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. To support new initiatives, EOVS partnered with the authors on a comprehensive analysis to identify unmet Massachusetts veterans’ needs, evaluate how well EOVS programs are serving veterans, and develop a draft strategic framework for EOVS.

Meeting the Needs of Massachusetts Veterans

An Assessment and Draft Strategy for the Commonwealth

Stephen Dalzell, Rachel Slama, Alexis Gable, Catria Gadwah-Meaden, Lauren Kelly, Benjamin Trachik, Michael T. Wilson, Kate Giglio, Carrie M. Farmer

ResearchPublished Nov 24, 2025

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. In 2024, the governor signed An Act Honoring, Empowering, and Recognizing Our Servicemembers and Veterans, which seeks to update and expand health and wellness benefits for veterans.

To support new initiatives, EOVS partnered with the authors on a comprehensive analysis of the well-being of veterans in Massachusetts. In this analysis, the largest of its kind since 2017, the authors identified unmet veteran needs and evaluated how well EOVS programs are serving veterans. The findings and recommendations presented in this report will provide valuable guidance for EOVS to ensure that its programs are aligned with what Massachusetts veterans need most. The authors also offer a draft strategic framework for EOVS to consider as it works toward strengthening strategic planning efforts in the years ahead.

Key Findings

  • Massachusetts is home to approximately 274,000 veterans, although the size and composition of the veteran population is changing. Since 2017, there has been a 14.6 percent decrease in the number of Massachusetts veterans and an increase in the proportion that is female.
  • Massachusetts is facing a severe shortage of affordable housing, which has led to population shifts and challenges in providing veteran services where they are needed. More than 25 percent of younger Massachusetts veterans (ages 18 to 39) reported difficulty paying housing costs in the past year.
  • Most veterans are satisfied with education and job services in Massachusetts thanks to federal and state programs.
  • About 8 percent of Massachusetts veterans use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and 13 percent of veterans live below 130 percent of the poverty level, similar to national rates.
  • Massachusetts veterans often report more chronic health issues than nonveterans, even when age and gender differences are taken into account. Younger (ages 18 to 39) male veterans experience significantly greater levels of stress than nonveterans of the same age, and women veterans experience more life dissatisfaction than male veterans.
  • Each city and town has a Veterans Service Officer who is employed by local government and managed by the commonwealth. This model, unique in the country, is an asset, but it could be improved. The commonwealth also needs more personnel in specialized areas of veteran services.
  • A critical challenge for EOVS is how to collect, evaluate, and use large amounts of data on veterans and service providers.

Recommendations

  • Collect data on veterans and their experiences to inform ongoing evaluation of EOVS programs and initiatives and the development of new approaches to support veterans.
  • Invest in approaches to address housing insecurity for veterans in the commonwealth rather than merely providing shelter for those who are experiencing homelessness. To do this, use the commonwealth’s five-year cycle to produce a statewide housing plan every five years.
  • Expand the availability of high-quality behavioral health care by enhancing cultural competency among non–U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs providers, establishing a referral network to promote comprehensive substance use treatment, and promoting innovative and integrated care approaches.
  • Strengthen the Veterans Service Officer model by allocating additional resources to hire more full-time Veterans Service Officers in underserved communities; providing ongoing training programs for Veterans Service Officers to improve and sustain their knowledge of community resources and specific service areas, such as health care; and implementing formal feedback systems that allow Veterans Service Officers to track the progress and outcomes of the veterans they assist.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  • Publisher: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 2025
  • Pages: 126
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA4049-1
  • Document Number: RR-A4049-1

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Dalzell, Stephen, Rachel Slama, Alexis Gable, Catria Gadwah-Meaden, Lauren Kelly, Benjamin Trachik, Michael T. Wilson, Kate Giglio, and Carrie M. Farmer, Meeting the Needs of Massachusetts Veterans: An Assessment and Draft Strategy for the Commonwealth. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4049-1.html.
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Funding for this research was provided by the Executive Office of Veterans Services of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This work was conducted within the RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute of RAND Education, Employment, and Infrastructure.

This publication is part of the RAND research report series. Research reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND research reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

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