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Municipal advocates ask state to take over veterans benefit payments; veterans urge COLA and expanded benefits
Summary
A Massachusetts Municipal Association analyst testified for H.3859 to shift veterans benefit payments from towns to the state and allay municipal budget unpredictability; separate testimony urged a cost-of-living adjustment for veterans benefits and expanded survivor benefits for Guard and Reserve members killed on active duty.
At the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs hearing, Allie DeMatteo, legislative analyst for the Massachusetts Municipal Association, urged the committee to favor H.3859, a bill that would route veteran benefit payments through a single state appropriation rather than requiring municipalities to pay benefits up front and seek partial reimbursement.
"Streamlining the state system would save municipalities time and money and would be consistent with direct, sound, direct payment practices that have been adopted by other state agencies," DeMatteo said. She told the committee that cities and towns currently pay 100 percent of veteran benefits and are later reimbursed by the Commonwealth at approximately 75 percent; under H.3859 the state would assume full payment responsibility. DeMatteo said Massachusetts has 351 municipalities and estimated about 280 local veteran service officers statewide who would retain their role in administering benefits.
Jim King, a member of the Melrose Veterans Advisory Board and a Vietnam veteran, testified in support of House Bill 3863 and Senate Bill 2480, which he described as a request for a cost-of-living adjustment to veterans benefits under Chapter 59, Section 5. King said inflation in the Boston metropolitan area has totaled about 20.9 percent since February 2020 and urged the committee to approve a COLA to preserve benefit value. He also urged passage of House Bill 3864 and Senate Bill 2479 to extend public-safety-style benefits to guard and reserve members killed on active duty, pointing to the modern role of Guard and Reserve forces.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about fiscal impacts and support among municipalities. DeMatteo said she did not have a fiscal estimate for fiscal 2025 available at the hearing but offered to provide numbers and a list of municipalities that had contacted her office in support. When asked whether the municipality’s 25 percent liability would remain under the proposal, DeMatteo said the state would be "on the hook for 100 percent of the payment." No committee votes were taken on the bills at the hearing.
