Plymouth 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 Plymouth County.
All events in Plymouth County are tagged #southeast. Events in some cities and towns are also tagged #south-coast (Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, and Wareham) or #south-shore (Duxbury, Hanover, Hingham, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Rockland, and Scituate). 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
Plymouth County Directories
veterans’ posts & auxiliaries
veteran owned businesses
Plymouth County Specialty Courts
Plymouth County has Veterans’ Treatment, Mental Health, and Recovery 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.
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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.
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. The Brockton District Court holds Veterans’ Treatment Court sessions in Plymouth County.
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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. The Brockton, Hingham, Plymouth, and Wareham District Courts operate Recovery Court sessions in Plymouth County.
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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 Plymouth District Court operates Mental Health Court sessions in Plymouth County.
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.
Plymouth County Census Data
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You can explore 2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates for Plymouth County linked below, as well as other military and veteran census data with interactive maps and tables on the Census Reporter.
Data for Plymouth County veterans referencing age, gender, and veteran status, median income, educational attainment, employment status, service-connected disability status, service era is available with 5-year estimates from 2021.
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 Status by 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 2022 1-year ACS data, 23,868 veterans lived in Plymouth County, including 1,537 women veterans. You can explore the 2022 American Community Survey census data for Plymouth County linked below, as well as other military and veteran census data with interactive maps and tables on the Census Reporter.
Data for Plymouth County veterans referencing age, sex, and veteran status, median income, educational attainment, employment status, service-connected disability, service era, and age, disability, and poverty status are available with 1-year estimates (most current) from 2022. You can also break this data down to the city/town level.
Some tables also have racial iterations and there are additional tables that include information about the Armed Forces. Members of the Armed Forces are generally included as part of the Labor Force and under employment status by industry. These tables also break out Armed Forces as a separate column:
Marital Status by 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
Based on the 2022 ACS 1-year estimates, 23,868 veterans were living in Plymouth County, including 1,537 women veterans.
At least 3% of veterans in Plymouth County experienced poverty in the prior year. Around 40% of veterans in poverty had a disability.
VA Spending in Plymouth County
Based on the 2023 VA GDX Report, the VA spent over $475 million in Plymouth County in FY23, including almost $206 million on VA compensation and pension benefit payments.
VA spending in Plymouth County included over $245 million providing medical care to 9,213 patients, with an average cost of $26,609 per patient.
VA also spent nearly $18 million on education and vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits in Plymouth County, and almost $1.1 million on insurance and indemnities.
VA Compensation Benefits
Over 22% (5,282) of Plymouth County veterans reported having a disability. Disabled veterans are potentially eligible for VA compensation if they have a service-connected disability.
Although only around 5.1% of disabled veterans in Plymouth County fell below the poverty line, disabled veterans made up around 40% of veterans in poverty.
Based on the 2022 1-year ACS data, there were 6,055 service-connected veterans in Plymouth County. More than 93% of the service-connected veterans 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 1-year estimates, 79% of all veterans in Plymouth County served during wartime (18,910 veterans). All veterans with service in the Vietnam, Korea, and World War II eras are over age 65, which includes over 58% of veterans with wartime status in Plymouth County (11,056 veterans).