BOSTON — Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve — a former Marine Corps captain — this week put forward an eight-point "Honoring Our Veterans" plan, anchored by a "No Wrong Door" pledge to auto-match veterans to state benefits.
His eight points:
- Auto-match veterans with benefits using state data. A "No Wrong Door" system that proactively connects veterans to the benefits they already qualify for through existing state data systems — instead of waiting for them to apply.
- Expand property tax exemptions for disabled veterans. A single statewide standard for disabled-veteran property tax relief, with the state reimbursing cities for lost revenue so the break doesn't depend on which town a veteran lives in.
- Prioritize homeless veterans for housing assistance. Stricter enforcement of existing veteran housing priority rules so homeless veterans move faster into housing and long-term care.
- Incentives for developers to build Veterans Preference Units. Tax incentives, expedited permitting, and density bonuses for housing built specifically for veterans.
- Same-week mental health appointments. A guarantee that veterans can see a mental health provider within the same week, paid for by expanding provider participation and veteran-specialized care.
- A state veterans crisis response unit. A statewide rapid-response team coordinating with local police, EMS, veterans organizations, and mental health providers for veterans in crisis.
- Expanded tax credits for companies hiring veterans. Modernize and grow the state's existing veteran-hire tax credit.
- One unified Massachusetts Veterans Portal. A single website where veterans apply for benefits, find verified resources, access crisis services, and connect with vetted nonprofits.
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— Brian Shortsleeve (@ShortsleeveMA) May 15, 2026This week, I announced my "Honoring Our Veterans" Plan to improve how Massachusetts treats those who fought for all of us...
"Massachusetts veterans should never have to navigate a maze of bureaucracy just to receive the benefits they already earned," Shortsleeve said in the announcement. "When I'm governor, veterans will never be treated like an afterthought again."
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Shortsleeve also named names in a separate statement provided to Mass Daily News. "For years, Michelle Wu and Maura Healey have treated veterans like a line item to cut instead of heroes to honor," Shortsleeve said. "Slashing veterans services by 14% while ballooning the overall budget tells you exactly where their priorities are."
The 14% figure refers to Boston's FY27 budget, which cuts the city's Veterans Department by 14.6% — roughly eleven times the average departmental haircut — even as the DEI cluster sits at $22.3 million across fourteen offices, up from $900,000 in Mayor Wu's first year, as Mass Daily News first reported using data from the Massachusetts Data Hub.
Shortsleeve also credited two Boston city councilors by name — Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy — as among the few "willing to stand up and fight" for veterans inside City Hall. Flynn — the South Boston councilor, Navy veteran, and only disabled veteran on the Boston City Council — recently used his floor time to deliver one of the sharpest speeches of the FY27 cycle. "I'm shocked that there is not an outcry from this body on cuts to the veterans department," Flynn told colleagues. "Even five cents cutting the veterans budget — even five cents — sends a message that veterans are just like anybody else."
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