Under newly released guidelines, surviving parents or spouses of 100% service-connected disabled veterans who lost their lives after contracting COVID-19 now have easier access to an annuity benefit from the Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) that could provide up to $2,000 per year. COVID-19 has taken the lives of more than 10,000 people in […]
Many Massachusetts Veterans Could Qualify for Food Assistance, but are Unaware they are Eligible
Thousands Miss Out on Massachusetts SNAP Benefits In these challenging times, many people who need help to pay for food aren’t getting the assistance they need. At the beginning of this year, over 1.4 million Massachusetts residents were eligible for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) program, commonly called “food stamps.” Unfortunately, more than 600,000 […]
Important Information Related to Chapter 115 Benefits and the Current COVID-19 Outbreak
Please note: Information below is up to date as of the end of the state of emergency in Massachusetts (June 15, 2021). Please visit the Department of Veterans’ Services website for updates on important policy and program changes. Chapter 115 is a safety net program intended to aid veterans in times of financial crises exactly like these, and […]
Now More than Ever, Veterans Need Every Available Resource
We’re in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. Many people are looking for help in any way they can get it, and it shows in the numbers. Nationally, unemployment benefit numbers have skyrocketed; small businesses are applying for special loans; people are anxiously awaiting their stimulus checks. Everyone needs help, and we’re working to make […]
Boston Globe | Low-income and laid-off veterans struggle to access state benefits created for them
By Brian MacQuarrie Globe Staff,Updated April 22, 2020, 8:57 a.m. But as more disabled and low-income veterans look to the state Department of Veterans’ Services for help accessing the benefits, they have been stymied by a lack of information on the agency’s website, leaving them unsure where else to turn, advocates for veterans said….
Boston Veterans Commissioner Urges Veterans To Access State Financial Assistance Already Available To them
Helping veterans and their families is what the City of Boston’s Veterans’ Services Commissioner Robert Santiago does on a regular basis. Now, as tough economic times have hit due to COVID-19, he is urging veterans to access benefits that are available to many of them right now. M.G.L. Chapter 115 is a state veterans benefits […]