Senator Brian A. Joyce has co-sponsored legislation to help the Commonwealth of Massachusetts locate and notify veterans who qualify for benefits under the Welcome Home Act.  

Fewer than 50% of qualifying veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom have applied for and received benefits available to them mainly because it is difficult to maintain communication with veterans upon their return. The contact information provided from the Department of Defense (DOD) quickly becomes obsolete because veterans change residences, take new jobs, or continue their education elsewhere. 

The new legislation would establish a check off box on State Resident/Part Time Resident Tax forms and ask all veterans of Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom to indicate their participation.  

Upon the receipt of all tax forms, the Department of Revenue (DOR) will share that information with the Department of Veterans Services (DVS) in order to initiate the outreach process. With the updated addresses, the Office of Veteran’s Services would be able to contact those veterans who qualify but have not taken advantage of this valuable benefit. There are no new costs associated with this legislation; in fact it would likely save money in future mailing costs. 

The bill would provide benefits of $500.00 for six months or more of active service, state-side or outside the continental limits of the United States, and $1000.00 for active service in Afghanistan or Iraq. These benefits will be administered by the Office of the State Treasurer and eligibility requirements can be found here.