Pennsylvania has enacted a law requiring staff who support veterans in the state to receive more training on different service-related physical and psychological traumas in order to enhance the care they provide to veterans.
Under the measure, House Bill 2024, County Veteran Assistance Directors must complete extra training and certification in areas including trauma-informed care, military sexual trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Veteran Trauma
There are nearly 700,000 veterans in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), nearly one in three women and one in 50 men in the armed forces report sexual assault or sexual harassment while conducting military service.
Meanwhile, in 2024, 471 service members died by suicide, and the overall military suicide rate was 23.2 per 100,000 service members, according to data issued by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).
That represented an 11% decrease from the 531 reported deaths in 2023. Veterans face a 58% higher suicide risk.
Enlisted males under 30 are the most at-risk demographic, accounting for 56% of military suicides in 2024, according to DOD statistics.
In terms of physical trauma, new VA data has revealed that the number of cases of TBI, which occurs when a sudden blow to the head causes damage to the brain, grew by 26% between 2021 and 2025, averaging more than 28,000 annual cases.
The law aims to support those in the state with these traumas and others as they transition into civilian life.
The measure was introduced by state Rep. Melissa Shusterman (D-Chester), and Gov. Josh Shapiro signed it into law on Monday. The Commonwealth’s Women Veterans Health Care Task Force helped to develop the law, and Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (R-Montgomery/Berks) sponsored companion legislation, Senate Bill 1061.
“We owe it to our veterans to ensure that the resources and support we provide them are effective,” Shusterman said in a statement.
“I look forward to finding more ways to continue serving those who sacrificed so much for us,” she added.
Other Legislation in Pennsylvania
Elsewhere, this week, Shapiro also signed other bills concerning veterans and the military. Under Senate Bill 130, funeral directors and cemeteries must notify a county director of veterans affairs when a service person dies, so families can access available benefits for deceased service persons and next of kin.
He also signed a bill that established Korean War Veterans Armistice Day on July 27, requiring governors to issue an annual proclamation encouraging schools to observe the date.
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