Bristol County
This page includes local event listings and directories of veterans’ services; posts and auxiliaries; veterans outreach centers; veterans outreach centers; Aging Services Access Points; and veteran owned businesses, along with information about VA spending and veterans living in Bristol County.
All events in Bristol County are tagged #southeast. Events in Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Fall River, Freetown, New Bedford, Somerset, Swansea, Westport are also tagged #south-coast. When you submit events, include the relevant tags and the name of the town in the event listing 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
Bristol County Directories
veterans’ posts & auxiliaries
veteran owned businesses
Veterans Association of Bristol County
The Veterans Association of Bristol County in Fall River serves all who have served or are still serving in the US Armed Forces. VABC collaborates with community partners to provide meaningful programs and compassionate support to veterans and their families to foster healing and growth and promote their thriving in the community during and after active duty.
Veterans in Bristol County who are in need of assistance, can contact the VABC at (508) 679-9277 or register here for assistance.
Bristol County Recovery Court
Bristol County has a Recovery Court. 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. The Attleboro, Fall River, and Taunton District Courts offer Recovery Court sessions in Bristol County.
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.
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.
American Community Survey Data
The Housing Assistance Council’s Veterans Data Center publishes a Massachusetts state profile breaking down the general demographics for veterans based on the most recent ACS 5-year estimates for 2017–2021, which are the most accurate. The data for Bristol County is broken down here.
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You can explore 2021 American Community Survey 5-year estimates for Bristol County linked below, as well as other military and veteran census data with interactive maps and tables on the Census Reporter.
Data for Bristol 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, 22,722 veterans lived in Bristol County, including 1,439 women veterans. You can explore the 2022 American Community Survey census data for Bristol County linked below, as well as other military and veteran census data with interactive maps and tables on the Census Reporter.
Data for Bristol 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 ACS 1-year estimates for 2022, which are the most recent, there were 22,772 veterans living in Bristol County, including 1,439 women veterans. The data below is all based on the 1-year estimates. Follow the links under the 2021 breakdown to explore 5-year data.
Around 6.5% of veterans (1,483) in Bristol County experienced poverty in the prior year. Almost 47% of veterans in poverty had a disability.
VA Spending in Bristol County
Based on the 2022 VA GDX Report, the VA spent over $321.9 million in Bristol County in FY22, including over $159.8 million on VA compensation and pension benefit payments. VA doesn’t include the number of beneficiaries or spending by program in its report.
Based the VA Annual Benefits Reports, there were 2,241 veterans in Massachusetts on the VA’s pension rolls at the end of FY21, including 153 under age 65. Statewide spending was estimated to be $26.9 million annually.
This was a decrease compared to the end of FY20, when there were 2,490 veterans on the VA pension rolls, including 249 under age 65, with spending estimated at $29.4 million annually.
VA spending in Bristol County included $147.7 million providing medical care to 8,108 patients, with an average cost of $18,212 per patient. VA also spent nearly $13.5 million on education and vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits in Essex County, and $1 million on insurance and indemnities.
VA Pension Benefits
Whether or not a veteran has time during a “wartime” service era determines in part whether the veteran (or their survivor) is potentially eligible for the VA pension. 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. Visit the Financial Security page for more information.
Almost 51% of Bristol County veterans in poverty over 65 (425) did not report a disability.
Around 59% of all disabled veterans in poverty in Bristol County (409) were over age 65.
Over 71% of all veterans (16,219) in Bristol County served during wartime. All veterans with service in the Vietnam, Korea, and World War II eras are over age 65, which includes at least 53% (8,622) of veterans with wartime status in Bristol County.
VA Compensation Benefits
Almost 29% (6,508) of Bristol County veterans reported having a disability. Disabled veterans are potentially eligible for VA compensation if they have a service-connected disability, including the almost 29% of veterans in Bristol County (6,553) with peacetime service only who do not qualify for the VA pension.
Low income veterans with peacetime service only may still qualify for MassVets financial benefits if they have served more than 180 days on active duty. Visit the Financial Security page for more information.
Although only 12% of disabled veterans in Bristol County fell below the poverty line, disabled veterans made up around 47% of the veterans in poverty.
Over 65% of all disabled veterans in Bristol County (4,241) were over age 65.
Almost 59% of all disabled veterans in poverty in Bristol County (409) were over age 65.
Based on the 2022 1-year ACS data, there were 4,995 service-connected veterans in Bristol County. More than 99% of the service-connected veterans had compensable disability ratings.
Bristol County Veterans Needs Assessment
The Bristol County Veterans Needs Assessment was prepared in March 2014 by the UMass Dartmouth’s Urban Initiative for the Veterans Transition House. It was limited due to the lack of publicly accessible data providing information on veterans at the municipal level and the time that passes between the homeless point-in-time counts in January and the release of the data in October.
The usefulness of survey data also depended on the ability to gain the active participation of multiple stakeholders in serving Bristol County veterans, including city and town veterans’ services. The offices of the three cities could not obtain responses from veterans they were actively serving, resulting in Fall River, Taunton, and New Bedford being underrepresented in the findings.
Though limited in its ability to speak for the needs of Bristol County veterans due to a low sample size, the needs assessment suggested the most met needs were basic human needs (food, clothing, shelter, medical care). The least met needs included assistance obtaining and settling into permanent housing, as well as gaining access to dental care and resources to support financial stability.