The HERO Act
Fact Sheet
Healey
Driscoll
Administration
An Act Honoring, Empowering, and Recognizing Our Servicemembers and
Veterans
(The HERO Act)
proposes the following 17 spending and policy initiatives, tax credits and statute
changes organized into three buckets:
-Benefit Expansion
-Commitment to
Inclusivity and Greater Representation
-Modernization of Veterans Services
Benefit Expansion
Increase the EOVS Disabled Veteran Annuity
: Increases the annual annuity paid from $2,000
to $2,500, phased in over two fiscal years.
Expanding Veteran Access to
Behavioral
Health Treatment Allows Veterans on Chapter 115
to be reimbursed for outpatient behavioral health care visits.
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.
Expanding Veteran Property Tax Exemptions
Creates two ways for municipalities to increase property exemptions for veterans. The first would create a mechanism for municipalities to more easily double the current exemption for veterans.
The second ties the annual property tax abatement amount to inflation, allowing exempted property tax amounts to increase with inflation.
Increase access to the Active Duty Buyback program
This provision lengthens the timeframe for veterans to participate in the Active
-
Duty Service Buyback program from 180 days to 10
years and
provides a retroactive grace period for veteran state employees who missed this
opportunity.
Prevent the COLA cliff
Ensures that veterans receiving federal benefits do not lose access to
Chapter 115 benefits because of COLA increases to existing benefits.
Expand Veteran Motor Vehicle Benefits
Waives license plate fees on specialty veteran license plates and creates a new woman veteran license plate decal. Additionally, the proposal streamlines eligible disabled/Purple Heart veteran access to motor
vehicle benefits.
Commitment to Inclusivity
Broaden the Chapter 115
Definition of a veteran:
Better aligns the state Chapter 115 program
definition of a veteran with the federal definition. This change allows more Massachusetts
veterans to be eligible for the annuity, Chapter 115 benefits, access to the Massachusetts
Veterans Homes, and other state benefits. This only applies to EOVS programs and does not
affect any other agency or entity.
The HERO Act
Fact Sheet
Healey Driscoll Administration
Expand the scope of the Veterans Equality Review Board (VERB):
Expands the VERB’s
charge to cover additional protected classes (including race, color, religious creed, national
origin, age, and disability).
Update
the definition of a veteran dependent:
Aligns the definition of a veteran dependent
with the standard definition of a dependent used by the Probate and Family Court.
Support same sex couples who have been denied IVF reimbursement by the Veterans
Health Administration: Creates a pilot program to support same sex women veterans who
have been denied this VA benefit. Additionally,
the proposal establishes a working group of stakeholders to study and identify other potential areas of discrimination related to veteran care in Massachusetts.
Modernization of Veterans Services
Modernize statutory language for inclusivity and standardization
The legislation would shift to gender neutral language and eliminate references to wars or campaigns that no longer apply to the program, including the Civil War and the Cuban Pacification Campaign of 1906.
Align the veteran residential requirement length for Chapter 115 eligibility with current practice:
Under the original statute, veteran dependents were required to live in Massachusetts
for at least 3 years to be eligible for veteran benefits. An EOVS directive changed this practice to
reduce the residency time from 3 years to one day. This proposal codifies current practice.
Study the use of alternative therapies for mental health disorders among veterans
:
Creates a public private working group to study the health benefits of psychedelics as treatment for veterans suffering from physical or mental health disorders related to their service.
Provide clear statutory authority for dental assistance benefits:
This bill codifies the authority to provide certain dental benefits.
Provide clear statutory authority for medical assistance programs:
This bill codifies EOVS’s authority to provide certain medical benefits.
Provide clear statutory authority for operation of the Veterans Cemeteries:
This bill codifies EOVS’s authority to operate both Massachusetts Memorial Veterans
cemeteries.