State officials present overhaul of Title 43 to streamline veterans benefits

Jared Solomon, chair of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, opened a hearing to review proposed regulatory updates and invited the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) to explain the changes. “We are here to exercise, our powers under rule 45…to build a relationship with our great folks at DMVA when it comes to guideline changes,” Solomon said at the start of the session.

Keith Graham, executive director of programs and outreach for DMVA, and Jeff King, director of the Bureau of Veterans Programs, described a multi-year rewrite that will delete the existing Title 43 PA Code Chapter 5 (last updated in 1991) and replace it with a new Chapter 5a covering eight state veterans benefit programs. King said the rewrite is intended to “develop a process for this rule making that was consistent, accurate, efficient, and provide the highest level of transparency in the administrative procedures for our state veterans benefits.”

The witnesses told members the changes are driven partly by federal law and recent program demand. They said the rewrite will harmonize how county offices apply eligibility rules, reduce idiosyncratic local procedures, and enable a standard five-year review cycle to keep regulations current. The department also plans implementation work—website modernization and digital application tools—to reduce applicant burden.