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While migrant families get $120,000 in housing benefits disabled Massachusetts Veterans mostly get a $250-a-year cash increase

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6 months ago

May 28, 2024

mikesilvia

While Massachusetts Democrats passed budgets giving migrant families $120,000 in annual housing benefits the House is proposing this month a meager $250 annual increase for disabled Veterans to go along with a few other perks.

According to Senator Michael Rodrigues, it costs $10,000 per family or $75 million per month just to house mostly migrant families in the Massachusetts emergency shelter system where single veterans do not get preference over foreign born new arrivals with children. While Massachusetts veterans get preference in permanent housing, families with young children regardless of their legal status, get prioritized in the emergency shelter system. Just last month, House Democrats voted against giving preference to Massachusetts residents and even veterans over others which include newly arrived migrants in the emergency shelter system.

Several local area state reps including Fall River Representative Alan Silvia rationalized his no vote by saying Veterans already get preference (not true for the emergency shelter system) and the House members will be taking care of Veterans on the veterans bill in June. While the House version of the bill does provide a $250 annual payment increase to disabled veterans and a few other nice perks, the Hero Act doesn’t provide any extra benefits for veterans in housing or the emergency shelter system. Instead, Massachusetts State Reps increased the annual payment mentioned about from $2,000 to $2,250 in 2024 and from $2,250 to $2,500 in 2025, but you must be blind, paraplegic, or have a disability to receive this money. Most veterans are not disabled, so most veterans will only see small benefits from the Hero Act. You can read a summary of the Hero Act here which details all the increased benefits.

Migrants just have to have a child to get $10,000 worth of monthly housing not available to homeless veterans without a child. Migrants also get EBT cards, educational benefits and a dozen other benefits which total about $150,000 in annual benefits – event those who did not follow immigration laws. You can see a list of benefits Massachusetts provides veterans here which doesn’t seem like anything close to what newly arrived migrants are getting.

In short, your Massachusetts politicians provide $150,000 in annual benefits for people who broke the law to get to Massachusetts yet only added $250 to a meager $2,000 annual payment for getting wounded while serving your country.