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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
06/16/2024 02:56 PM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?SPick=20230&chamber=H&cosponId=42493
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House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: April 10, 2024 01:59 PM
From: Representative Alec J. Ryncavage
To: All House members
Subject: Fixing the oversight in Disabled Veterans License Plate
 
Did you know that the "Disabled Veteran Plate," which certifies a veteran's disability and is issued by PennDOT, does not grant veterans parking privileges for disabled parking spaces?

Veterans with these plates do not even know they are violating the law when parking in areas designated as being reserved for persons with disability in these spaces.

Furthermore, these disabled veterans cannot request a handicap parking spot in front of their home if they live alongside a state highway.

In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation fixing this oversight and designating a new license plate, the Veteran with Disability plate.


Currently, disabled veterans have an option of either:
  • Severely Disabled Veteran Plate: reserved for those with 100% service-related disabilities, or a
  • Disabled Veteran Plate: designated for those with a disability certified by the Service Unit or VA but excludes parking privileges for disability spaces.

These options leave out a significant portion of veterans who merit recognition for their contributions to our country but have disabilities unrelated to their military service or require accommodation.

My proposed legislation aims to address this oversight by authorizing PennDOT to introduce a new type of plate: the Veteran with Disability plate. This plate would be available to veterans with disabilities not directly linked to their service or who do not meet the 100%-disabled threshold but still need parking. Importantly, it would grant access to disability parking, among other accommodations, just like a standard disability plate.

This legislation is about recognizing the sacrifices of all veterans, regardless of the origin of their disabilities.