Massachusetts Legislature Passes HERO Act

Veterans

The Massachusetts Legislature has passed An Act Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Service Members and Veterans (HERO Act), legislation designed to boost support for hundreds of thousands of individuals across the state who have served in the United States military, including nearly 30,000 women veterans and thousands of LGBTQ+ veterans.

This compromise legislation increases and simplifies benefits and opportunities, modernizes services, and promotes inclusivity for Massachusetts veterans while reaffirming the Commonwealth’s commitment to recognizing and serving all service members and their families. It increases benefits for disabled veterans and Gold Star family members, bolsters new and existing initiatives for municipalities and businesses to support veterans, creates comprehensive services for active-duty service members and military families, expands the scope of the Veterans Equality Review Board, updates the Chapter 115 definition of a veteran to expand eligibility, and codifies medical, behavioral health, and dental benefits.

Highlights from the legislation include:

Benefit Expansion  

  • Behavioral Health Treatment: Expands access to behavioral health treatment by allowing veterans to be reimbursed for visits to outpatient behavioral health providers. 
  • Increases the Disabled Veteran Annuity: Increases the disabled veteran annuity from $2,000 to $2,500, phased in over two years, and will be one payment, annually, on August 1.
  • Increases the Vet-Hire Tax Credit: Increases to $2,500 a tax credit for small businesses hiring chronically unemployed or low-income veterans. Eligible veterans include those receiving SNAP benefits, chronically unemployed veterans, and unemployed service-connected disabled veterans. 
  • Active-Duty Buyback Program: Extends the timeframe for veterans in public service to utilize the Active-Duty Service Buyback program from 180 days to ten years.
  • Prevents the “COLA Cliff”: Ensures that a cost-of-living adjustment in Social Security benefits will not affect veterans’ eligibility for Chapter 115 benefits mid-fiscal year.   
  • Increases Local Flexibility for Veterans Property Tax Exemptions: Allows municipalities to double property tax exemptions with local options and ties the annual property tax abatement amount to inflation.
  • Protects Access to Sales Tax Exemption: Ensures disabled veterans can use the Purple Heart specialty license plate for sales tax exemptions.
  • Increases Support for Military-Connected Students: Requires public school districts to provide support services to military-connected students when a parent or guardian is called to active duty.
  • Creates a Military Family Advocacy Program: Establishes a program to protect against child abuse on military installations.

Commitment to Inclusivity and Greater Representation 

  • Broadens the Chapter 115 Definition of Veteran: Aligns the state Chapter 115 program definition with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs definition.
  • Expands the Scope of the Veterans Equality Review Board: Includes discharges related to Military Sexual Trauma, PTSD, TBI, mental health conditions or HIV.
  • Expands the Definition of Veteran Dependent: Supports more dependents based on the Family Court definition. 

Modernization of Veterans Services 

  • Codifies Dental Assistance Benefits: Ensures veterans receive essential dental care by codifying dental benefits for Chapter 115 recipients.
  • Codifies Medical Assistance Benefits: Provides consistent care to veterans by codifying medical assistance benefits.
  • Codifies Authority for Veterans Cemeteries: Ensures proper management and care of veterans cemeteries.
  • Modernizes Statute Language: Revises Chapters 115 and 115A for gender-neutral and inclusive language.
  • Initiates a Study on Alternative Therapies for Mental Health: Establishes a working group to study the benefits of alternative therapies, such as psilocybin, for treating veterans’ mental health disorders.

Recognition/Honoring our Veterans

  • Half-Staff Flag Requirement: Requires flags to be flown at half-staff from the day of death until the day of interment for any military service member residing in Massachusetts.
  • Expands Gold Star Families Recognition: Requires the Governor to issue a proclamation on Memorial Day and illuminate certain bridges in gold.
  • Establishes United States Space Force Day: Declares December 20th of each year as United States Space Force Day.
  • Establishes United States Merchant Marine Day: Declares May 22nd of each year as United States Merchant Marine Day.

A compromise having passed the Legislature, the HERO Act was signed by Governor Maura Healey on August 8, 2024.