DMVA To Host Virtual Town Hall on Veteran Transportation Issues, Says Boback

The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) will host the fourth in a five-part series of virtual town hall meetings for veterans on Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 6-7:30 p.m., according to Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming). The discussion will focus on resources to assist veterans facing transportation issues.

One of the presenters will be Brig. Gen. (PA) Maureen Weigl, DMVA deputy adjutant general for veterans affairs.

“Older veterans and those with a disability often face the challenge of access to health care because of not having proper transportation available to them,” said Weigl. “We want veterans to know that help is available. There are community organizations ready and able to provide veterans with transportation to and from the federal VA and other health care providers.”

Veterans can participate by using a Microsoft Teams link available on the DMVA’s website at www.dmva.pa.gov. They will have the opportunity to ask questions of the presenters live during the program through the chat feature.

DMVA to Host Virtual Veteran Town Hall

The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) will host the first in a five-part series of virtual Veteran Town Halls on Wednesday, March 16, from 5-6:30 p.m., according to Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming). The topic will be veteran suicide prevention, with a focus on the support and resources available to veterans throughout the Commonwealth.

“As majority chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, I am pleased the DMVA has made suicide prevention the topic of its first virtual town hall of the year,” said Boback. “It is critical that Pennsylvania veterans know what resources are available to them when they need someone to talk with about their emotional issues.”

Attendees can participate by using a WebEx link. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of the presenters live through the chat feature. They should visit DMVA’s website at www.dmva.pa.gov, Twitter of Facebook pages for the WebEx link. 

The series of virtual town halls will provide the Commonwealth’s nearly 800,000 veterans with a convenient platform to learn and ask questions about programs and services earned through their military service.

The following are the dates, times and topics for the four remaining 2022 Virtual Veteran Town Hall events:

May 18, 5-6:30 p.m. – Serving Older Veterans.
July 13, 5-6:30 p.m. – Resources for Homeless Veterans.
Sept. 14, 5-6:30 p.m. – Transportation Issues Facing Veterans.
Nov. 2, 5-6:30 p.m. – Honoring Veterans for Their Service and Sacrifice.

New Law Updates CDL Requirements for PA Veterans, Service Members

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) announced today that a new Pennsylvania law waives the requirement for Pennsylvania residents who are current and former military members and who operated a commercial vehicle as part of their duties, to take a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Knowledge Test when applying for a CDL. Previous legislation – Act 133 of 2008 – established a waiver of the CDL skills test for these individuals.

“We are pleased to announce this important change and hope that it helps military members in their transition to civilian life find good-paying, sustainable employment to begin their new lives,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian.

Act 131 of 2020 allows the PennDOT to waive the CDL Knowledge Test for Pennsylvania residents on active or reserve military duty or recently honorably discharged veterans, provided those service members have at least two years of experience operating a commercial motor vehicle as part of their military job requirements.

The waiver applies to CDL applicants who wish to operate vehicles similar to those they operated in the military. For example, those who drove combination type commercial (Class A) motor vehicles in the military will be eligible in Pennsylvania for a waiver to drive a combination type vehicle and those who drove a single motor vehicle of commercial type (Class B) in the military will be eligible in Pennsylvania for the waiver to drive that type of vehicle. Applicants must complete form DL-398, “Application for Military CDL Test Waiver,” to request the waiver.

Doubles, triples and school bus endorsements cannot be waived under this program. PennDOT will waive the knowledge test specified, subject to the limitations in the 49 Code of Federal Regulation Section 383.77, to an applicant who meets all the requirements for a waiver.

“Service members gain many valuable skills in the military that translate well into the civilian job sector,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania’s acting adjutant general and acting head of the DMVA. “This program is a huge opportunity to assist our veterans and service members with these skills to get good jobs as Pennsylvania is critically short in CDL drivers.”

Military personnel and veterans interested in taking advantage of the CDL skills and knowledge test waivers can find further information by visiting www.dmv.pa.gov, click on Driver Services and choose Military Personnel Veterans from the dropdown. Form DL-398 can be found under Forms and Publications on the homepage.