Massachusetts built a program that puts a free state ID in your hand before you leave. The Registry of Motor Vehicles sends a mobile workstation to DOC facilities statewide -- the unit takes your photo, captures your signature, verifies your documents, and issues the ID. There is no cost to you. Since the program launched in March 2023 through April 2025, more than 1,250 people left Massachusetts state prisons with a state-issued ID they did not have to chase down after release.
Massachusetts also built something equally important on the healthcare side: 12 months of continuous MassHealth coverage for anyone released from jail or prison. You do not lose your MassHealth coverage because your income or circumstances change in the first year out. The coverage holds for 12 months. That is one of the strongest post-release Medicaid continuity policies in the country.
Here is how both programs work and where the gaps are.
The Enhanced State ID Program
The Enhanced State ID Program, run in partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) and the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), applies to people releasing from the 13 state DOC facilities. The mobile RMV workstation visits facilities statewide. The ID is issued at no cost.
In 2023, 572 people received IDs through the program. In 2024, that rose to 669 -- with 233 of those issued directly by the mobile unit visiting facilities. The numbers are growing.
Ask your case manager or reentry specialist whether your RMV ID application has been submitted and whether the mobile unit has been scheduled at your facility. If your release is approaching and this has not been initiated, raise it immediately.
Important note: The Enhanced State ID Program currently applies to state DOC facilities. If you are releasing from a county jail run by a sheriff's department, the program does not automatically apply. County jails released nearly 4,000 people in 2022. Pending legislation would require ID applications at least 120 days before release for both state prisons and county jails. Ask your facility what ID assistance is available and what documents you need to gather on your own.
Getting Your Massachusetts State ID After Release
If you release without a state ID, visit any Massachusetts RMV service center. Find locations at mass.gov/rmv. Standard state ID fees apply for applications processed outside the Enhanced State ID Program.
You will need documents establishing your identity, Social Security number, and Massachusetts residency. Your DOC or county facility release documentation can serve as proof of Massachusetts residency. Bring your birth certificate or passport and Social Security card.
Getting Your Social Security Card
Ask your case manager whether the SSA prerelease process has been initiated. If your Social Security card was not obtained before release, contact SSA at 1-800-772-1213, apply online at ssa.gov, or visit your nearest SSA office. Replacement cards are free.
Getting Your Birth Certificate
If you were born in Massachusetts, request a certified copy from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics at mass.gov/orgs/registry-of-vital-records-and-statistics or by calling (617) 740-2600. Fees are currently $20 per copy.
If you were born in another state, contact that state's vital records office. Note from the GBH investigation in early 2024: out-of-state birth certificate complications can delay the ID process significantly. Start this as early as possible inside.
MassHealth: 12-Month Continuous Coverage
Massachusetts expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Massachusetts Medicaid is called MassHealth and is administered by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS).
MassHealth provides 12 months of continuous coverage for members released from jail or prison. This means that even if your income changes, you experience housing instability, or your circumstances shift in the first year out, your MassHealth coverage will not be interrupted during that 12-month window. This is a strong protection designed specifically for the reentry period.
Massachusetts has an approved MassHealth 1115 Reentry Demonstration Waiver. Under this waiver, MassHealth covers certain services for 90 days before release for all Medicaid-eligible people in county jails, state prisons, or in the care and custody of the Department of Youth Services. Pre-release enrollment is coordinated through facility staff who help complete and submit MassHealth applications as close to intake as possible -- not just at the end of the sentence.
Ask your case manager whether your MassHealth enrollment has been confirmed and whether your MassHealth ID card will be ready at release.
After release, manage your MassHealth through the MyServices portal at mass.gov/myservices, by calling MassHealth Customer Service at 1-800-841-2900 (TDD/TTY: 711), or at your local MassHealth Enrollment Center.
MassHealth also provides specialized post-release supports:
Behavioral Health Supports for Justice Involved Individuals (BH-JI) -- connects you with behavioral health services, substance use disorder treatment programs, and other social supports after release. Community Support Programs for Justice Involved Individuals (CSP-JI) -- community-based organizations that work with MassHealth to provide services and support during reentry. Community Partners Program -- helps you navigate the healthcare system and coordinates with your doctors and insurance.
Call MassHealth at 1-800-841-2900 to learn which of these programs may apply to you.
SNAP: Food Assistance
Massachusetts SNAP is administered by the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA). Apply online at dtaconnect.eohhs.mass.gov, by calling 1-877-382-2363, or at your local DTA office. DTA serves one in seven Massachusetts residents through direct economic help and SNAP food benefits.
Massachusetts does not impose a lifetime ban on SNAP for people with felony drug convictions. You are generally eligible to apply immediately after release if you meet income and residency requirements.
Benefits are typically issued on an EBT card within 30 days. Expedited SNAP for households with urgent need can be issued within 7 days.
SSI and SSDI
SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) are federal programs available if you have a qualifying disability.
SSI payments are suspended after one full calendar month of incarceration. If you were incarcerated for less than 12 consecutive months, SSI can be reinstated the month you are released -- contact SSA immediately. If incarcerated 12 or more consecutive months, file a new application.
SSDI payments are suspended after 30 continuous days of incarceration following conviction. Contact SSA with your release documents for reinstatement.
MassHealth and SSI eligibility are linked in Massachusetts. Notify MassHealth and SSA on the same day.
Veterans Benefits
If you served in the U.S. military, the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services (DVS) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provide benefits after release. Contact DVS at mass.gov/veterans or the nearest VA facility.
Massachusetts has a VA medical center in Boston (Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury campuses) and community-based outpatient clinics statewide. The VA Healthcare for Re-Entry Veterans (HCRV) program provides transitional case management for veterans leaving incarceration. VA benefits suspended during incarceration can be reinstated -- notify the VA of your release date and bring your DD-214 and release documents.
DOC policy requires that veterans inside MDOC are connected to Veterans' Services, housing, and medical appointments as part of reentry planning.
Additional Resources
MassHire Career Centers (masshirecareers.com): Massachusetts's American Job Center network providing job search, career counseling, training, WOTC coordination, and Federal Bonding access statewide.
School of Reentry: A pilot program at the Boston Pre-Release Center for people in minimum security serving the end of their sentences. Programs support life skills, employment, and reentry preparation.
Behavioral Health Help Line: Available 24/7 for all Massachusetts residents at 1-833-773-2445 or by text.
Start Before You Leave
The Enhanced State ID Program requires your documents to be verified before the mobile unit can issue your ID. That means your birth certificate, Social Security card, and any supporting identity documents need to be gathered well before your release date -- not the week before.
Ask your reentry specialist: Has my RMV ID application been submitted? Has my birth certificate been obtained? Has my Social Security card been secured? Has my MassHealth enrollment been confirmed and is my MassHealth ID card on the way?
Know the gap if you are in a county jail: confirm ID assistance with your facility directly.
On release day: your state ID should be in hand. Your MassHealth coverage should be active with 12 months of continuous eligibility locked in. Apply for SNAP at dtaconnect.eohhs.mass.gov. Contact MassHealth for BH-JI or CSP-JI enrollment if you have behavioral health or substance use needs.
Massachusetts has built more reentry infrastructure per person released than almost any state in this series. The ID program, the 12-month MassHealth continuity, the 1115 waiver, the BH-JI and CSP-JI programs -- use all of it.