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Veterans groups, advocate and lawmakers press for new plates and updated 'disabled veteran' definition
Summary
Witnesses urged the Joint Committee on Transportation to create new specialty license plates for veterans and to update the state definition of 'disabled veteran' used for eligibility, arguing current statutory language mirrors special‑monthly VA compensation categories and excludes many service‑connected conditions.
Several veterans' advocates and organizations asked the Joint Committee on Transportation to approve new specialty plates and to modernize how Massachusetts defines a "disabled veteran" for RMV eligibility.
Why it matters: License‑plate designations confer recognition and access to parking or other benefits; the statutory definition of a disabled veteran determines eligibility for certain plates and state programs.
Arthur Vars described legislation to authorize a Medal of Fidelity license plate that would recognize veterans and Gold Star family members. Lisa McPhee, representing the Department of Massachusetts American Legion, urged the committee to clarify the statutory definition of "disabled veteran" and said the RMV had used a VA “special monthly compensation” rubric that she and other Legion members find narrower than a fair state definition. Bob Notch, the Commonwealth’s veteran advocate, said Massachusetts General Law Chapter 90, Section 2 currently describes disabled veterans using language tied to VA special‑monthly compensation categories (loss of limbs, total blindness, etc.) and said the state definition omits many modern service‑connected conditions including PTSD, traumatic brain injury and certain service‑connected cancers.
Notch said advances in battlefield medicine have increased survival with severe injuries and invisible wounds that can be disabling; he recommended convening a commission to review and update the statutory definition to align state eligibility with a broader set of service‑connected disabilities. The Registry of Motor Vehicles, Notch said, indicated it would not oppose a commission to review the language.
Other witnesses sought an “air medal” license plate to correct historical inconsistencies between aviator and ground awards and asked the committee to pass legislation that has failed in past sessions. No vote was taken; supporters said they will provide additional documentation and a letter of support from the Army National Guard deputy commander.
