Central Massachusetts (Worcester County)
This page includes events and directories of veterans’ services; veterans’ posts and auxiliaries; Veterans Outreach Centers, Aging Services Access Points; and VA-accredited representatives, agents, and attorneys; veteran owned businesses in the Central Massachusetts region, along with information about service members and veterans living in Worcester County.
Tag any events in Worcester County with #central-mass so they show up here. Use the listing below to search for events by city or town. As long as you include the name of the city or town in the listing, they will show up in the local listings. You can also find links to local listings for in person and online AA and NA meetings by city and town below.
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.
Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center
Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center in Gardner provides support to military veterans and their families, including low-income housing alternatives and residential readjustment programs, mental health counseling, case management, employment training, personal development, veterans’ benefits resource assistance, medical transportation, and food assistance. Veterans in the area looking for help can call MVOC at (978) 632-9601 for more information.
MassHire Central Massachusetts Veterans Coalition
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Participants: Access to Justice Fellow | Army Reserves Family Programs | Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce | Blackstone Valley Education Hub | Brighton Marine | Cape Cod Community College | Clear Path for Veterans New England | Community Legal Aid | VA Boston | EOVS SAVE Team | Easterseals (massveteran.com) | Forge VFR | Genesis Club Inc | Home Base | HomeFront Strong | Lawyers Clearinghouse | Lutheran Rehabilitation & Skilled Care Center | MA ARNG Child & Youth Program | Massachusetts Red Cross | Medic Now Foundation | Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center | Mount Wachusett Community College | NEADS | NECHV | PGA REACH New England | Project New Hope | Quinsigamond Community College | SSA | Summit Behavioral Healthcare Tactical Recovery Program | Harvard Law School Veterans Legal Clinic | Reading VSO | Tri-Valley | DOL VETS | DOL Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs | Unite Massachusetts | United Through Reading | US Army HRC Special Compensation Branch | Vet Success on Campus Rhode Island | Veterans Bonus Division | Veterans Inc | VFW | Worcester State University | Worcester Vet Center
Central Mass Network Directory
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
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Based on 2021 ACS 1-year estimates, 33,147 veterans lived in Worcester County, including 2,457 women veterans.
Around 3.5% of veterans in Worcester County (2,294) experienced poverty in the prior year.
Almost 26% of veterans in poverty (632) in Worcester County reported having a disability.
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Based on 2022 1-year estimates, 36,264 veterans lived in Worcester County, including 2,610 women veterans.
You can explore the 2022 American Community Survey census data for Worcester County linked below, as well as other military and veteran census data with interactive maps and tables on the Census Reporter.
Estimates for Worcester County veterans referencing age, gender, and veteran status, median incomes, educational attainment, employment status, service-connected disability, service era, and age, disability, and poverty status are available at the city/town and county level with 1-year estimates (most current) are now available.
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
In 2021, around 3.5% of veterans in Worcester County (2,294) experienced poverty in the prior year. Almost 26% of veterans in poverty had a disability.
Based on 2021 1-year estimates, 33,147 veterans lived in Worcester County, including 2,457 women veterans. In 2022, this increased to 36,264 veterans, including 2,610 women veterans.