It will just verify their service.