Bill > S143

This bill establishes the Massachusetts Veterans Assistance Trust Fund, an expendable trust dedicated to supporting veterans and their families. The fund will be financed through profits from a special instant lottery scratch ticket, available annually from May 1-31 and November 1-30, coinciding with Memorial and Veterans Day, with the commission ensuring marketing efforts for other lottery games are not diminished. Additional revenue for the fund can come from gifts, grants, awards, and interest. The trust's purpose is to administer grants, fund additional services, and conduct research on various veteran-related issues, including mental health and substance abuse, housing and homelessness, health insurance, disability benefits, long-term care, employment and training, education, Gold Star family support, and the Massachusetts War Memorial Commission. A three-member funding authorization committee, chaired by the Secretary of Veterans' Services, will oversee the expenditure of funds through an application process, with the committee members appointed by the governor and excluding any legislators. A portion of lottery ticket sales will be collected and must be expended before May 1 of the following year, and these funds are intended to supplement, not replace, existing money allocated by the Department of Veterans' Services for these purposes.