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Veterans’ Services
The Veterans’ Services program is mandated according to Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 115 and is administered under State guidelines to provide information, advice and assistance regarding benefits to veterans and their families. Every city and town in the Commonwealth is required to have a benefits program for its resident veterans and their dependents, as well as a full-time Veterans’ Service Officer. The Veterans’ Services Officer must be a war-era veteran and be available full time to provide assistance. The Town is reimbursed by the State for 75% of benefits paid under this mandated program.
The Office of Veterans’ Services, located at 105 Everett Street, is a one stop human service office with the top priority of providing services designed to improve the quality of life for every veteran in Town. Some examples of services for veterans and their surviving dependents are filing for Veterans Administration compensation and pension matters, care of veterans graves, homeless identification, discharge difficulties, educational and vocational benefits, employment, and alcohol-drug treatment.
Program Implementation
The Veterans’ Service Officer responds to 3 to 4 calls daily requesting information, advice and assistance. Calls come from Concord residents as well as veterans and dependents from surrounding communities, and the numbers are constantly increasing as a result of the aging veteran population and the US military presence in the Middle East. The Veterans’ Services Officer often helps veterans obtain assistance from veterans’ organizations as well as other State and federal organizations, such as Social Security. The Veterans’ Services Officer has also been called upon to provide transportation to and from medical appointments for veterans. Currently there is one individual receiving financial assistance for qualifying expenses.
Financial assistance to qualified veterans and their dependants is provided, in accordance with State and federal regulations, for the following types of expenditures: food, clothing, shelter, heating and utilities, telephone and transportation, personal needs, insurance, burial allowances, medical and prescription costs, dental, nursing and hospital costs.
The Veterans’ Services Officer has been networking with local civic groups, senior citizen groups and area veterans’ organizations- peacetime veterans, war veterans as well as families of service members currently deployed. He has assisted at veterans’ funerals, worked with students during Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day exercises, served as a guest speaker in some high school and elementary school classes as well as for Rotary Club of Concord, the Lions Club of Concord, Concord Deaconess, and Concord Park Assisted Living speaking on the history of the Vietnam War and Veterans’ Affairs. In addition to reaching out to veterans who are seniors, he has generated articles for the local newspaper about local veterans and their service to the country, along with some facts and perhaps a
bit of humor that might be of interest to residents, as well as information on how to contact the local Veterans’ Services Officer.
During 2007, the Department of Veterans Affairs distributed $927,576 to 126 disabled veterans and 15 dependents of disabled veterans in Concord.
The following is a list of applications applied for or services requested from Concord Veterans’ Services during the year 2007:
Prescription Benefits |
12 |
Hearing Aids |
18 |
Death Benefits |
26 |
Military Medals |
2 |
Housing Benefits |
8 |
Separation Papers |
10 |
Assisted Living |
6 |
Health Benefits |
12 |
Alzheimers Issues |
2 |
Employment |
8 |
Aid & Attendance |
26 |
Welcome Home Bonus |
1 |
Physicals |
2 |
Disability Annuity |
10 |
Surviving Spouse |
8 |
Disability Tax Abatement |
3 |
VA Forms |
10 |
Fuel Assistance |
2 |
Financial Assistance |
6 |
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For information or assistance on Veterans’ Services please call 978-318-3038 or e-mail dkrug@concordma.gov.
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