Mass. Gen. Laws » Part I Title IV Chapter 32
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 32, § 56 (2026)

Retirement of veteran if incapacitated

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 56. A veteran, as defined in section one, in sections fifty-six to sixty, inclusive, called a veteran, who is in the service of the commonwealth, or of any county, city, town or district or any housing authority or any redevelopment authority thereof, shall be retired, with the consent of the retiring authority, if incapacitated for active service, at one half of the highest annual rate of compensation, including any bonuses paid in lieu of additional salary or as a temporary wage increase in addition to his regular compensation, and including any allowance for maintenance, payable to him while he was holding the grade held by him at his retirement, and payable from the same source; provided, that he has been in the said service at least ten years, with a further allowance of one per cent of said annual rate of compensation for each additional year of service, but not to exceed sixty-five per cent in any case; and further provided, that he has a total income from all sources, exclusive of such retirement allowance and of any sum received from the government of the United States as a pension for war service, not exceeding one thousand dollars.

Any allowance for maintenance referred to in this section or in section fifty-seven or fifty-eight, if received otherwise than as a cash payment, shall be in an amount equal to the value thereof as fixed by the personnel administrator if the veteran is in the employ of the commonwealth, by the county personnel board if the veteran is in the employ of a county, and by the retiring authority if the veteran is in the employ of a city, town or district.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 5 cases, 1929–1982 · leading case: Town of Lexington v. Town of Bedford, 393 N.E.2d 321 (Mass. 1979).
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Town of Lexington v. Town of Bedford, 393 N.E.2d 321 (Mass. 1979). · cites it 2× “32, § 60), and who remains in such service for a certain number of years (G. L. c. 32, §§ 56, 57, 58), is eligible to receive a pension from the governmental unit from which he retires, at no cost to himself.”
Lacouture v. Ret. Bd. of Quincy, 419 N.E.2d 1052 (Mass. App. Ct. 1981). · cites it 2× ““in 1938 would not meet the requirements for retirement under” G. L. c. 32, §§ 56 to 60. This view was confirmed by an opinion of Brockton’s city solicitor, dated June 1, 1979.”
Bianchi v. Ret. Bd., 270 N.E.2d 792 (Mass. 1971). “For similar interpretations of G. L. c. 32, §§ 56 and 57, see Rep. A. G.”
Fulton v. City of Boston, 165 N.E. 684 (Mass. 1929). · cites it 4× “He is a resident of the city of Boston, and the provisions of G. L. c. 32, §§56 and 59 were accepted by the mayor of the city of Boston September 30, 1920, and the provisions of St.”
Cardellicchio v. Bd. of Ret. of Natick, 443 N.E.2d 412 (Mass. App. Ct. 1982). “In 1978, Cardellicchio, a veteran, then a captain in the Natick Fire Department (the department) with past employment there for a period of thirty years in the aggregate *904 sought noncontributory retirement under G. L. c. 32, §§56 to 60, as amended, especially § 58.”
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