Massachusetts’ BRAVE Act treatment
Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 118E, Section 25 exempts the entire amount of a monthly VA payment to a veteran or a widowed spouse, including pension, Aid and Attendance, and housebound benefits, when the veteran or widowed spouse would not have received the payment but for unreimbursed medical expense. The statute places conditions on the exemption, so the VA award information and medical-expense basis should be retained (M.G.L. c. 118E, § 25).
MassHealth’s BRAVE Act operations memo explains that the disregard applies in financial eligibility and post-eligibility for the non-MAGI population when the payment is received because unreimbursed medical expenses caused VA eligibility. The same memo says the rule does not change the MAGI population’s treatment (MassHealth BRAVE Act memo).
Massachusetts has two State Veterans Homes
The Massachusetts Veterans Homes location page identifies the Veterans Home in Chelsea and the Veterans Home in Holyoke. The Chelsea home states that it offers residential and long-term-care services to eligible Massachusetts veterans, and the Commonwealth’s locations page provides contact information for both facilities (Massachusetts Veterans Homes locations).
A State Veterans Home is a separate residential and long-term-care option, not a replacement for checking MassHealth payment, VA pension, Medicare, or private-pay rules. Admissions and financial questions should be taken directly to the home and the benefit agency with the applicant’s current service, income, and care information (Massachusetts Veterans Homes eligibility information).
Property-tax relief is local and category-specific
Massachusetts offers local property-tax exemptions for qualifying veterans and some spouses or survivors. The state lists baseline exemption categories from $400 to $1,500 and states that the HERO Act permits certain municipalities to double an exemption and/or tie it to inflation; the current local amount must be confirmed with the municipal assessor (Massachusetts veterans property-tax exemptions).
MassHealth intersection: A VA pension, Aid and Attendance, or housebound payment may be disregarded only when the Chapter 118E conditions are satisfied. Keep the VA award letter and unreimbursed-medical-expense support for MassHealth review (
M.G.L. c. 118E, § 25).
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