Our Mission

The New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services is here to help veterans and eligible family members understand, navigate, and obtain federal and state benefits.   Our mission is to provide the highest quality care, service, and advocacy for the men and women—and their eligible family members—who have served as members of the United States Armed Forces, and to be the premier agency that anticipates and meets the changing needs of New Mexico’s veterans and their families.  For general information on benefits, please click here.  

The agency has four divisions, in addition to the the State Approving Agency (SAA), the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC), and the Public Information Office standing ready to help veterans and their families with their particular needs.

Field Services Division

The Field Services Division is comprised of Veteran Services Officers (VSOs) operating in field offices across the state.  Our VSOs are the agency’s “boots on the ground.”  Their primary mission is to connect veterans with federal benefits, but they also assist with state benefits and make referrals—either to other divisions or bureaus within the agency or to outside agencies and organizations—to ensure that veterans and their families receive the benefits and services they need and deserve.   The Field Service Division also operates the Women’s Veteran Program, which advocates for women veterans and is the first point of contact for all women veteran issues.  

To speak with one of our experienced VSOs across the state who can help connect you with more information on federal and state veterans’ benefits, please click here or contact us at (505) 383-2400 or at nmdvs.info@dvs.nm.gov.  

 For more on the Field Services Division and resources, please click here.  

 For more on the Women’s Veteran Program and resources, please click here.  

State Benefits Division

The State Benefits Division oversees state benefits, such as the veteran property tax exemptions, in addition to managing the state veterans’ cemeteries and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel Fire.  

In addition to our VSOs, our State Benefits Office, located in Santa Fe, is able to assist veterans with state benefits and may be contacted at 1-866-433-8387 or at vet.benefits@dvs.nm.gov.   

For a list of state benefits, please click here.  

For more on our state veteran cemeteries, please click here. 

For more on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel Fire, please click here.  

Healthcare Division 

The Healthcare Division helps veterans with access to healthcare and develops and coordinates programs and outreach activities related to transitional living, housing, suicide prevention, and transportation related to healthcare access.  

For questions about healthcare, please contact us at (505) 690-7112 or at (505) 372-8804. 

For more on the Healthcare Division and resources, please click here.  

Administrative Services Division

The Administrative Services Division is responsible for managing the financial resources for all activities within the agency, human resource management activities, risk management programs, property management, budget, and contract matters.  The Division also directly oversees the State Approving Agency.  While it does not directly interact with veterans, the Division ensures that the agency has the resources and capabilities to execute its mission to provide highest quality care, service, and advocacy for our veterans and their families.  

State Approving Agency

The SAA reviews, evaluates, and approves education and training programs to ensure that veterans have access to educational and training opportunities through the GI Bill®.  

For institutions or programs looking to become GI Bill® approved, please contact Katherine Snyder at (505) 280-1047 or at katherine.snyder@dvs.nm.gov.   

For more information on educational benefits and eligibility requirements, please click here to contact a VSO.  

For more on the GI Bill® and resources, including locating a school, please click here.  

For more information on state education benefits, please click here.  

Veterans Business Outreach Center

The VBOC Program is designed to provide entrepreneurial development services to transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard and reserve members, and military spouses interested in starting or growing a small business. 

To contact VBOC, please call us at (505) 220-9932 or at (505) 228-3024.  

For more on VBOC, to include services and resources, please click here.  

 Public Information Office

The Public Information Officer ensures that veterans stay up-to-date on current information.  The Public Information Officer also serves as the records custodian for public information requests.  

For more information on the Public Information Office, please click here.  

NEW! To receive our monthly newsletters and other up-to-date information on outreach clinics, events, programs, new content to our website and social media platforms, and so much more, sign up to the NMDVS Network by filling out the information below and clicking “Submit”.   

GI Bill®” is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill