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Radio PA Roundtable – October 28-30, 2016

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On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, officials from Fayette County have concerns after devastating flooding in their region over the summer; veterans groups tell lawmakers about their needs in the coming years; and the state House of Representatives avoids one big vote in the stretch run of the legislative session.

Click the audio player below to hear the full broadcast:

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New Law Puts Veteran on Civil Service Commission

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Ron Marsico

State Rep. Ron Marsico speaks in the Governor's Reception Room.

The latest law signed by Governor Tom Corbett requires that at least one member of the Civil Service Commission be a veteran of the United States Armed Forces.  “This legislation will say that Pennsylvania’s veterans will finally have what they deserve, a constant representation on the state’s Civil Service Commission,” says State Rep. Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin), the bill’s prime sponsor. 

 “We discovered that the Pennsylvania Civil Service Commission has not always met its goal of seeing that the veterans get the extra consideration that they earned,” Governor Corbett said as he thanked Auditor General Jack Wagner for calling attention to the problem. 

It was a 2008 audit that first found that state agencies skirted veterans’ preference requirements and failed to consider eligible veterans for 569 vacant positions.  The state’s Veterans’ Preference Program provides that veterans who pass the civil service exam receive 10 additional points, and have mandatory hiring preference if they have one of the top three scores for the position being considered. 

Auditor General Jack Wagner says the new law is especially important during a time when the unemployment rate among returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is now 10.9% in Pennsylvania.  That’s much higher than the statewide unemployment rate of 8.2%.  “A veteran on the commission will ensure that the civil service system works properly for all of Pennsylvania’s veterans,” Wagner said in a written statement. 

Just before signing the new law, Governor Corbett announced that he’s nominated John Stevens to the commission.  “He is a man who knows both the purpose of civil service and the needs of our veterans,” Corbett says.   Stevens, a Centre County resident, is a veteran of both the Pennsylvania National Guard and US Army.  His nomination is subject to Senate confirmation.

Flags in the State Capitol Rotunda

PA Veterans Can Qualify for Benefits

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Memorial Day is a time for all Americans to honor those who have lost their lives in defense of freedom.  It’s also a time to thank our surviving veterans – both young and old – for serving this country.  Here in Pennsylvania, there are more than 964,000 veterans to whom we owe a debt of gratitude.  While Pennsylvania’s veteran population topped 1.11-million in 2005, officials say we still rank fourth among states in terms of our population of veterans.

“Although the number of veterans in our state has gone down over the last five years, we’ve been able to help veterans secure more funding, particularly in pension and compensation benefits,” says Department of Military and Veterans Affairs spokeswoman Joan Nissley.  She tells us Pennsylvania veterans received $1.5-billion dollars in benefits in federal fiscal year 2010.  “That’s money that’s actually coming into our veterans’ pockets,” she says.  VA expenditures also totaled more than $3.8-billion in Pennsylvania in fiscal year 2010. 

Nissley also encourages those veterans who have recently returned from Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere to seek the benefits that they’ve earned.  “When it’s time for them and they’re ready they can come to us, or to a county director for veterans’ affairs, or to an accredited veterans’ service officer at one of the state veterans organizations,” Nissley says.  A good first stop for vets interested in learning more about their benefits is the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs website. 

On this Memorial Day, President Barack Obama has designated the hour beginning at 11am as the time for America to unite in prayer.  President Obama is also asking all Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance at 3pm local time.  This tradition dates back to 1950.