Central Massachusetts
In 2022, there were an estimated 38,883 veterans living in Central Mass, including 2,769 women. This page includes local events and directories of veterans’ services; veteran outreach centers; community resources; posts and auxiliaries; VA-accredited representatives, agents, and attorneys; elder services; and veteran owned businesses, as well as census, veteran homelessness, and public health data for the Central Region, which includes all of Worcester County.
Tag any events in Worcester County with #central-mass so they show up here. Some cities and towns are also in the #metrowest and #north-central areas. As long as you include the name of the city or town in the listing, they will show up in the local events listings below.
Executive Office of Veterans’ Services
The mission of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans’ Services (EOVS) is to act as the primary advocate on behalf of all the Commonwealth’s veterans. The Office provides outreach and support through various programs. EOVS offers assistance to eligible veterans and their surviving spouses through the MassVets Financial Benefits Program.
Veterans may use the Mass Vet Benefit Calculator to see what they may qualify for and contact their local veterans’ services office below to apply.
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MGL Chapter 115 requires each town/city have a veterans’ agent to administer these benefits, but two or more contiguous towns can also appoint someone to serve as veterans’ agent and form Veterans’ Services Districts.
Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center
Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center in Gardner provides support to military veterans and their families, including low-income housing alternatives and residential readjustment programs, mental health counseling, case management, employment training, personal development, veterans’ benefits resource assistance, medical transportation, and food assistance. Veterans in the area looking for help can call MVOC at (978) 632-9601 for more information.
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The directory below includes VA-accredited representatives, agents, and attorneys based in Worcester County cities and towns from the VA Office of the General Counsel’s Accreditation Search Tool as of July 2024. The VA provides accreditation to ensure VA claimants receive qualified assistance preparing and presenting their claims in accordance with VA Standards of Conduct.
Central Mass Resource Network
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MassHire’s Central Massachusetts Veterans’ Coalition was established in 1994 as a networking opportunity for veteran service providers at the local, state, federal and private levels to share and gather information that can benefit veterans, spouses and families and support similar organizations.
Participants:
Access to Justice Fellow | Army Reserves Family Programs | Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce | Blackstone Valley Education Hub | Brighton Marine | Cape Cod Community College | Clear Path for Veterans New England | Community Legal Aid | VA Boston | EOVS SAVE Team | Easterseals (massveteran.com) | Forge VFR | Genesis Club Inc | Home Base | HomeFront Strong | Lawyers Clearinghouse | Lutheran Rehabilitation & Skilled Care Center | MA ARNG Child & Youth Program | Massachusetts Red Cross | Medic Now Foundation | Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center | Mount Wachusett Community College | NEADS | NECHV | PGA REACH New England | Project New Hope | Quinsigamond Community College | SSA | Summit Behavioral Healthcare Tactical Recovery Program | Harvard Law School Veterans Legal Clinic | Reading VSO | Tri-Valley | DOL VETS | DOL Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs | Unite Massachusetts | United Through Reading | US Army HRC Special Compensation Branch | Vet Success on Campus Rhode Island | Veterans Bonus Division | Veterans Inc | VFW | Worcester State University | Worcester Vet Center
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The Veterans Posts and Auxiliaries directory includes information about the VFW and American Legion Posts, Marine Corps League Detachments, and DAV Chapters based in cities and towns in the Berkshires area.
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Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs) are private, non-profit agencies established under MGL Chapter 19A. ASAPs provide direct and protective services, including information and referrals; interdisciplinary case management; intake and assessment; developing, implementing, and monitoring service plans; reassessing needs; and investigating reports of elder abuse and neglect.
MassOptions is a service of the Executive Office of Health & Human Services (EOHHS) that can also help older adults, people with disabilities, and family members or caregivers identify aging and disability services and connect to those that can meet their needs. Call (800) 243-4636 or click here to complete a referral.
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This Veteran Owned Businesses directory is based on publicly available information and listings of veteran owned businesses in Central Mass. Click here to submit a business or update information.
Veterans in Worcester County
Based on the 2022 ACS 5-year estimates, there were around 38,883 veterans living in Worcester County, including 2,769 women veterans. If you serve veterans and are trying to learn more about their demographics, you can explore the most recent estimates from Census Reporter for cities and towns in Central Mass at the links below.
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Based on 2022 1-year estimates, 36,264 veterans lived in Worcester County, including 2,610 women veterans. You can explore the 2022 American Community Survey 1-year census data for Worcester County at the links below. The 5-year military and veteran census data with interactive maps and tables is available on the Census Reporter.
Estimates for Worcester County veterans referencing age, gender, and veteran status, median incomes, educational attainment, employment status, service-connected disability, service era, and age, disability, and poverty status are available at the city/town and county level with 1-year estimates (most current) are now available.
There are additional tables that include information about the Armed Forces, including as part of the labor force (this data is also broken down with racial iterations) and employment status by industry. The following tables break out Armed Forces as a separate column:
Marital Statusby sex and labor force participation
Presence of Own Children by age of children and by family type and employment status
Educational Attainment by employment status
Poverty Status by disability and employment status
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Based on 2021 ACS 1-year estimates, 33,147 veterans lived in Worcester County, including 2,457 women veterans.
Around 3.5% of veterans in Worcester County (2,294) experienced poverty in the prior year.
Almost 26% of veterans in poverty in Worcester County had a disability.
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In October 2023, the US Census Bureau released the most recent 2022 data from the Annual Business Survey, which includes information at the state level on veteran-owned businesses below.
Company Summaries and Characteristics of Businesses tables by industry, sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status and Characteristics of Business Owners tables by Service-Disabled and Other Veteran Characteristics.
Module Business Characteristics tables by industry, sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status, including Effect of Coronavirus on Business Sales, Level of Operations During Coronavirus Pandemic, Level of Operations During Coronavirus Pandemic, and Outstanding Debt.
Veteran Homelessness in Worcester County
HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness. The Massachusetts CoC includes 12 regional CoCs, including the Worcester City & County CoC covering Central Massachusetts.
During the last week of January, CoC’s count all of the homeless people reported by service providers and counted by local police and volunteer groups on the streets. In 2023, veterans made up around 3.4% of the overall homeless population in Massachusetts, an increase from 2.2% in 2022.
From 2022 to 2023, the number of homeless veterans increased from 534 to 545, including 70 women, who made up 12.8% of homeless veterans counted. Veteran homelessness increased by less than 3% overall, with a 23% increase for women veterans. The CoC in Central Massachusetts accounts for around 14% of homeless veterans and 9% of homeless women veterans in the state.
From 2022 to 2023, the number of homeless veterans counted in the area increased from 73 to 76, including 54 veterans in transitional housing and 20 veterans in emergency shelter.
The number of homeless women veterans increased from 4 to 6 and included the only two unsheltered homeless veterans identified in Worcester County in 2023.
Housing Advisory Council
Established through Executive Orders filed in conjunction with the Affordable Homes Act, the Housing Advisory Council and Commission on Unlocking Housing Production is bringing together a broad range of stakeholders from across Massachusetts to advise the Healey-Driscoll administration on strategies to address the state’s housing challenges. Regional listening sessions were held between April–June 2024. If you missed them, you can still provide feedback.
Worcester County Public Health Data
The U.S. Center for Disease Control’s Suicide Prevention Strategies for Communities support the implementation of a public health approach that uses data to drive decision-making. Massachusetts does not publish comprehensive data surrounding the deaths of service members and veterans. The chart below includes toxicology data for suicide deaths overall in Worcester County.
From 2015 to 2022, opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions in Worcester County declined, but suicide rates involving these substances remained high, suggesting unintended consequences of deprescribing, such as withdrawal or untreated mental health issues.
Partial opioid agonist use rose until 2019 before stabilizing, indicating a leveling off in access to care. Stimulant prescriptions increased steadily, with a modest rise in amphetamine-involved suicides, while marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol involvement in suicides remained high. Worcester County had a sharp rise in suicides involving antidepressants and a notable increase involving muscle relaxers.
Worcester County also experienced a distinct spike in suicide deaths involving carbon monoxide (CO) between 2019 and 2021. Addressing this, along with polysubstance use, requires targeted prevention strategies. A public health approach that balances prescription policies, mental health care access, and harm reduction strategies is essential to address these growing risks.