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In this Update:

• May 26: Veteran Service Officer Day
• Measure Protecting Veterans’ Benefits Advances
• VA Moves to Better Ensure the Second Amendment Rights of Veterans
• Improving Access to Education and Training Benefits
• Pennsylvania Veterans Homes
• Gardening Discounts for Veterans

May 26: Veteran Service Officer Day

My office hosts monthly Veteran Service Officer Days to help veterans and their loved ones navigate and apply for benefits earned through military service.

Our next scheduled date is Tuesday, May 26^th, in my Mahanoy City Office. For an appointment, please call (570) 773-0891.

Measure Protecting Veterans’ Benefits Advances

The Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee approved legislation to protect veterans from individuals and organizations who charge excessive fees and engage in predatory practices on those applying for and receiving benefits.

Senate Bill 1209 would require certain people to annually register with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs if they are paid to assist a veteran, service member or eligible dependent with the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of a veterans’ benefits claim.

Before these individuals may provide a veteran any services, they will also be required to provide written disclosure of fees and services, as well as notice that free assistance is available from county directors of veterans affairs, congressionally chartered veterans’ service organizations and accredited representatives, paid assistance is not required to file a veterans’ benefits claim and filing a claim through a paid provider does not guarantee a favorable outcome or a specific disability rating.

Senate Bill 1209 will also prohibit those paid to assist with veterans’ benefits claims from directly soliciting veterans by phone, text, social media or in-person. It sets limits on compensation for those individuals and prohibits them from receiving any compensation for assisting with a veterans’ benefits matter filed within 365 days of a veteran’s release from active-duty service.

VA Moves to Better Ensure the Second Amendment Rights of Veterans

Veterans receiving assistance through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Fiduciary Program will no longer be deprived of their Second Amendment rights by being reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as “prohibited persons” based solely on their participation in the program.

The VA, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Justice, is ending its practice of reporting veterans in the program to NICS without a judicial or quasi-judicial body decision because it is prohibited under federal law and the U.S. Constitution. It is also having all past VA reporting of veterans in the Fiduciary Program removed from NICS. Ultimately, no veteran will be stripped of their Second Amendment rights just because they participate in the Fiduciary Program.

Improving Access to Education and Training Benefits

Claims for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make an official review of entitlements will no longer be needed by any veteran seeking more information regarding education and training benefits granted under the 2024 Supreme Court Rudisill decision.  

While the VA had previously notified 380,000 veterans of the need for them to submit a claim, a claim for an official decision on entitlement will not be required of them or any other veteran to learn more about their benefits. 

Eligibility for two different education programs has also been extended due to another federal court decision for certain veterans who served for a single obligated period of sufficient length.

More information can be found here.

Pennsylvania Veterans Homes

The state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs offers eligible veterans or surviving spouses’ residency in one of the six extended-care facilities throughout the state.

The varying levels of care provided include personal, ​​domiciliary, skilled nursing and memory care. To be eligible, the veteran must have an honorable discharge, served in the U.S. or PA Armed Forces and be resident at time of entry or current resident of Pennsylvania.

Click here for detailed instructions on how to apply or call the home you are interested in directly.

Gardening Discounts for Veterans

Are you looking to plant some fruits, vegetables, and flowers to get spring started?

There are plenty of discounts for veterans to get their gardens started, and flowerbeds and lawns looking refreshed!

• TruGreen – Offers a 10% discount for veterans on their annual plan.
• John Deere – Offers an upgraded John Deere Rewards membership which provides extra discounts on equipment, parts and merchandise. They require veterans to verify their eligibility through ID.me.
• Home Depot – Offers a 10% discount for veterans and their spouses on eligible purchases. A Home Depot account is required to receive the discount. Veteran status will be verified through a third-party vendor.
• Lowe’s – Offers a 10% discount to veterans and their spouses on eligible purchases. A MyLowe’s Rewards Personal Account is required to receive the discount, as well as veteran status verification through ID.me.

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