Chapter 115

Section 1. The following words, as used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, shall have the following meaning:— ''Dependent'', the spouse, widowed person, child or parent of a veteran, including any person who stood in the relationship of a parent to such veter…

Section 10. The mayors of cities and the selectmen of towns, other than cities and towns which become part of a district as authorized by the second paragraph of this section, shall cause to be established and maintained in their respective cities and towns a department for the p…

Section 11. In every district established under authority of section ten there shall be a board composed of the mayor or the mayors designee of such city, if any, as may be included in the district and the chair of the board of selectmen or its designee of each of the towns, if a…

Section 12. In each city, and in each town not included in a district established under section ten, and in each such district, there may be in the department of veterans' services an unpaid advisory board to be appointed, in cities by the mayor, in towns by the board of selectme…

Section 13. Said departments shall acquire and have on hand copies of current booklets and other printed matter pertaining to the statutory rights of veterans provided under state and federal laws. They may call at any time upon any department, board, division or commission of th…

Section 14. Departments established and maintained under sections ten to fourteen, inclusive, shall be under the general direction of the secretary, and they shall be physically located independently of, and separate and apart from, any other public or private agency, board, bure…

Section 15. The director of accounts in the department of corporations and taxation shall cause an audit to be made annually of the accounts of all districts organized under the authority of section ten and for such purpose the director and the director's agents shall have access…

Section 16. (a) There shall be a veterans equality review board to ensure veterans that received an other than honorable discharge under 10 U.S.C. 654, also known as the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, or any other policy, on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or gend…

Section 17. The adjutant general of the Massachusetts national guard shall request that the periodic health assessment for members of the Massachusetts national guard determine whether the guard member was deployed to a location that would make the guard member eligible to partic…

Section 18. (a) There shall be within the executive office of veterans' services a women veterans' network. The duties of the network shall include, but not be limited to: (i) performing outreach to women veterans; (ii) improving women veterans' awareness of eligibility for feder…

Section 2. The secretary shall be a veteran, and shall assist and advise veterans' agents in the performance of their duties, investigate, so far as the interests of the commonwealth require, all payments of veterans' benefits, prepare papers and expedite the adjudication of clai…

Section 2A. If the secretary decides a controversy between an applicant and a veterans' agent relative to the validity or amount of a claim for veterans' benefits, as provided in section two, in favor of the applicant, the said veterans' agent shall, forthwith, make payment to th…

Section 2B. There shall be a commission on veterans employment opportunities that shall investigate whether veterans are subjected to employment discrimination on the basis of their status as veterans. The commission shall report its findings and recommendation annually on March …

Section 2C. The secretary shall develop a comprehensive program to enhance employment opportunities and outcomes among veterans by assisting businesses to attract, hire, train and retain veterans. The program shall promote strategies for connecting employers to qualified veterans…

Section 2D. (a)(1) To the extent practicable, the commissioner shall make information on civilian licensure and certification opportunities available to members of the armed forces of the United States, members of the armed forces of the commonwealth and veterans. The information…

Section 2E. (a) The secretary, in consultation with the secretary of labor and workforce development, shall create and distribute a veterans' benefits and services notice. (b) The veterans' benefits and services notice shall include information regarding the services and resource…

Section 3. The mayor of each city, except Boston, shall and the board of selectmen of each town may appoint a veterans' agent who shall serve for a term of up to 3 years and shall be eligible for reappointment. The veterans' agent may act for the mayor or the board of selectmen i…

Section 3A. Whenever a veteran shall be required by general or special law to file or exhibit a certificate of discharge from the armed forces of the United States, the filing or exhibition of a photostatic copy of such discharge shall be deemed sufficient to comply with the requ…

Section 3B. (a) The secretary of veterans' services shall establish standards and promulgate regulations for the mandatory training and certification of veterans' benefits and services officers. Veterans' benefits and services officers shall be trained and certified within 6 mont…

Section 4. Every application for veterans' benefits shall be in writing, signed by the applicant under the penalties of perjury, and shall contain a statement of the name, age and residence of the applicant and the applicant's relationship to the veteran upon whose wartime servic…

Section 5. Veterans' benefits shall be paid to a veteran or dependent by the city or town wherein the veteran resides; provided, that no benefits shall be paid to a veteran unless he has actually resided within the commonwealth for 1 day preceding the date of their application fo…

Section 5A. In every case where the applicant for or a recipient of benefits under this chapter is a dependent parent, as defined in section one, with an interest in one or more parcels of real estate and the fair market value of such interest is more than fifteen hundred dollars…

Section 6. The amounts expended by any city or town for veterans' benefits, the names of recipients thereof, the amounts paid to or for each applicant, the reasons for granting such benefits, the names of the veterans on account of whose services the benefits were granted, the na…

Section 6B. In addition to any other aid to which a veteran is entitled, a veteran who, according to the records of the Veterans' Administration of the United States government, has suffered permanent impairment of vision of both eyes of the following status: central visual acuit…

Section 6C. Evidence of the service and disability mentioned in sections six A and six B shall be furnished to the secretary of veterans' services who shall examine the same and upon being satisfied that the service was performed and the veteran has been rendered blind or permane…

Section 7. In each city, except Boston, and in each town, the veterans' agent shall be the burial agent; and in Boston, the soldiers' relief commission shall designate a burial agent who shall be a veteran. The burial agent shall, under regulations established by the secretary, c…

Section 8. If a deceased person's estate has insufficient resources to pay for the cost of the funeral and burial of a deceased person covered by this chapter, the burial agent under section 7 shall expend not more than $4,000 for the funeral and burial; provided, however, that t…

Section 9. The mayor of every city and the select board of every town shall appoint a resident of such city or town who shall be a veteran as a veterans' graves officer for a term to be determined by the appointing authority; provided, however, that said term shall not exceed fiv…

Section 9A. The executive office of veterans' services shall operate, maintain and expand the Massachusetts Veterans' Memorial cemetery located in the city known as the town of Agawam and the Massachusetts Veterans' Memorial cemetery located in the town of Winchendon and may add …

Section 9D. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall have the following meanings:-- "Aging services access point'' or "ASAP'', any agency designated by the executive office of aging and independence pursuant to section 4B of chapter 19A. "Capitation'', a set dollar …