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Melrose veterans advisory member urges COLA for local veteran benefits, and expanded benefits for Guard and Reserve killed on duty
Summary
A Melrose Veterans Advisory Board member told the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs that veterans benefits paid by municipalities should include a cost-of-living adjustment tied to local inflation and that Guard and Reserve members killed on active duty should receive death benefits comparable to certain public safety officers.
James "Jim" King, a member of the Melrose Veterans Advisory Board and a Vietnam veteran, testified in favor of House Bill 3863 (Senate 2480) asking the committee to authorize a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for municipal veterans benefits. "Since 02/2020, inflation has run 20.9% in the Boston Metro Area leading into veterans benefits at that level," King told the committee, urging a COLA to maintain benefit purchasing power.
King also urged support for House Bill 3864 (Senate 2479), which would extend benefits to members of the National Guard and Reserve killed on active duty by aligning eligibility with benefits described in Chapter 32, Section 100A for public safety officers, he said. "The Guard and the Reserve today is not the Guard and Reserve that I grew up with. They are at the forefront of our security right now," King said.
Why it matters: King framed both measures as adjustments that would keep municipal veterans benefits meaningful and to recognize the changing role of Guard and Reserve troops. He asked the committee to report the bills out of committee.
Questions from the committee were limited and no formal fiscal estimates were provided during the hearing. King identified the statutory references he was asking the legislature to change: municipal veterans benefits under Chapter 59, Section 5 and public safety survivor benefits under Chapter 32, Section 100A.
No committee action or votes were taken at the conclusion of the witness’s testimony.
Less-critical details: King described local veteran-advisory responsibilities and said towns carry obligations for living veterans; he urged repeal or modification of existing limitations so benefits keep pace with local cost increases.
