Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 115, sec. 18 — MA Code / Part I / Title XVII / Chapter 115 / Section 18
Women veterans' network
Status: in_force

[Text of section added by 2024, 140, Sec. 115 effective July 1, 2024. See 2024, 140, Sec. 264. For text of section as added by 2024, 178, Sec. 47, and 2024, 178, Sec. 139, see below. ]

[Text of section added by 2024, 140, Sec. 115 effective July 1, 2024. See 2024, 140, Sec. 264. For text of section as added by 2024, 178, Sec. 47, and 2024, 178, Sec. 139, see below. ]

Section 18. (a) There shall be within the executive office of veterans' services a women veterans' network. The duties of the network shall include, but not be limited to: (i) performing outreach to women veterans; (ii) improving women veterans' awareness of eligibility for federal and state veterans' services and benefits; (iii) holding in-person events for women veterans; (iv) making recommendations to the secretary of veterans' services to improve benefits and services for women veterans; (v) incorporating women veterans' issues in the strategic planning of the executive office; and (vi) creating and distributing documents detailing benefits and resources available to women veterans, including but not limited to, resources to help women veterans transition to civilian life; provided, however, that such documents shall be made available on the executive office's website.

(b) The network shall employ a women veterans' coordinator to assist in the programming and outreach to women veterans, who shall work with the executive office of veterans' services and veteran services officers to engage women veterans in a geographically equitable manner.

(c) Annually, not later than November 1, the office shall submit a report to the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives, the senate and house committees on ways and means and the joint committee on veterans and federal affairs, which shall include, but not be limited to: (i) demographic information on women veterans in the commonwealth; (ii) summation of veteran outreach events designed to connect women veterans; (iii) women veteran benefits documents created by the network; and (iv) upcoming in-person events organized or identified by the network.

[Text of section as added by 2024, 178, Sec. 47 effective August 8, 2024. For text of section added by 2024, 140, Sec. 115, see above. For text of section added by 2024, 178, Sec. 139, see below.]

Section 18. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

''Compensation'', payment of any money, thing of value or financial benefit.

''Person'', an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency or instrumentality or any other legal or commercial entity.

''Veterans benefits matter'', the preparation, presentation or prosecution of any claim affecting any person who has filed or expressed an intent to file a claim for any benefit, program, service, commodity, function or status, entitlement to which is determined under the laws and regulations administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or Department of Defense pertaining to veterans, their dependents, their survivors and any other individual eligible for such benefits.

(b) In regard to a veterans benefits matter, no person shall: (i) receive compensation for: (A) preparation, presentation, prosecution, advising, consulting or assisting any individual with regard to any veterans benefits matter, except as permitted under federal law; or (B) referring a veteran to another person to prepare, present, prosecute, advise, consult or assist such veteran with any veterans benefits matter; (ii) guarantee, either directly or by implication, that any individual is certain to receive specific veterans benefits or that any individual is certain to receive a specific level, percentage or amount of veterans benefits; or (iii) receive excessive or unreasonable fees under 38 C.F.R 14.636(e) as compensation for advising or assisting any veteran with any veterans benefits matter.

(c) A violation of this section shall also be a violation of chapter 93A.

[Text of section as added by 2024, 178, Sec. 139 effective August 8, 2024. For text of section added by 2024, 140, Sec. 115 and 2024, 178, Sec. 47, see above.]

Section 18. (a) The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of public health and the adjutant general of the Massachusetts national guard, shall contact all members of the Massachusetts national guard and all known veterans and members of the United States armed forces residing in the commonwealth who may be eligible to participate in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs' Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, including, but not limited, those who may have served in: (i) Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation New Dawn; (ii) Djibouti, Africa on or after September 11, 2001; (iii) Afghanistan on or after September 11, 2001; (iv) Operation Desert Shield or Operation Desert Storm; or (v) in the Southwest Asia theater of operations on or after August 2, 1990. Veterans or service members contacted shall be encouraged to join the United States Department of Veterans Affairs' Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry and shall be provided with contact information for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs' Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry and a copy of the informational pamphlet created by the commissioner of public health pursuant to subsection (b) of section 244 of chapter 111.

(b) The commissioner shall create a database of self-identifying service members and veterans who have been exposed to open burn pits or other airborne hazards, which shall include the name, address, electronic address, phone number, location and period of service and other information as deemed necessary. Such information shall be used only for the purposes of communicating information about exposure to toxic airborne chemicals and fumes caused by open burn pits or other airborne hazards to service members and veterans. The database, materials or other information shall be confidential and privileged, shall not be subject to chapter 66, or clause Twenty-sixth of section 7 of chapter 4 and shall not be subject to subpoena, discovery or introduction into evidence in any private civil action.