PA House Approves Legislation For Women's Veteran Healthcare TaskForce

HARRISBURG, PA — Legislation to establish a taskforce to study women veteran healthcare issues in Pennsylvania has been approved by the full House of Representatives.

The approval of House Resolution 129 was announced by the office of State Rep. Tracy Pennycuick, a Republican who represents a district covering parts of central Montgomery County.

The legislator says the taskforce is needed since women veterans face their own unique set of healthcare issues.

Pennycuick herself is a military veteran who served in the Armed Forces before only recently becoming a state representative.

“The study is needed so Pennsylvania can apply for additional federal funding to support women veterans’ health care services in the Commonwealth,” Pennycuick said in a statement. “However, more importantly, we need as a state to do a better job of assessing and treating women veterans for their unique set of health needs, and this task force will help us achieve that goal.”

The taskforce would be comprised of women veterans who reside in Pennsylvania; representatives from the healthcare provider community; various state agency secretaries; and health care advocates with expertise in mental health care and addiction treatment issues.

Pennycuick says that with more than 71,000 women veterans across the commonwealth, "we need to do better."

“From how they process and deal with trauma and other mental health issues to obvious different physical needs, women veterans are not being adequately served under the current male-focused health care model,” Pennycuick said in her statement.

Pennycuick is also the state lawmaker behind House Bill 2361, which seeks to establish a Women Veterans Day in the Keystone State.

The bill seeks to recognize and designate June 12 each year as Women Veterans Day in Pennsylvania.

Pennycuick says that while women have served in the American military since before the formation of the United States, it was not until 1948 that women were recognized for such a role when President Harry S. Truman signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act on June 12 of that year.

"The citizens of this Commonwealth and Country truly are the beneficiaries of their great sacrifices," Pennycuick said in a sponsorship memo about the legislation. "Please join me in recognizing June 12th as Women Veterans Day, not as a day to only recognize women veterans, but a recognition as their importance to the war effort as permanent, regular members of the United States Armed Forces."

Legislative records show that that bill was re-sent on Tuesday to the House Appropriations Committee after it came before the full House on second consideration that same day. The legislation has a number of cosponsors.