By introducing the Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Servicemembers and Veterans (HERO) Act, the Healey-Driscoll administration and the Executive Office of Veteran Services committed to inclusivity, enhancing benefits and opportunities, and expanding veterans' services for all Massachusetts veterans who proudly and honorably served our nation. Most Massachusetts veterans will benefit from this proposed legislation; however, as the HERO Act is written, some Massachusetts veterans will be excluded from receiving all of their earned veterans' benefits.
To ensure that all honorably discharged veterans residing in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are entitled to the same benefits, the current definition of armed forces contained in the definition of veteran in M.G.L. ch.4, s.7, cl.43 must be amended to include the U.S. Space Force (USSF), the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officer Corps. Amending that definition means that the eligibility criteria for the benefits for honorably discharged veterans listed in Chapters 4, 31, 59,115, 115A, and 276A of the Massachusetts General Laws will align with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' definition of veteran in the following laws:
M.G.L. Chapter 115a, Section 1 “Soldiers Homes”.
M.G.L. Chapter 15A, Section 19 “Public Education”.
M.G.L. Chapter 59, Section 5:” Assessment of Local Taxes”
M.G.L. Chapter 31, Section 26 “Civil Service”
M.G.L. Chapter 276a, Sections 10-11 “Diversion of Veterans, Persons on Active Service in the Armed Forces or Persons with History of Military Service”
Failure to align the Massachusetts definition of veteran with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs definition of veteran and amend the Massachusetts General Laws chapters listed above to reflect that alignment will prevent some Massachusetts veterans who have honorably served in the USSF, USPHS Commissioned Corps, and NOAA Corps from receiving those benefits, earned through their honorable service to the United States.
Currently, there are only 87 USPHS retirees, 71 active-duty USPHS officers, and 16 USPHS survivor annuitants in Massachusetts. In addition, there are 7 NOAA retirees, 6 active-duty officers, and 1 NOAA survivor annuitant. As a result, the budgetary impact of aligning the Massachusetts definition of veteran with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs definition should be negligible. The U.S. Space Force is a relatively new military service and the USPHS and NOAA Corps, respectively, are very small.
The USPHS Commissioned Corps became a uniformed service on January 4, 1889, when a bill to establish a commissioned officer corps in the Marine Hospital Service was passed. This law established a mobile corps subject to duty anywhere upon assignment (25 Stat. L. 639.). The USPHS Commissioned Corps traces its roots to July 16, 1798, when "An Act for the relief of sick and disabled Seamen" established the Marine Hospital Service for merchant seamen. USPHS Commissioned Corps officers have served the Nation in every war since the Spanish American War, providing vital support to the other uniformed services of the United States. The USPHS Commissioned Corps has historically provided health care to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). In fact, at the USCG Support Center Boston, attending physicians, dentists and allied health care providers have been USPHS Commissioned Corps officers.
As one of America's eight uniformed services, the USPHS Commissioned Corps fills essential public health leadership and service roles within the nation's federal government agencies and programs. The USPHS Commissioned Corps is the only uniformed public health service in the world, which enables it to rapidly respond to both domestic and international natural and manmade disasters and terrorist incidents.
Members of the USPHS Commissioned Corps and NOAA Corps are highly trained and educated professionals who have much to contribute to their states after they leave the service. USPHS veterans are physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, veterinarians, engineers, scientists, therapists, environmental health professionals (sanitarians, industrial hygienists, and health physicists), and health service professionals. NOAA veterans are scientists, engineers, and mathematicians who are also mariners and/or aviators with years of training and experience.
The Massachusetts economy would benefit from attracting and retaining USPHS and NOAA veterans. Amending the definition of veteran in the laws listed above to include them would help make that happen.
We as Commonwealth of Massachusetts USPHS active duty service members, veterans, retirees, and their supporters ask you to amend the definition of veteran in MGL Chapter 4, Section 7, Cl 43 to be inclusive of all eight uniformed services.
