Print
Share page with AddThis

Spotlight on the Veteran Services Office

Posted on: June 17, 2019 - 9:53am

As the Board of Aldermen reviews the Fiscal 2020 budget, each department will appear before the Board to discuss their operations. We thought this would be a good time to introduce the different City departments and explain what they do and how they are funded. Today we look at the City Clerk’s Office.

Melrose is the lead community in the Melrose-Wakefield-Saugus Veterans District, a regionalized district that shares resources and technology. Regionalizing veterans’ services across these three communities allows all three offices to stay open 5 days a week to serve more than 5,000 veteran inquiries per year. Together, the three offices helped to bring in Federal aid totaling over $1.2 million, over $330,000 of which went to Melrose residents. This money goes directly into the local economy and also reduces the need for other benefits that would be paid by the city and the state.

The Melrose Veteran Services Office includes the District Director and a part-time administrative assistant. Wakefield and Saugus both have part-time Veterans Services Officers.

The Veterans Services Office administers Chapter 115 benefits, a form of cash assistance for low-income veterans. The Commonwealth pays 75% of the benefit and the City of Melrose pays the remainder. The office also assists veterans with

  • Applications for federal Veterans Administration benefits, including healthcare, VA compensation and pensions, and educational and vocational benefits;
  • Applications for the Massachusetts welcome home bonus program;
  • Emergency benefits case management;
  • Funeral benefits, including burials for indigent veterans;
  • Obtaining discharge papers and records from the National Archives;
  • Making sure all local veterans are aware of the benefits they may be eligible for.

The FY 2020 budget for the Melrose Veterans Office is $455,863. Veterans’ benefits alone account for $300,000 of that amount.

In addition to assisting individual veterans, the office works with the Veterans Advisory Board to plan and conduct a number of community events throughout the year, including

  • The Memorial Day weekend parade and observances;
  • Veterans Day activitiesl
  • The annual veterans’ trip to Washington, DC, which is carried out in conjunction with a group of middle school students;
  • The monthly Veterans Mobile Food Market;
  • Two fund-raisers, the Melrose Veteran Open golf tournament and the Chili Chowder challenge, both of which support the Melrose Veterans Memory Project and the veterans’ monuments throughout the city.

Melrose remains committed to serving all its veterans, both by ensuring they receive the benefits they are entitled to and by honoring their service throughout the year.

The Veterans Office can be reached at 781-979-4186 or kburke@cityofmelrose.org.