Veterans Affairs
VA Announces $42 Million In Grants To Fight Veteran Homelessness
The VA announced the availability of $42 million in grants to eligible organizations to assist homeless veterans and those at risk of homelessness with various legal services. Grant applications are due by 4 p.m. EST, July 7, 2025. Organizations can apply for grants worth up to $500,000, which will fund operations for a two-year period beginning Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2027.
Funds are designed to help veterans with issues including landlord-tenant disputes, child support court proceedings, and navigating the process of obtaining disability compensation.
“Veterans who have difficulties transitioning from military to civilian life often find themselves struggling with life’s social challenges, including housing insecurity,” said Keith Graham, Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs’ (DMVA) executive director of Veterans Programs.
The DMVA also helps connect homeless veterans to important resources via programs including:
Veterans Homes
Annual Veterans’ Homes Week – June 14-21
Pennsylvania’s long-term care veterans homes honored their residents, family members and staff with week-long festivities during their annual Veterans’ Homes Week.
Delaware Valley Veterans’ Home, Gino J. Merli Veterans’ Center, Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home, Southeastern Veterans’ Center and Southwestern Veterans’ Center celebrated during the week of June 14–21.
Hollidaysburg Veterans’ Home held their Veterans’ Homes Week celebration on May 14 due to the ongoing construction on the home’s grounds.
Throughout the week, the residents enjoyed a variety of activities and entertainment such as a carnival, musical and comedy performances, picnics, parades, campfires, military ceremonies, and a petting zoo.
Activities like these greatly benefit the residents by increasing their social connections and promoting a more active lifestyle. The cost for most of these activities are paid for by each home’s Resident Welfare Fund. Donations to these funds can be made online at www.donate.dmva.pa.gov.
In addition to offering year-round recreational and leisure activities, each veterans home provides residents with essential equipment and furnishings, on-site medical and pharmacy services, physical and occupational therapy, and 24-hour nursing care. Other special amenities at each home include a library, snack bar/gift shop commonly known as the “Canteen,” transportation services, barber and beauty services, and in-house chapels and chaplains for spiritual guidance and fellowship.
For more information about admission, employment or volunteer opportunities, visit Veterans Homes. You can also learn more about the homes by following DMVA at www.facebook.com/padmva, https://www.instagram.com/pa.dmva, https://www.linkedin.com/company/padmva/ or https://x.com/padmva.
Here are some celebration highlights at each home:
Homes Week At Delaware Valley Veterans’ Home
Delaware Valley Veterans’ Home highlighted Veterans’ Homes Week with a carnival full of fun games, food and other activities for residents to enjoy!
Homes Week At Gino J. Merli Veterans’ Center
Gino J. Merli Veterans’ Center (GMVC) celebrated its Veterans’ Homes Week with a Flag Day Ceremony, a Father’s Day performance by Roy Ramos while the residents enjoyed root beer floats, and daily entertainment by local performers. Residents enjoyed coffee, cookies, danishes, and muffins from Minooka Bakery.
Additionally, they enjoyed a movie night (“Meet the Fockers”) with popcorn and cold beverages, a morning of playing bingo, a day of polish music along with polish food (halushki, pierogis, smoked kielbasa and banana cake), and a celebration of the grand opening of their Pub in honor of Ed Bardonski.
The GMVC’s special week ended with a carnival which included a DJ, an ice cream truck, soft pretzels, a photo booth, and a blueberry pie eating contest.
Carnival Fun At Hollidaysburg Veterans’ Home For Veterans’ Homes Week
Hollidaysburg Veterans’ Home (HVH) hosted a carnival on May 14 to celebrate its residents, family members and dedicated staff. This yearly event is to remind residents and those who provide their care that they are appreciated.
The event included performances by local bands Country Traditions and Stephanie & the Wild Hearts, as well as clowns, caricature drawings and more!
Due to the ongoing construction of HVH’s new Community Living Center, their Veterans’ Homes Week celebration was held a month early.
Homes Week At Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home
Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home celebrated Veterans’ Homes Week by giving residents the opportunity to show off their creativity by making their own tie dye shirts! Their colorful creations will be a great addition to their wardrobe for years to come!
Homes Week At Southeastern Veterans’ Center
Talk about a great way to celebrate Veterans’ Homes Week! Dancers and fire performers turned up the heat at Southeastern Veterans’ Center (SEVC). Residents were entertained with rhythmic hula dancers and thrilling fire tricks throughout the afternoon.
Homes Week At Southwestern Veterans’ Center
Food and fun – what’s not to love! Southwestern Veterans’ Center (SWVC) hosted a carnival for the residents during Veterans’ Homes Week to get a chance to play some enjoyable games and eat some delicious food!
Director of Joint Staff
Pennsylvania National Guard Cyber Team Goes To Cyber Shield 2025
The Pennsylvania National Guard (PNG) Cyber Team attended the largest ever Cyber Shield exercise from May 30 – June 13, 2025 at the Virginia State Military Reservation located at Virginia Beach, VA. This year’s exercise brought together close to 1,000 participants from all military services, public and private sectors from across 42 states and 16 countries. The PA Cyber Team consisted of 17 Army soldiers, six Air Force airmen and five Lithuanians; two soldiers from PA held key national level exercise leadership positions as the exercise deputy officer in charge and non-commissioned officer in charge.
The Lithuanian Vice Minister of National Defense, Tomas Godliauskas; Head of National Cyber Security Centre, Antanas Aleknavicius; Cyber Advisor in Cyber Security and IT policy group in Ministry of National Defense, Rugile Katinaite; Defense Advisor for U.S. Ministry of National Defense, Zilvinas Tomkus; and Deputy Defense Advisor for U.S Ministry of National Defense, Kristina Sapkinaite, visited Cyber Shield and participated in International Partner Distinguished Visitor’s Day.
Maj. Gen. Terrence Koudelka, deputy adjutant general-Air and Command Chief Dennis Ward visited PA participants at Cyber Shield and participated in the U.S. Distinguished Visitor’s Day. The PA Army Cyber Team has participated annually in every Cyber Shield event since 2014.
Cyber Shield is the largest recurring unclassified interagency and joint national-level cyber exercise. It fortifies national security by preparing cyber defenders to protect and defend critical infrastructure against our nation’s greatest threats, enhancing homeland defense, building cyber warfighting capabilities, and strengthening industry and international partnerships.
Through classroom training and hands-on application in an immersive cyber environment, participants develop areas of expertise, including industrial control systems security, network penetration testing, advanced network defense, cyber threat analysis, incident response, and cyber law. Cyber Shield involves an average of nearly 1,000 participants, including members of the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, Army Reserve, Coast Guard, Navy, Marines, representatives of state and federal government agencies, industry partners, and academia taking part to test their collective skills and evaluate their defensive capabilities in response to cyber warfare.
The National Guard and Reserve cyber mission forces contain some of the most talented cyber security and information technology government and civilian workforce, significantly contributing to the ability of the National Guard and Reserve to assist in the event of a state or national level cyber security incident. Cyber Shield brings state Defensive Cyber Operations Elements, Cyber Brigades, Cyber Protection Teams, government agencies, and other DoD cyber mission forces together to exercise and validate standard operating procedures, reporting systems, tool sets, and critical skills to better prepare for future cyber mission requirements.
If interested in more information about the Cyber Shield exercise, the PA Army Cyber Team or how to become a member, please reach out to LTC Christine Pierce, J36/PNG director of Cyber Operations at christine.m.pierce.mil@army.mil.
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/963752/cyber-shield-cyber-security-exercise
https://flickr.com/photos/cybershield/
Pennsylvania Army National Guard Child And Youth Program Hosts Summer Camps
The Pennsylvania Army National Guard Child & Youth Program will host several camps this summer! The events are Kids A.T. Camp, Reptiland, and Lake Tobias. During these camps, the kids will participate in fun activities to learn about team building, leadership, and resiliency skills such as problem solving, coping, hunting the good stuff, and thinking traps. They will participate in activities such as swimming, horseback riding, archery, baking, rope courses, rock wall climbing, and so much more! Below are the 5 W’s for the upcoming events
Kids A.T. Camp
Who: DEERS dependents ages 6-18
What: Free cost camp for military youth
When: July 6-11, 2025
Where: Stoystown, PA
Why: To provide a fun camp for military youth and provide them with resiliency skills
Reptiland
Who: DEERS Dependents (service member, spouse, children)
What: Free cost family day
When: July 26, 2025
Where: Allenwood, PA
Why: To provide a fun day for military families to connect with each other and other military families
Lake Tobias
Who: DEERS Dependents (service member, spouse, children)
What: Free cost family day
When: Aug. 9, 2025
Where: Halifax, PA
Why: To provide a fun day for military families to connect with each other and other military families
PA National Guard Army
Transfer Of Authority Ceremony
Task Force Independence, comprised of members of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), relinquished authority over Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine (JMTG-U) during a transfer-of-authority ceremony on June 1, 2025 at the 7th Army Training Command headquarters in Grafenwoehr, Germany. The JMTG-U trains members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Germany, focusing on building capacity for joint maneuver and combined arms operations.
The 56th SBCT deployed to Germany in Oct. 2024 and played a critical role in building combat-ready Ukrainian battalions capable of operating in a dynamic, multinational environment. During this rotation, Task Force Independence trained over 400 Ukrainian soldiers in leadership skills and provided real life support needs for more than 4,000 soldiers. The transfer of authority ceremony signifies the end of the mission for Task Force Independence and service members will soon be returning home!
U.S. Army Releases New Graphic Novel
In honor of the Army’s 250th birthday celebration, the Association of the United States Army has released a new graphic novel, The Birth of the U.S. Army. This full-color digital book was created by a talented team of professionals drawn from the comic book industry, and the details were vetted by professional historians. To read The Birth of the U.S. Army or to download a free copy, please visit www.ausa.org/the-birth-of-the-us-army
PA National Guard Air Force
Sixth Time Champs – 193rd Special Operations Wing
For their sixth-time win, the 193rd Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron recently earned the Air Reserve Component Base Logistics Activity of the Year Award for their dedication to maintaining mission readiness through innovative programs and crucial support, including airdrop support and vehicle maintenance. Despite limited personnel, the squadron achieved near-perfect vehicle mission capability and streamlined supply chains, demonstrating their commitment to continuous improvement and mission success.
Full article: DVIDS - News - Best in SOLRS: 193rd earns activity of the year for sixth time
JBMDL Power In The Pines Air Show 2025 – 111th Attack Wing
Members from the 111th Attack Wing Public Affairs had the privilege of capturing demonstrations of strength at the Power in the Pines Airshow, hosted by Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ. The Power in the Pines Air Show invited the community to walk on the flight line and interact with members from JB MDL as well as other unique groups, most notably, the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron "Thunderbirds."
Video: DVIDS - Video - JB MDL - Power in the Pines Air Show 2025
Video: DVIDS - Video - JBMDL Power in the Pines Air Show 2025 - Thunderbirds B-Roll
DMVA News and Events
Third Annual Women Veterans Day Celebrated In PA
On June 10, 2025, Senator Tracy Pennycuick (R-24) hosted a ceremony at the state capitol to honor women veterans in Pennsylvania. Maj. Gen. Laura McHugh, deputy adjutant general-Army; and Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Maureen Weigl, deputy adjutant general of Veterans Affairs, were in attendance in support of the more than 60,000 women veterans throughout the commonwealth. The ceremony featured remarks from state leaders, service members, and included special recognition of women veterans in attendance. The event was held in recognition of Women Veterans Day, observed annually in PA on June 12. We are proud of the accomplishments and contributions to America’s freedom made by women veterans.
Keystone State Challenge Academy
Keystone State ChalleNGe Academy Graduates First Class Of 2025
On June 14, 2025, after 22 weeks, the Keystone State ChalleNGe Academy (KSCA) Class 25-1 graduated 88% of the cadets that reported on day one!
Fifty-two young cadets are now entering the 24-month Post-Residential phase of this National Guard program. Youth ChalleNGe is a Department of Defense (DoD) program provided through the National Guard Bureau (NGB) designed to help teens 15-18 years old who are in danger of dropping out of school or not graduating on time. The ceremony at Fort Indiantown Gap was attended by the cadets’ families, members of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) and Pennsylvania National Guard Joint Force Headquarters. Several state representatives and a U.S. senator staff member from Pennsylvania were in attendance to celebrate cadets from their districts.
“It was an honor to be invited to speak at Keystone State ChalleNGe Academy graduation, celebrating the achievements and bright futures of these remarkable students,” said Dr. George M. Schwartz (Brig. Gen. Ret.). “I am deeply inspired by their resilience and determination and enjoyed sharing a message of encouragement as they embark on this exciting new chapter of their lives.”
Cadet Xyel Myles was presented the McEwan-Jones Scholarship Award by the first ever recipient, Kavon McEwan-Jones (Class 24-1) and Gillian Barrie of the Pennsylvania National Guard Association (PNGAS). This scholarship has been awarded by the members of PNGAS for the last two years. Additionally, cadets Talen Baughman and Maveric Knoff were awarded the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Post 1983, National Leadership Award. Brandon Hayes, a Purple Heart recipient and member of Post 1983, was present to honor these two cadets.
KSCA provided other awards which included:
The ChalleNGe Award – Cadet Nathan Middlekauff
The Esprit de Corps Award – Cadet Talen Baughman
Cadet of the Cycle Award – Cadet Maveric Knopf
And the Cadre of the Cycle Award – John Houk
Maj. Gen. Laura McHugh, deputy adjutant general-Army, was on hand to officiate the Enlisted Oath of Office to eight cadets entering the once of the services whether active or National Guard:
Cadet Isaiah Brickhouse
Cadet Talen Baughman
Cadet Juelz Vidal
Cadet Eric Schlick
Cadet Ethan Heffner
Cadet Bradley Fields
Cadet Frank Munsky
Cadet Lucas Pettigrew
Class 25-1 has many accomplishments to be proud of and was KSCA’s largest class to date with the highest retention rate of six total classes. Their accomplishments include but are not limited to:
88% cadet retention rate (52/59)
Well over 2,200 hours of service to community, valued over $30,000
Nine cadets have lost 20-plus pounds, Three more lost more than 40 pounds since day one at reception
Nine cadets have gone through the MEPS process and are finalizing their enlistment
22 cadets offered employment, with more scheduled interviews in the following weeks
20 cadets earned their GED
27 credit recovery cadets are on pace to earn up to 82 full academic credits in math, science, language arts and social studies
16 learner’s permits earned
The National Guard’s Youth ChalleNGe Academy is provided in 26 states and territories and represents 39 National Guard Youth Challenge academies. This completely free program funded by the Department of Defense, through NGB and the DMVA, is making a difference in our next generation of students, workers, and military service members. The KSCA is building a better future for Pennsylvania teens.
Policy and Legislation
Summer Has Arrived – Don’t Forget About Fishing Discounts For Veterans!
With warm weather upon us, now is the perfect time to get outdoors and enjoy Pennsylvania’s incredible fishing opportunities. This is your friendly reminder that disabled veterans and prisoners of war (POW) may be eligible for a discounted or even free fishing license in the commonwealth.
Veterans with a qualifying disability can receive a Reduced Resident License for just $2.97, and in many cases, a Resident Annual License at no cost. These licenses can only be issued if the initial application is made through a county treasurer or Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) office.
Thinking of introducing someone to the sport? You can also give the gift of fishing by purchasing an Annual Fishing License Voucher, a great way to share your love of the outdoors.
To learn more or buy a license, visit: www.fishandboat.com.
Or contact your local fishing license issuing agent.
Veterans, take advantage of these well-deserved benefits and make the most of your summer on the water.
Reminder: Real Estate Tax Exemption Update For Disabled Veterans In Pennsylvania
Here’s a quick update for Pennsylvania veterans: As of Jan. 1, 2025, the presumptive income level for the Disabled Veterans' Real Estate Tax Exemption has increased to $114,637, as approved by the State Veterans' Commission.
This change may allow more veterans and surviving spouses to qualify—especially those who were previously denied due to income.
Eligibility Requirements Include:
Pennsylvania residency
Honorable or Under Honorable Conditions discharge
Service during a recognized period of war
Ownership and occupancy of the property as your primary residence
A 100% permanent service-connected disability, or being rated as totally disabled/unemployable, blind, paraplegic, or having lost two or more limbs
Financial Need: Veterans with an annual income of $114,637 or less are presumed to meet the financial need requirement. Those with higher incomes may still qualify if their monthly expenses exceed monthly income (factoring in a cost-of-living allowance). Supporting documentation is required.
How to Apply: Contact your County Director of Veterans Affairs to start the application process. For general questions, reach out to RA-RETX@pa.gov (please do not send personal information via email).
This update could make a big difference for many veterans—now is a great time to reassess your eligibility and reapply if you were previously turned away.
Facilities and Engineering
New Physical Fitness Test Location
Soldiers and airmen will soon have a new location to conduct their physical fitness tests, and this one will provide some protection from mother nature. The new Covered Multipurpose Building in Area 15 of Fort Indiantown Gap (FTIG) will provide an open-air structure with synthetic turf for use during physical activities or for any other training that can utilize the site. The project is being funded through federal funding and is slated to be completed during summer 2025. Units training at FTIG can request use of the facility through the Range Facility Management Support System (RFMSS) website.