COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF VETERANS SERVICES
600 Washington Street, 7th floor
Boston, MA 02111
TEL: (617) 210-5480 FAX: (617) 210-5883 TTY: (617) 210-5883
www.mass.gov/veterans
MAURA T. HEALEY JON SANTIAGO, MD, MPH
GOVERNOR SECRETARY
KIMBERLEY DRISCOLL
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
November 1, 2024
Steven T. James
House Clerk
State House, Room 145
Boston, MA 02133
Michael D. Hurley
Senate Clerk
State House, Room 335
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Clerk James and Clerk Hurley,
Pursuant to Section 2 of Chapter 115 of the Massachusetts General Laws, please find the
Executive Office of Veterans Services (EOVS) Annual Report attached.
Sincerely,
Jon Santiago
CC:
Senator Michael Rodrigues, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means
Representative Aaron Michlewitz, House Chair of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means
Senator John Velis, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs
Representative Gerard Cassidy, House Chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal
Affairs
Legislative Mandate
The following report is issued pursuant to Section 2 of Chapter 115, (Section 71 of Chapter 178
of the Acts of 2024, An Act Honoring, Empowering, And Recognizing Our Servicemembers and
Veterans), summarized as follows:
SECTION 71… Annually, not later than November 1, the secretary shall report on the activities
of the office and data collected related to veterans, including, but not limited to: (i) the number
of recipients of state veteran benefits and applicants for benefits, delineated by municipality and
demographic; (ii) a breakdown on the outcome of benefit appeal decisions pursuant to this
section; (iii) a summary of the office’s outreach to veterans on the availability of and process for
applying for benefits; (iv) demographic and regional information available on the veteran
population in the commonwealth; (v) directives in effect; and (vi) any legislative
recommendations necessary to better serve veterans and their families in the commonwealth.
The office shall publicly post the report on the office’s website and submit the report to the joint
committee on veterans and federal affairs, the clerks of the senate and house of representatives
and the senate and house committees on ways and means.
 Contents
(i) EOVS Veterans Benefit Recipient Demographics
(ii) Appeal Decision Outcomes
(iii) Outreach Summary
(iv) Veteran Demographic Information
(v) EOVS Directives
(vi) Legislative Recommendations
EOVS Veterans Benefit Recipient Regional Demographics
The EOVS administers financial, medical, and dental assistance to eligible veterans and their
dependents under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 115. Chapter 115 is a means-tested
program that provides eligible veterans and their families with financial support for food, shelter,
clothing, fuel, and medical care. In 2024, EOVS provided Chapter 115 benefits to 5,011 veterans.
The recently passed HERO Act included several benefit expansions to Chapter 115, including
expanding eligibility for benefits, streamlining benefits for veteran dependents, and allowing
veterans to access behavioral healthcare.
Below is a listing of the number of Chapter 115 recipients based on their municipality:
City Case Count City Case Count City Case Count
Abington 16 Groton 2 Pelham 1
Acton 9 Groveland 3 Pembroke 16
Acushnet 19 Hadley 7 Pepperell 9
Adams 19 Halifax 16 Pittsfield 62
Agawam 34 Hamilton 6 Plainville 8
Alford 2 Hampden 1 Plymouth 52
Amesbury 32 Hanover 12 Plympton 8
Amherst 20 Hanson 6 Princeton 5
Andover 1 Hardwick 3 Provincetown 7
Arlington 17 Harvard 2 Quincy 121
Ashburnham 14 Harwich 13 Randolph 23
Ashby 1 Hatfield 7 Raynham 16
Ashfield 1 Haverhill 47 Reading 15
Ashland 4 Heath 1 Rehoboth 12
Athol 15 Hingham 13 Revere 45
Attleboro 66 Hinsdale 3 Rochester 5
Auburn 15 Holbrook 1 Rockland 35
Avon 1 Holden 5 Rockport 3
Ayer 6 Holland 1 Rowley 3
Barnstable 38 Holliston 5 Royalston 1
Barre 5 Holyoke 26 Russell 1
Becket 4 Hopedale 3 Rutland 1
Bedford 27 Hopkinton 5 Salem 42
Belchertown 21 Hudson 6 Salisbury 24
Bellingham 10 Hull 11 Sandisfield 4
Belmont 2 Huntington 1 Sandwich 13
Berkley 3 Ipswich 20 Saugus 16
City Case Count City Case Count City Case Count
Berlin 1 Kingston 22 Savoy 2
Beverly 42 Lakeville 17 Scituate 6
Billerica 28 Lancaster 3 Sharon 4
Blackstone 12 Lanesborough 2 Sheffield 7
Bolton 4 Lawrence 37 Shirley 11
Boston 154 Lee 6 Shrewsbury 13
Bourne 16 Leicester 5 Somerset 18
Boxford 2 Lenox 2 Somerville 19
Braintree 27 Leominster 49 South Hadley 27
Brewster 9 Lexington 3 Southampton 2
Bridgewater 7 Leyden 2 Southborough 2
Brimfield 5 Lincoln 5 Southbridge 10
Brockton 63 Littleton 10 Southwick 11
Brookfield 10 Longmeadow 8 Spencer 16
Brookline 13 Lowell 73 Springfield 105
Buckland 3 Ludlow 32 Sterling 9
Burlington 8 Lunenburg 8 Stockbridge 1
Cambridge 29 Lynn 53 Stoneham 20
Canton 13 Lynnfield 4 Stoughton 29
Carver 25 Malden 12 Stow 1
Charlton 3 Manchester 3 Sturbridge 5
Chatham 5 Mansfield 10 Sudbury 2
Chelmsford 15 Marblehead 8 Sunderland 4
Chelmsford 15 Marion 11 Sutton 5
Chelsea 27 Marlborough 15 Swampscott 2
Chelsea S.H. 3 Marshfield 33 Swansea 21
Cheshire 4 Mashpee 10 Taunton 54
Chester 2 Mattapoisett 9 Templeton 9
Chesterfield 4 Maynard 2 Tewksbury 28
Chicopee 91 Medfield 2 Tisbury 3
Clarksburg 3 Medford 21 Townsend 5
Clinton 10 Medway 10 Truro 2
Cohasset 6 Melrose 18 Tyngsborough 21
Concord 6 Mendon 3 Upton 3
Dalton 10 Merrimac 13 Uxbridge 16
Danvers 16 Methuen 35 Wakefield 13
Dartmouth 56 Middleborough 36 Wales 5
Dedham 3 Middleton 3 Walpole 7
Deerfield 2 Milford 28 Waltham 17
Dennis 23 Millbury 12 Ware 24
City Case Count City Case Count City Case Count
Dighton 3 Millis 1 Wareham 43
Douglas 5 Millville 1 Warren 8
Dracut 24 Milton 4 Watertown 9
Dudley 16 Monson 7 Webster 24
Duxbury 11 Montague 9 Wellesley 5
East Bridgewater 12 Montgomery 1 Wellfleet 4
East Brookfield 2 Nahant 2 Wendell 2
East Longmeadow 9 Natick 20 Wenham 1
Easthampton 29 Needham 2 West Boylston 3
Easton 33 New Ashford 2 West Brookfield 3
Edgartown 4 New Bedford 194 West Newbury 1
Egremont 1 Newbury 3 West Springfield 50
Erving 4 Newburyport 10 West Stockbridge 1
Essex 2 Norfolk 3 West Tisbury 3
Everett 18 North Adams 43 Westborough 5
Fairhaven 59 North Andover 17 Westfield 75
Fall River 153 North Attleborough 27 Westford 4
Falmouth 44 North Brookfield 3 Westhampton 1
Fitchburg 68 North Reading 16 Westminster 8
Florida 4 Northampton 53 Westport 35
Foxborough 21 Northborough 4 Westwood 5
Framingham 39 Northbridge 13 Weymouth 39
Franklin 13 Norton 25 Whitman 16
Freetown 8 Norwell 3 Wilbraham 10
Gardner 60 Norwood 18 Williamsburg 3
Georgetown 6 Oak Bluffs 8 Williamstown 7
Gloucester 32 Orange 8 Wilmington 19
Goshen 6 Orleans 1 Winchendon 15
Grafton 4 Otis 6 Winthrop 4
Granby 2 Oxford 12 Woburn 34
Granville 1 Palmer 24 Worcester 129
Great Barrington 4 Paxton 1 Worthington 1
Greenfield 35 Peabody 16 Wrentham 4
EOVS is working to implement a system for tracking regional demographic information for all
applicants in addition to benefit recipients.
 Appeal Decision Outcomes
Any veteran aggrieved by a decision of a municipality or by EOVS regarding veterans’ benefits
may file an appeal of the decision to the EOVS Office of the General Counsel (OGC) within 45
days of receiving notice of the decision. The EOVS OGC is responsible for reviewing decisions
made in the application and administration of benefits programs under M.G.L. Chapter 115,
Section 2. Pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 30A, the Administrative Hearings Section is a division
within the EOVS OGC that conducts administrative hearings which provide a neutral forum for
fair and independent resolution of contested matters. Hearings will be conducted pursuant to the
informal rules of administrative procedure at 801 C.M.R. 1.02.
The Administrative Hearings Section strives to work with both parties to resolve matters that are
presented and, when possible, find a mutually agreeable resolution by leveraging the resources
within the EOVS OGC. If a mutually agreeable resolution is not possible, the Administrative
Hearings Section strives to ensure the just and faithful execution of the laws, regulations and
policies to determine the outcome of cases presented.
From June 30, 2023 – July 1, 2024, the Administrative Hearings Section heard a total of 71
cases. Below is a breakdown of the outcomes of the appeals:
Municipality Case Outcome
1 Cheshire In favor of Petitioner
2 EOVS In favor of Petitioner
3 EOVS Settlement
4 North Adam In favor of Petitioner
5 Somerville Settlement
6 EOVS Settlement
7 Haverhill Settlement
8 Boston In favor of Petitioner
9 Wilmington In favor of Petitioner
10 EOVS EOVS Denial Upheld
11 EOVS EOVS Denial Upheld
12 EOVS Settlement
13 North Adams In favor of Petitioner
14 EOVS EOVS Denial Upheld
15 Ganby In favor of Petitioner
16 Canton In favor of Petitioner
17 Swampscott Municipal NOA Upheld
18 Worcester Municipal NOA Upheld
19 EOVS No response from Petitioner
20 Spencer No response from Petitioner
 Municipality Case Outcome
In Favor of Petitioner for Refund, Municipal NOA
21 Gardner Upheld
22 EOVS No response from Petitioner
23 Framingham Settlement
24 Walpole Settlement
25 Haverhill Settlement
In Favor of Petitioner for Refund, Municipal NOA
26 Fall River Upheld
27 EOVS Settlement
28 Chelsea Settlement
29 Gardner Settlement
30 Lowell Municipal NOA Upheld
In Favor of Petitioner for Refund, Municipal NOA
31 New Bedford Upheld
In Favor of Petitioner for Refund, Municipal NOA
32 Lanesborough Upheld
33 EOVS EOVS Denial Upheld
34 Chelsea Settlement
35 North Adams Settlement
36 EOVS In favor of Petitioner
37 Franklin Settlement
38 EOVS EOVS Denial Upheld
39 Haverhill Settlement
40 Brockton Settlement
41 Quincy Settlement
42 Boston In favor of Petitioner
43 Chicopee Petitioner Withdrew Appeal
44 Middleboro In favor of Petitioner
45 Brewster In favor of Petitioner
46 Chelsea EOVS Denial Upheld
47 EOVS Petitioner Withdrew Appeal
48 EOVS EOVS Letter of Denial Upheld
49 Wareham Petitioner Withdrew Appeal
50 Billerica Municipal NOA Upheld
51 EOVS EOVS Denial Upheld
52 Boston Settlement
53 EOVS EOVS Denial Upheld
54 Brockton In favor of Petitioner
55 Leominster In favor of Petitioner
 Municipality Case Outcome
56 EOVS In favor of Petitioner
57 Worcester Case Decision in who favor
58 Barnstable Municipal NOA Upheld
59 EOVS In favor of Petitioner
60 Saugus Settlement
61 Framingham In favor of Petitioner
62 Marlborough Settlement
63 Wareham Settlement
64 Saugus Settlement
65 Lexington Petitioner Withdrew Appeal
66 EOVS Settlement pursuant to HERO Act
67 EOVS Settlement pursuant to HERO Act
68 Boston Settlement pursuant to HERO Act
69 Quincy In favor of Petitioner
70 Rowley Municipal NOA Upheld
71 Fitchburg Municipal NOA Upheld
 Outreach
The EOVS Engagement Office, developed in October 2023, handles constituent facing inquiries
and outreach, working to ensure veterans have access to benefits and resources. The Engagement
Office was developed as a new and innovative approach to leveraging information, resources,
and partnerships across federal, state, local, and non-profit service providers. The mission of the
new office is to provide the highest level of service to those who’ve served us. EOVS
Engagement is actively involved with outreach efforts to guarantee that Commonwealth’s
veterans can leverage state resources and expertise to lead full and successful lives. The
Engagement Office is comprised of Constituent Services, the Women Veterans Network (WVN),
the Statewide Advocacy for Empowerment (SAVE) Team, and the Supporting and Empowering
Reintegration for Veterans Equality (SERVE) Outreach Team.
EOVS recognizes that women veterans may have unique needs and concerns. The WVN is a
department within the Engagement Office, which is dedicated to empowering women veterans,
ensuring their voices are heard, their contributions acknowledged, and their well-being enh