Veterans Agent

Please see the attached 2026 Memorial Day Proclamation.

Please see the attached link for this month's newsletter for upcoming events that may be of interest to our Veteran Community.

CALLING ALL VETERANS -- Please join us for the MONTHLY Veteran's Coffee Hour, held every 3rd WEDNESDAY of each Month at 10 - 11 a.m. at the Barre/Hardwick Senior Center, hosted by the Barre American Legion Post 2 Auxiliary. If you'd like to join the Senior Center for lunch at 11:30 a.m., please call 978-355-5027 to reserve your meal.  Thank you and see you there!  Note: In concert with the Barre American Legion Post 2 Auxiliary meetings, this event will resume in the fall, 2026.

There has been designated parking for our town’s Veterans in the front of the 40 West Street (Henry J. Woods Building) to the right of the entry point to the building as well as the Barre/Hardwick Senior Center, to the right of the entrance. In Massachusetts, the VALOR Act (Veterans' Access to Licensure, Opportunity, and Resources) allows towns to create designated parking spots for veterans at town halls, marked with signs saying "Veteran Parking Only”—this space is reserved for those who have served.

I am writing you to bring to your attention an issue involving veterans and predatory collection practices by so-called "claim sharks" — companies that charge disabled veterans large sums for help claiming benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs. These companies or individuals may promise to increase a VA disability rating or “guarantee” benefits. They often charge large upfront fees or a percentage of back pay. Many are not accredited by the VA, which means they’re not legally allowed to represent veterans in certain parts of the claims process. In order to ensure veterans receive assistance from an individual or organization that understands the VA claims process, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs only recognizes accredited representatives, such as:

• VA-accredited attorneys
• Claims agents
• Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) like DAV, VFW, American Legion
• Massachusetts Veterans Service Officers who are accredited through EOVS

• Give misleading advice
• File questionable or inflated claims
• Charge fees that accredited reps legally cannot (especially for initial claims, which should be free)

• Misrepresenting accreditation (implying they’re VA-approved when they’re not)
• Charging illegal or improper fees (especially for initial claims that should be free)
• Guaranteeing results or exaggerating success rates
• Targeting vulnerable veterans with deceptive marketing
• Failing to disclose key facts (like that free help is available through VSOs)

The TRACTS Study is an all-day event held on either Tuesday or Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. While the testing day is extensive—details are provided in the attached flyer—it ultimately enhances our knowledge of TBI and PTSD among veterans, as well as how healthcare providers can offer better support in the future. Additionally, we have a program called Step-Home, designed to assist recently separated veterans as they transition to civilian life through weekly workshops. For further details, please refer to the attached flyer.

We are looking for more Veteran participants and would welcome any advice or insights on best practices and strategies to support our fellow veterans, as these research opportunities play a crucial role in improving healthcare.

In March 2023, the governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts appointed the first secretary of the Executive Office of Veterans Services (EOVS) to oversee state-level veteran benefits and programs. EOVS replaced the Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services and, since its inception, has worked with the governor to improve veteran care and housing.

To support new initiatives, EOVS partnered with RAND to better understand veterans’ well-being and needs in Massachusetts and to evaluate how well EOVS programs are serving them.

Massachusetts is home to approximately 274,000 veterans; however, the size and composition of the veteran population in the commonwealth are changing. A severe shortage of affordable housing has led to veterans moving to more rural areas of the state, where there are fewer veteran services.

In a model unique to Massachusetts, each city and town has a Veterans Service Officer, employed by local government and managed by the commonwealth. This model is viewed as an asset, and opportunities to strengthen the model and measure outcomes are identified in the report. These and other findings may be relevant for those interested in improving support for veterans in other states.

Report
Meeting the Needs of Massachusetts Veterans: An Assessment and Draft Strategy for the Commonwealth

The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education in Veterans Education are the State Approving Agency for GI Bill® Education Benefits and approve programs at: Institutions of Higher Education, Non-College Degree Schools, Flight schools, correspondence schools as well as approve licensing and certification exams and apprenticeship/on-the-job training programs for veterans and other qualified individuals. Please see the attached fliers for more information regarding Veteran's Education Benefits.

New Veterans Education Trifold

Chapter 33 Brief 2025-26

OSFA_Quick_Guide_For_Students-2024.04.10

Tuition Waivers

Tech Foundry offers a variety of free IT training that is open to the public. The hub course provides general computer skills for those with little to no tech experience. While the Launch course is an 18-week program that matches you with an employer at the end, earns you a Google IT Support Professional Certificate and provides college credit (15 credits at UMASS Amherst and 7 credits at Holyoke Community College, STCC- currently in approval works).  Applications for the Launch course will be open until mid-January, with the program starting February 9th. Cohorts are usually 20-25x candidates, 5 days a week (3 remote), with 5 hours of course instruction. Please see attached flyers for details.

https://www.census.gov/topics/population/veterans.html