Little Money Handed Out By Massachusetts Vets Program.

[allan]

Little Money Handed Out By Massachusetts Vets Program.

The Boston Globe (8/19, McQuarrie, 349K) reports, "Three years after Massachusetts officials pledged to pay 'Welcome Home' bonuses of up to $1,000 to veterans returning from active duty, some $10 million set aside for the program still languishes in state coffers. State officials and veterans advocates alike say they are vexed by the lack of participation in the program, launched in 2006 as a goodwill gesture toward" post-9/11 vets, "many of whom went to war." Officials "speculate that some returning veterans are reluctant to accept handouts or to tackle the application process," but "some also blame bureaucratic problems that have made it harder for officials to track down" eligible vets. The Globe notes that Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray "said that he and a delegation of Massachusetts officials met this year with Eric Shinseki, the US veterans affairs secretary, and urged him to provide more accurate discharge information to the states." Shinseki "replied that he would consider including a current e-mail address on discharge papers, Murray said. Such a move would greatly improve the tracking process, according to the lieutenant governor."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachus...s_bonus_option/

SOURCE: http://www.veteranstoday.com/article8314.html