Dukes County

This page includes local event listings and directories of veterans’ services; posts and auxiliaries; specialty courts, Aging Services Access Points; and veteran owned businesses, along with information about VA spending and veterans living in Dukes County.

All events in Dukes County are tagged #southeast and #cape-cod. When you submit events, include tags and the town name so they show up in the relevant calendars.

 
 

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, administered by local veterans’ services.

Veterans may use the Mass Vet Benefit Calculator to see what they may qualify for and contact their local veterans’ services office to apply. 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.

local Veterans’ Services

district veterans’ services

Dukes County Directories

veterans’ posts & auxiliaries

veteran owned businesses

Dukes County Specialty Courts

Dukes County falls under the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office, which has established Recovery Courts as of February 2024 and is making progress in establishing Veterans’ and Mental Health Courts. The Massachusetts Center of Excellence for Specialty Courts, an initiative of the Executive Office of the Massachusetts Trial Court, aims to bring innovative, evidence-based, and equitable interventions to Specialty Courts.

  • Veterans’ Treatment Courts are court-supervised, treatment-focused collaboratives designed to handle criminal cases involving defendants with a history of military service through a coordinated effort among the veterans services delivery system, community-based providers, and the court.

    • Currently the Cape and Islands does not have a Veterans’ Court. The Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office is collaborating with community stakeholders to appeal to the Trial Court to open a Veterans’ Court Session for the Cape and Islands.

    Veterans’ treatment court sessions aim to improve public safety while dealing with underlying issues of PTSD, TBI, and MST.  Abstinence from drugs/alcohol, mandated treatment, swift accountability, and weekly interaction with the court is required.

  • Recovery Courts, also referred to as Drug Treatment Courts and Drug Courts, address the behavioral health and social support needs of adults involved with the criminal-legal system. Recovery Courts are designed to assist court-involved people in their path toward recovery from substance use and away from unlawful behavior. As of February 2024, the Edgartown (Martha's Vineyard) District Courts operates Recovery Court sessions in Dukes County.

  • Mental Health Courts, also referred to as Recovery Courts and Recovery with Justice, address the behavioral health and social support needs of adults involved with the criminal-legal system. Mental Health Courts are designed to increase access to mental health treatment for court-involved people and assist them in their path away from unlawful behavior. The Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office is in the process of establishing Mental Health Court sessions in the area.

Aging Services Access Points

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.

Dukes County Census Data

Based on the 2022 ACS 5-year estimates, there are around 1,112 veterans were living in Dukes County, including 106 women veterans. You can explore 2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates for Dukes County linked below, as well as other military and veteran census data with interactive maps and tables on the Census Reporter.

Data for veterans is available with 5-year estimates from 2022 referencing:

Due to the small population, 1-year estimates are not listed and veterans data is not available by age, disability, and poverty status for counties on the Cape and Islands. 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:

VA Spending in Dukes County

Based on the 2023 VA GDX Report, the VA spent over $5.7 million in Dukes County in FY23, including almost $3 million on VA compensation and pension benefit payments. 

VA spending in Dukes County included over $2.2 million providing medical care to 192 patients, with an average cost of $11,807 per patient.

VA also spent around $282,000 on education and vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits in Dukes County, and around $200,000 on insurance and indemnities.

 

VA Compensation Benefits

Disabled veterans are potentially eligible for VA compensation if they have a service-connected disability. Based on the 2022 5-year ACS data, there were 116 service-connected veterans in Dukes County; 113 had compensable disability ratings.

The r/VeteransBenefits subreddit’s Knowledge Base includes a list of Federal Benefits by Combined Ratings available to veterans with VA service-connected disabilities.

 

VA Pension Benefits

VA doesn’t include the number of beneficiaries or spending by program in the GDX Report for VA compensation and pension benefits. Based on the VA Annual Benefits Reports, there were 1,998 veterans on the VA’s pension rolls at the end of FY22 in Massachusetts, including 110 veterans under age 65. Statewide spending on the VA pension was estimated to be over $25.1 million. 

This marks a continuing decrease in the number of veterans receiving a VA pension benefit with 2,490 veterans on the rolls in FY20 and 2,241 veterans on the rolls in FY21, including 249 under age 65 in FY20 and 153 under at 65 in FY21, and total spending estimated at $29.4 million in FY20 and $25.1 million in FY21.

Whether or not a veteran has service during a “wartime” service era determines in part whether the veteran (or their survivor) is potentially eligible for VA pension benefits.

Very low income veterans over age 65 with wartime service are potentially eligible for the VA pension whether or not they have a qualifying disability. 

Low income veterans with peacetime service only may qualify for MassVets financial benefits if they have served more than 180 days on active duty. Visit the Financial Security page for more information. 

Based on the 2022 ACS 5-year estimates, over 75% of all veterans in Dukes County served during wartime (839 veterans). All veterans with service in the Vietnam, Korea, and World War II eras are over age 65, which includes over 76% of veterans with wartime status in Dukes County (640 veterans).