SAUGUS — Veterans packed the back of the last Board of Selectmen meeting to speak with the Board and Town Manager Scott Crabtree about the veterans’ service officer (VSO) empty position. The position has been vacant for almost four months after the district between Saugus, Melrose, and Wakefield dissolved.
The veterans hoped that this meeting would light a spark behind the process. In the end, the Board appointed former VSO Paul Cancelliere as an interim to the position, but this doesn’t change the situation. Cancelliere can help veterans and tell them where to go when they need something, but he can’t deal with the whole picture. Legally, the VSO must be hired by Crabtree. As of right now, Cancelliere can’t assist veterans with key processes.
These processes include Chapter 115 and appeals. With no VSO in town, veterans trying to apply for these benefits for the first time or make an appeal for them cannot.
According to mass.gov, the MA Executive Office of Veterans Services may be able to provide veterans with financial assistance if they are facing financial difficulties. Benefits include daily living expenses, medical costs, rent assistance, support of dependents, prevention of veteran homelessness, and behavioral health.
On some occasions, veterans are turned down by the state to receive these benefits. If this is the case, they may file an appeal and attempt to get said benefits again.
Massachusetts is also the only state where every town and city is legally required to have a VSO if the population exceeds 12,000. This is another mandate that falls under Chapter 115, established after the Civil War.
While veterans around the country have to travel for hours to meet with an officer, those in Massachusetts can be just minutes away.
As the meeting began, Chair Debra Panetta reminded everyone that the Board could not comment on personal issues or matters of litigation.
The first to rise among the veterans was Steve Castinetti, commander of the Saugus Veterans Council for 15 years.
“As you can see, I have a lot of support with us tonight, and we’re here for a reason. We don’t have a VSO, and we don’t see a reason why we don’t have a VSO. We had a great VSO up until the coalition broke up between Saugus, Melrose, and Wakefield. We don’t understand why Paul Cancelliere wasn’t reappointed the day that that thing broke up,” Castinetti said.
Castinetti said that Cancelliere has been one of the better VSOs they’ve had in the town for as long as he can remember.
“We’re disappointed in the lack of activity from the town in appointing someone to fill that position, and I’m here tonight to ask you, whatever you have to do, get Paul back in that position where he belongs,” he said.
Former VSO Jay Pinette emphasized how important it is to have an officer to handle Chapter 115.
“The Chapter 115 benefits can only be administered here in town. A Chapter 115 person cannot go to Wakefield and get benefits. These benefits are for people who need it, they’ve earned it, and then some,” Pinette said.
He continued, saying that there is no excuse for the position having been left unfilled.
“It’s been known since January that this was coming, and here we are in September, and we’re just talking about interviewing,” he said.
The town has continued to pay veterans their benefits. The problem lies in veterans new to the system being unable to apply for them through Chapter 115 or to apply for an appeal.
Pinette also mentioned the praise he has heard about Cancelliere’s work.
Cancelliere eventually came to the podium to speak, thanking the veterans for speaking on his behalf.
“This particular moment is not about me. It’s about the veterans. It’s about the veterans over the past three months that have not received the benefits that they have earned,” he said.
Cancelliere said his application for the position was in the day after the requisition opened.
He explained that for every dollar the town spends on the veterans, the town receives five in return. He also stated that on a monthly basis, the town has between 16 and 20 veterans enrolled in a Chapter 115 program from the Commonwealth.
“The town of Saugus is running at a risk. A risk of compliance,” he said. “Without a veteran service officer, the town is running a risk of falling out of compliance. What does that mean? That means that the state and the Executive Office of Veteran Services can cut back on what the town is reimbursed.”
Currently, the town is reimbursed 75%, but that can fall.
With every speaker, ranging from the Navy to the Army to a Gold Star wife, applause was immediate after they spoke. Cancelliere was given a standing ovation.
Selectman Anthony Cogliano motioned for the Board to appoint Cancelliere on an interim basis until Crabtree completes his interviews. Cogliano said Town Counsel confirmed they have the authority to appoint someone, but they cannot handle the pay and benefits.
Despite it not being on the agenda, there was a unanimous vote to appoint Cancelliere as the interim VSO.
Crabtree commented near the end of the discussion, saying that this isn’t a campaign for the position and that it was unprofessional and unorthodox. He said that he is “happy to discuss offline,” and that they are very close to filling the position in the next couple of weeks.
“I’m not aware (and the) town’s not aware of anybody who’s not getting benefits,” he said. “I think there’s things implied here that might not be accurate. This is a priority. … When I took over, we didn’t even have a veteran’s office.”
Crabtree emphasized that he and everybody on the Board cared for the veterans of Saugus.
As the conversation came to an end, Castinetti came forward one last time saying, “Madame Chairman, Board of Selectmen… You have the authority to appoint a VSO. You don’t have the authority to pay him. The Town Manager does. Stand on your own two feet and appoint somebody, and let’s see what he does with it. Thank you.”
