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Boston veterans office highlights limits of state aid, seeks flexible local funds for gap cases
Summary
For the record, my name is Brian Worrell, District 4 city councilor, and I'm the chair of the Boston City Council Committee on Ways and Means, said Chair Brian Worrell as he opened the May 28 hearing on the FY26 budgets for the Mayor’s Office of Veterans Services and Age Strong.
For the record, my name is Brian Worrell, District 4 city councilor, and I'm the chair of the Boston City Council Committee on Ways and Means, said Chair Brian Worrell as he opened the May 28 hearing on the FY26 budgets for the Mayor’s Office of Veterans Services and Age Strong.
The city’s veteran services commissioner told the committee that Massachusetts General Laws chapter 115 is the primary safety net the Office of Veterans Services (OVS) administers, but state eligibility rules leave many veterans who need help disqualified. “We actively engage with military service members, our veterans, and also their families, and also survivors ensuring that they are connected to the benefits, services, and resources that they have rightfully earned,” Commissioner Santiago said in the presentation.
Why it matters: Chapter 115 provides a legally required municipal benefit, but municipalities are bound by state eligibility thresholds (including a 20% of the federal poverty level test, as OVS summarized). The council and several speakers said that…
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