The Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg.

The Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg.

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<p>Schindler</p>

Schindler

<p>Weigl</p>

Weigl

<p>Meuser</p>

Meuser

<p>Casey</p>

Casey

<p>Cartwright</p>

Cartwright

WILKES-BARRE — The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) encourages veterans who need assistance with locating their lost DD Form 214 (DD-214) and other military documents to contact the DMVA so they can get credit for time served and receive veteran benefits they have earned.

The DD-214 is a Department of Defense document issued upon a service member’s retirement, separation or discharge from active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. It contains information needed to verify military service for benefits, retirement, employment and membership in veterans’ organizations.

Without this key document, there could be significant delays when a veteran seeks benefits earned through their military service.

“The DMVA makes helping veterans find their lost DD-214 and other military documents a top priority,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the DMVA. “Having their military paperwork is an important first step in accessing the benefits veterans have earned through their service to our nation.”

The DMVA can also assist with locating the DD-215, which is used to correct errors or make additions to a DD-214, helping to assure that veterans have accurate discharge documentation.

Over the past fiscal year, the DMVA has responded to total of 790 requests and nearly 1,100 phone calls for assistance with finding military records.

The easiest way to manage military documents and avoid having to frantically search for them is to make sure they are filed in a safe place immediately upon leaving the military.

“It is vital that we educate service members on the importance of safeguarding military documents as soon as they transition to civilian life,” said Brig. Gen. (PA) Maureen Weigl, deputy adjutant general for Veterans Affairs. “One of the best places to file military documents such as the DD-214 is at your county courthouse. This will ensure documents are kept in a safe place and available for access at the convenience of veterans and their family members, even if the paperwork is needed decades later.”

Anyone needing assistance from the DMVA to locate their DD-214/215, or other military documentation, can call toll-free 1-800-547-2838 or e-mail RA-REQ@pa.gov.

More information about locating military documents can be found by visiting the Records Request Program.

Another way to stay in touch is for veterans, family members and people who work with veterans to sign up for the DMVA’s Veterans Registry by visiting www.register.dmva.pa.gov.

Meuser supports SAVE Act to ensure election integrity

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, this week voted in favor of H.R. 8281 — the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.

The legislation would require proof of American citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

This legislation has become increasingly necessary given more than 10 million illegal immigrants have crossed our border due to the Biden Administration’s open border policies.

Though federal law mandates that only citizens can vote, states are not required to verify proof of citizen during voter registration. The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) directs states to offer a federal voter registration form when individuals apply for a driver’s license or state benefits.

In states where non-citizens, including illegal immigrants, can obtain driver’s licenses and receive public assistance, there is a possibility that non-citizens have been given voter registration forms in those states.

Despite laws prohibiting non-citizens from unlawfully crossing the border, clearly, we know it is still occurring. Therefore, greater steps must be taken to ensure illegal immigrants are not further skirting our laws by attempting to vote.

“At this pivotal moment in history, when the right to vote holds greater significance than ever, Americans deserve unwavering confidence in the integrity of our elections,” Meuser said. “As millions of illegal immigrants have entered our country during Biden’s Border Crisis, requiring proof of American citizenship to register to vote serves as a safeguard against unlawful votes and voters. The SAVE Act is commonsense, and one could reasonably conclude that those who voted against this bill are in favor of non-citizens voting. This bill goes beyond elections or politics — it is about protecting the very foundation of our democratic republic.”

The SAVE Act passed the House by a vote of 221-198 and was referred to the Senate for further consideration.

Casey holds hearing on how corporate greed is hurting Pa. families’ budgets

At a U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Children and Families Subcommittee hearing this week, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, chairman, highlighted how “greedflation” places unfair burdens on American children and families.

In the hearing, Casey spotlighted four reports that he has released detailing how corporate greed led to higher prices and record corporate profits while American families struggle to pay for their everyday necessities.

He also invited two Pennsylvanians to testify on their experiences with higher costs and how greedflation is hurting their budgets.

“While families struggled, corporations took in record profits, using inflation as a cover to artificially inflate their prices,” Casey said. “I’m calling it greedflation, and I am fighting back. Pennsylvanians, and all Americans, deserve to pay fair prices — and we must hold corporations accountable for all the ways in which they take advantage of consumers.”

The hearing shone a light on how corporations are fleecing Americans and about what can be done to protect the Nation’s children and families. Since November 2023, Chairman Casey has been investigating corporate price gouging and other actions by big corporations that have squeezed the budgets of American families and contributed to the increase in inflation.

In November, Chairman Casey released the first report in his greedflation series, “Greedflation: How Corporations Are Making Record Profits on the Backs of American Families,” detailing how big corporations are using inflation as cover to raise prices and rake in record profits at the expense of middle-class American families and laying out Senator Casey’s vision to hold greedy corporations accountable. Corporate executives claim they’ve “earned the right” to raise prices and that their products “are worth paying a little bit more for.”

In June 2024, Casey linked Target, Walmart and Amazon — the Nation’s largest, second largest, and sixth largest retailers — to greedflation. Sen. Casey demanded that Target, Walmart and Amazon explain their pricing decisions, including how inflation impacts their decision making, the duration of the recently announced price changes, the corporations’ use of shrinkflation, and how they work with brands sold in store to monitor price changes and package changes.

At Aging Committee hearing, Casey touts Capping Prescription Costs Act

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, held a hearing highlighting his efforts to lower health care costs for American patients.

At the hearing, entitled “Health Care Transparency: Lowering Costs and Empowering Patients,” Sen. Casey touted his new Capping Prescription Costs Act, which would bring down prescription costs for millions of Americans.

“Prescription drug costs are like a bag of rocks tied around the necks of millions of Americans, weighing them down every single day, and Congress has a responsibility to lessen that weight,” Chairman Casey. “We have made a lot of progress on health care costs over the last few years, particularly by passing the Inflation Reduction Act, which is capping prescription drug costs for Medicare Part D beneficiaries. My new bill will extend those savings to the millions of Americans who have private insurance.”

Chairman Casey has long been a leader in the Senate’s efforts to bring down prescription drug costs.

Casey’s new bill will extend that out-of-pocket cost cap to the commercial health care market. The new $2,000 cap on cost-sharing for individuals and $4,000 for families will apply to all of the 173 million Americans who have private health insurance.

Cartwright earns top marks for bipartisan cooperation, finding ‘common ground’

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, this week was named a “Common Ground Champion” for working across the aisle to deliver for his constituents.

In a ranking of all U.S. House Members, U.S. Senators, and Governors run by the Common Ground Committee, Cartwright proved more bipartisan than over 90% of national lawmakers.

Since taking office in 2013, Cartwright said he has introduced more bills with bipartisan support “than any other House Democrat.” He said this no-nonsense approach has delivered results: Cartwright wrote and passed “16 substantive bills into law,” earning final signatures from each of the last three presidents.

The Common Ground Committee, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving political discourse, publishes the scorecard in question.

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.