Dukes County
As of 2022, there were around 1,112 veterans living in Dukes County, including 106 women veterans. This page includes local event listings and directories of veterans’ services; veterans’ posts and auxiliaries; VA facilities; community behavioral health and peer recovery support centers; specialty courts; recovery meetings; elder services; and veteran owned businesses in Dukes County, along with census, VA spending, veteran homelessness, and public health data.
All events in Dukes County are tagged #southeast and #cape-cod. When you submit events, include tags and the town name so they show up in the relevant calendars and local listings.
Executive Office of Veterans’ Services
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 assists 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.
Dukes County Veterans’ Services
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. Dukes County Veterans Services District serves all cities/towns.
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The Veterans Posts and Auxiliaries directory includes information about the VFW and American Legion Posts, Marine Corps League Detachments, and DAV Chapters based in cities and towns in Dukes County.
VA Healthcare in Dukes County
Veterans in Dukes County are served by the VA Providence Healthcare System, which has no facilities on Martha’s Vineyard. Eligible veterans may qualify to receive a Fee Medical Card.
Anyone in Dukes County who has served in the military is encouraged to apply to determine their eligibility and Priority Group. Some veterans are exempt from co-pays due to their VA rating, income, or special eligibility factors.
Veterans in Priority Group 1 can use a Fee Medical Card to access primary care, but should contact the Hyannis VA and request an appointment if they need dental or specialty care.
Veterans in Priority Group 2 may receive a Fee Medical Card for service-connected conditions only and receive VA primary care through the Hyannis VA.
Click here for more information.
Massachusetts Community Behavioral Health Center
Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) are one-stop shops for mental health and substance use services and treatment. The network includes one center in Dukes County in Martha’s Vineyard offering immediate, confidential care for mental health and substance use needs that is open daily for walk-ins, routine appointments, and crisis care, including Mobile Crisis Intervention.
CBHCs are closely connected to the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL). The BHHL is a 24/7 clinical hotline staffed by trained behavioral health providers and peer coaches who offer clinical assessment, treatment referrals, and crisis triage services. Staff directly connect callers with the nearest CBHC when appropriate.
Massachusetts Peer Recovery Support Center
Peer Recovery Support Centers (PRSC) in Massachusetts are free accessible peer-led spaces that provide individuals in recovery from substance use, as well as their family members and loved ones, an opportunity to offer and receive human connection, community inclusion, peer support, and access to non-clinical resources. There is one center in Dukes County located in Oak Bluffs.
The Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline is staffed by a dedicated team of harm reductionists and people with lived and living experience with overdose. The hotline is not a recovery or treatment helpline; it connects people using drugs with trained operators who can call for help in case of overdose. It is available to anyone at risk of overdose.
Specialty Courts in Dukes County
The Massachusetts Center of Excellence for Specialty Courts, an initiative of the Executive Office of the Massachusetts Trial Court brings innovative, evidence-based, and equitable interventions to specialty courts.
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As of February 2024, the Edgartown (Martha's Vineyard) District Court operates Recovery Court sessions in Dukes County. Recovery Courts, also referred to as Drug Treatment Courts and Drug Courts, address the behavioral health and social support needs of adults involved with the criminal-legal system. Recovery Courts are designed to assist court-involved people in their path toward recovery from substance use and away from unlawful behavior.
The Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office is collaborating with community stakeholders to appeal to the Trial Court to open a Veterans’ Treatment Court session for the Cape and Islands area and is in the process of establishing Mental Health Court sessions.
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Twelve-step recovery programs meet online and in public settings to guide individuals in their recovery and generally have a general spiritual foundation, encouraging participants to look to a higher power, however they define it. The directory below links to 12-step programs by city/town.
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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.
Veteran Owned Businesses in Dukes County
This Veteran Owned Businesses directory is based on publicly available information and listings of veteran owned businesses in Dukes County. Click here to submit a business or update information.
Veterans in Dukes County
2022 ACS 5-year Estimates, Census Reporter
Based on the 2022 ACS 5-year estimates, there are around 1,112 veterans living in Dukes County, including 106 women veterans. You can explore the most recent American Community Survey estimates for Dukes County via Census Reporter at the city/town and county levels below.
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Age by sex by veteran status tables are available at the city/town and county level in Dukes County with 5-year estimates (most reliable) and there are additional tables with racial iterations:
White alone, White alone and not Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American alone, American Indian or Alaskan Native alone, Asian alone, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander alone, some other race alone, two or more races, and Hispanic or Latino.
Median income by veteran status by sex, veteran status by educational attainment, age by veteran status by employment status, service-connected disability status, and period of military service is available at the city/town and county level with 5-year estimates.
Age by disability by veteran and poverty status is not available for Dukes County.
Estimates include Armed Forces as a separate column for employment status by sex and age, educational attainment, poverty and disability, and presence of own children by employment status by age of children and family type; and marital status by sex by labor force participation. There are around 9 service members living in Dukes County.
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In October 2023, the US Census Bureau released the most recent 2022 data from , which includes The Census Bureau released the 2022 data from the Annual Business Survey in October 2023, which includes information about veteran-owned businesses at the state level within:
Company Summaries and Characteristics of Businesses tables by industry, sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status and Characteristics of Business Owners tables by Service-Disabled and Other Veteran Characteristics.
Module Business Characteristics tables by industry, sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status, including Effect of Coronavirus on Business Sales, Level of Operations During Coronavirus Pandemic, Level of Operations During Coronavirus Pandemic, and Outstanding Debt.
Over 75% of Dukes County veterans served during wartime (839 veterans). Over 71% are over age 65 (792 veterans), including the 76% of wartime veterans who served during the Vietnam, Korea, and/or World War II service eras (640 veterans).
Very low income wartime veterans may be eligible for the VA pension; those over age 65 may qualify whether or not they have a disability. County level data with veterans’ age, disability, and poverty status is not available for Dukes County to estimate the number of potentially eligible veterans.
VA Spending in Dukes County
According to the GDX Report, VA spending in Dukes County increased from $5.3 million in fiscal year 2022 to $5.7 million in Dukes County in fiscal year 2023. Spending included:
$2.2 million on medical care for 192 unique patients ($11,807 per patient), compared to $2.1 million for 195 unique patients in 2022 ($10,538 per patient);
$3 million in VA compensation and pension benefit payments in 2023, with no change from 2022; and
$282,000 for education benefits and vocational rehabilitation and employment services, compared to around $110,000 in 2022.
Around 10.4% of veterans in Dukes County had a service-connected disability (116 veterans), with most rated in the 10–20% range based on 2022 5-year ACS estimates. Veterans with service-connected disabilities generally qualify for VA compensation if VA rates their disability above 0%.
Veteran Homelessness in Dukes County
HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness. The Massachusetts CoC includes 12 regional CoCs, including the Cape Cod & Islands CoC covering Dukes County.
During the last week of January, CoC’s count all of the homeless people reported by service providers and counted by local police and volunteer groups on the streets. In 2023, veterans made up around 3.4% of the overall homeless population in Massachusetts, an increase from 2.2% in 2022.
From 2022 to 2023, the number of homeless veterans increased from 534 to 545, including 70 women, who made up 12.8% of homeless veterans counted. Veteran homelessness increased by less than 3% overall, with a 23% increase for women veterans.
Dukes County Public Health Data
The U.S. Center for Disease Control’s Suicide Prevention Strategies for Communities support the implementation of a public health approach that uses data to drive decision-making. Massachusetts does not publish comprehensive data surrounding the deaths of service members and veterans. The chart below includes toxicology data for suicide deaths overall in the Cape Cod and Islands area.
Opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions declined across all counties from 2015 to 2022, but suicide rates involving them remain significant, particularly in more isolated areas like Dukes County, suggesting unintended consequences of deprescribing, such as withdrawal or unmet mental health needs. Partial opioid agonist use rose but declined after 2019, indicating gaps in treatment access.
Stimulant prescriptions in Dukes County rose steadily, peaking in 2020, alongside a rise in amphetamine-involved suicides across the region, pointing to risks from psychological distress or misuse. Alcohol, marijuana, and antidepressants were frequently involved in suicide deaths, with antidepressant involvement rising sharply, and alcohol remaining a leading factor.
This data emphasizes the need for a comprehensive public health approach that balances prescription policies with access to mental health care and opioid agonist therapies. Treatment, harm reduction strategies, and behavioral health services are essential to preventing unintended outcomes and mitigating risks.