North Shore Veterans Counseling Services, Inc

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

As Compiled By :
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services

• What is the Massachusetts Department of Veteran Services?
  
  That state agency, under the direction of the Secretary of Veterans' Services, that is charged with overseeing the administration of veteran's benefits under chapter 115.
  
  

• What is the local Department of Veterans' Services?
  
  That municipal agency, shall cause to be established and maintained in their respective cities and towns for the purpose of furnishing such information, advice, and assistance to veterans and their dependents as may be necessary to enable them to procure the benefits to which they are or may be entitled relative to employment, vocational or other educational opportunities, hospitalization, medical care, pensions, and other veterans' benefits, and the officer in charge thereof shall be known as the director of veterans' services.
  
  

• What is a "Veterans' agent" or a "Part-time Veterans' agent"?
  
  A veteran, as defined in clause Forty-three of section seven of chapter four, appointed under section three to disburse veterans' benefits in any city or town, or, if no such appointment has been made, the mayor of the city or the selectmen of the town disbursing such benefits.
  
  

• What is Massachusetts General Law (MGL) Chapter 115?
  
  A Massachusetts statue directing the Secretary of Veterans' Services to over see and ensure that all cities and towns, through their Veterans' Agent and Director of Veterans' Services, provide Massachusetts veterans and their dependents sufficient support and relief; including financial assistance for food, shelter, as well as assistance and advice relative to employment, vocational or other educational opportunities, hospitalization, medical care, pensions, and other veterans' benefits.
  
  
  

• In Massachusetts, what is a "Veteran"?
  
  MGL c.4, s. 7, cl.43 defines a Veteran as any person, male or female, including a nurse, (a) whose last discharge or release from his wartime service, as defined herein, was under honorable conditions and who (b) served in the army, navy, marine corps, coast guard, or air force of the United States for not less than ninety days of active service, at least one day of which was for wartime service, provided, that any person who so served in wartime and was awarded a service-connected disability or a Purple Heart, or who died in such service under conditions other than dishonorable, shall be deemed to be a veteran notwithstanding his failure to complete ninety days of active service.
  
  NOTE: At the present time in Massachusetts, the Legislature has before it HB 1748, which would expand the definition of veteran to include peace time veterans for Chapter 115 purposes. Passage would allow the needy who served our nation in time of peace to be eligible for food, shelter, and medical care.
  
  

• What is meant by "Wartime service"?
  
  "Wartime service" shall mean service performed by a "Spanish War veteran", a "World War l veteran", a "World War ll veteran", a "Korean veteran", a "Vietnam veteran", a "Lebanese peace keeping force veteran", a "Grenada rescue mission veteran", a "Panamanian intervention force veteran", a "Persian Gulf veteran," a member of the "WAAC" as defined in this clause during any of the periods of time described herein or for which such medals described below are awarded. "Active service in the armed forces", as used in this clause shall not include active duty for training in the army national guard or air national guard or active duty for training as a reservist in the armed forces of the United States.
  
  

• What is a "Spanish War veteran"?
  
  Any veteran who performed such wartime service between February fifteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight and July fourth, nineteen hundred and two.
  
  

• What is a "World War l veteran"?
  
  Any veteran who performed such wartime service between April sixth, nineteen hundred and seventeen and November eleventh, nineteen hundred and eighteen, or (b) has been awarded the World War l Victory Medal, or (c) performed such service between March twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred and seventeen and August fifth, nineteen hundred and seventeen, as a Massachusetts National Guardsman.
  
  

• What is a "World War ll veteran"?
  
  Any veteran who performed such wartime service between September sixteenth, nineteen hundred and forty and December thirty-first, nineteen hundred and forty-six; except that for the purposes of chapter thirty-one it shall mean all active service between the dates of September sixteenth, nineteen hundred and firty and June twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred and fifty.
  
  

• What is a "Korean veteran"?
  
  Any veteran who performed such wartime service between June twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred and fifty and January thirty-first, nineteen hundred and fifty-five, both dates inclusive.
  
  

• What is a "Vietnam veteran"?
  
  (1) Any person who performed such wartime service during the period commencing August fifth, nineteen hundred and sixty-four and ending on May seventh, nineteen hundred and seventy-five, both dates inclusive, or (2) any person who served at least one hundred and eighty days of active services in the armed forces of the United States during the period between February first, nineteen hundred and fifty-five and August fourth, nineteen hundred and sixty-four; provided, however, that for the purposes of the application of the provisions of chapter thirty-one, it shall also include all active service between the dates May seventh, nineteen hundred and seventy-five and June fourth, nineteen hundred and seventy-six; and provided, further, that any such person who served in said armed forces during said period and was awarded a service-connected disability or a Purple Heart, or who died in said service under conditions other than dishonorable, shall be deemed to be a veteran notwithstanding his failure to complete one hundred and eighty days of active service.
  
  

• What is a "Lebanese peace keeping force veteran"?
  
  Any person who performed such wartime service and received a campaign medal for such service during the period commencing August twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred and eighty-two and ending when the president of the United States shall have withdrawn armed forces from the country of Lebanon.
  

• What is a "Grenada rescue mission veteran"?
  
  Any person who performed such wartime service and received a campaign medal for such service during the period commencing October twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred and eighty-three to December fifteenth, nineteen hundred and eighty-three, inclusive.
  
  

• What is a "Panamanian intervention force veteran"?
  
  Any person who performed such wartime service and received a campaign medal for such service during the period commencing December twentieth, nineteen hundred and eighty-nine and ending January thirty-first, nineteen hundred and ninety.
  
  

• What is a "Persian Gulf veteran"?
  
  Any person who performed such wartime service during the period commencing August second, nineteen hundred and ninety and ending on a date to be determined by presidential proclamation or executive order and concurrent resolution of the Congress of the United States.
  
  

• What is a "WAAC"?
  
  Any woman who was discharged and so served in any corps or unite of the United States established for the purpose of enabling women to serve with, or as auxiliary to, the armed forces of the United States and such woman shall be deemed to be a veteran.