Chapter 115 Benefits Massachusetts: What Veterans' Families Are Entitled To

Most people searching for veterans' survivor benefits in Massachusetts land on the federal VA website and stop there. That's a costly mistake. Massachusetts operates its own parallel system of veterans' benefits under Chapter 115 of the General Laws — a state-mandated, municipally administered program that can cover burial expenses, housing assistance, medical costs, and ongoing financial aid far beyond what the federal VA provides.

The two systems are separate. You can access both. Families who only apply to the VA leave substantial Massachusetts-specific benefits unclaimed.

What Chapter 115 Benefits Cover

The Chapter 115 program provides financial assistance for eligible veterans and their dependents in the following categories:

Burial expenses. Municipal Veterans' Service Officers (VSOs) can authorize up to $4,000 to cover burial and funeral costs for an eligible veteran — and in some cities with higher local funding, the ceiling is $5,000. The payment is made to the funeral home or burial ground directly, not to the family. This is significantly more than the federal VA burial allowance (currently $1,002 for non-service-connected deaths plus $1,002 for plot allowance as of October 2025).

Housing. Financial assistance for rent, mortgage payments, and utility costs to prevent eviction or foreclosure for eligible veterans or their surviving dependents.

Medical. Assistance with medical expenses not covered by VA healthcare, Medicare, or other insurance.

Food and daily living. Supplemental assistance for groceries and essential daily needs.

Funding is 75% state and 25% municipal. Benefits are administered locally — you apply through the Veterans' Service Officer (VSO) in the city or town where the veteran resided, not through a state agency.

Who Qualifies

Eligibility requires meeting all three of these criteria:

Military service: The veteran must have served in the U.S. military with an honorable or general-under-honorable-conditions discharge. A DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) is the primary documentation. Veterans who received other-than-honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable discharges are not eligible for Chapter 115 benefits.

Massachusetts residency: The veteran must have been a Massachusetts resident at the time of death, and the applying family member must generally be a Massachusetts resident.

Financial need: Chapter 115 is a needs-based program. Income and asset thresholds apply. The VSO will assess the household's financial situation during the application process. There is no publicly fixed cutoff — VSOs have some discretion within state guidelines.

For burial assistance specifically, the financial need assessment is based on the deceased veteran's financial situation at the time of death, not the surviving family's current assets alone.

The HERO Act: Survivor Annuity Increase

The Massachusetts HERO Act (signed into law in 2024) includes an increase to the annual annuity paid to un-remarried surviving spouses and surviving parents of veterans who died as a direct result of combat injuries. Under this update, the annuity is increasing to $2,500 per year, paid in a single installment every August 1.

This is separate from the broader Chapter 115 needs-based assistance. The combat-injury survivor annuity is not means-tested — it is paid based on the circumstances of the veteran's death, not the survivor's income.

If your spouse died from injuries sustained in a combat zone, contact your local VSO specifically about the combat survivor annuity as a distinct benefit.

Federal VA Benefits: What Runs in Parallel

Federal VA benefits operate entirely independently of Chapter 115 and require a separate application to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Non-service-connected burial allowance: Up to $1,002 for burial plus $1,002 for plot or interment, for veterans whose deaths were not service-connected. Apply using VA Form 21P-530EZ at VA.gov.

Service-connected burial allowance: For deaths directly caused by a service-connected disability (occurring on or after September 11, 2001), the VA pays up to $2,000 in burial expenses.

Burial in a national cemetery: Free headstone or grave marker, opening and closing of the grave, and liner for casketed remains at any national cemetery. Contact the National Cemetery Scheduling Office (1-800-535-1117) — this benefit does not require a financial application.

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC): Monthly payment to the surviving spouse of a veteran who died from a service-connected condition or was totally disabled from service-connected causes for the required period. DIC rates are set annually — as of 2026, the base rate is over $1,600 per month. DIC is a significant federal benefit and should be applied for separately from all state benefits.

How to Apply for Chapter 115

Contact the Veterans' Service Officer in the city or town where the veteran lived. Massachusetts does not have a central statewide application — each municipality administers its own program through a local VSO.

Find your local VSO through the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services directory at mass.gov. Most municipalities have a Veterans' Services office in town hall or the equivalent building.

Bring to your appointment:

• DD-214 (original or certified copy)
• Death certificate
• Documentation of financial need (recent bank statements, income records)
• Funeral home invoice (if applying for burial assistance)
• Marriage certificate (if you are the surviving spouse)

The VSO will complete the application and submit to the state on your behalf. Processing time for burial assistance is typically faster than for ongoing housing or medical benefits — VSOs understand the urgency.

If the VA Claim Is Denied

Veterans' benefits denials — both federal and state — are appealable. For federal VA denials, the process runs through the Board of Veterans' Appeals and potentially the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. For state Chapter 115 denials, contact the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services for guidance on the review process.

Do not assume a denial is final. Many initial denials are based on incomplete documentation rather than actual ineligibility.

Veterans' benefits are one of several financial lifelines available to Massachusetts survivors — alongside Social Security, pension survivor benefits, probate-related asset transfers, and MassHealth recovery defense. The Massachusetts Survivor Benefits Navigator covers each program with the specific forms, deadlines, and contacts that apply in this state.

See more Massachusetts guides →