Pennsylvania's Act 38: New Trauma-Informed Training Law for Veterans Affairs Staff

Reviewed by Survivor Rights Center · Updated 2026-07-29

What the new law actually requires

Act 38, previously known as House Bill 2024, was signed into law by Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania's governor, after clearing the General Assembly with bipartisan sponsorship. At its core, the law is narrow and procedural: it directs county veterans affairs directors, the local officials many veterans first encounter when seeking benefits or referrals, to complete a training program in trauma-informed care.

That training explicitly covers military sexual trauma alongside post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. The idea is that a county office is often the first stop for a veteran trying to access healthcare, disability benefits, or a referral to counseling, and staff who are not trained to recognize trauma responses can inadvertently create barriers or re-traumatize the person in front of them.

Why military sexual trauma training was singled out

Military sexual trauma refers to sexual assault or repeated sexual harassment experienced during military service. According to Department of Veterans Affairs data cited by lawmakers, roughly a third of women who serve say they have been sexually assaulted or harassed while in the military, and the figure is about one in fifty for men who serve, though advocates note the real number is likely higher given chronic underreporting in military settings.

The bill grew out of recommendations from a state task force examining the health care needs of women veterans, which flagged that front-line county staff were not consistently equipped to identify trauma symptoms or to avoid language and procedures that could re-trigger a survivor. Rather than creating a new benefit or cause of action, Act 38 addresses a more basic gap: whether the people staffing the intake desk know what they are looking at when a veteran discloses military sexual trauma.

• Recognizing behavioral and emotional signs consistent with trauma exposure
• Reducing procedural or interpersonal triggers during intake and casework
• Making appropriate referrals to VA and community mental health resources
• Documenting disclosures in a way that supports, rather than complicates, a veteran's benefits claim

How this fits into the broader survivor-rights landscape

Most of the sexual-abuse-related legislation tracked on this site deals with civil statutes of limitations: how long a survivor has to file a lawsuit against an individual or institution. Act 38 is a different kind of reform. It does not change any filing deadline or create a new legal claim. Instead, it changes the competency of the people a survivor is likely to meet long before a lawsuit is ever contemplated.

That distinction matters in practice. A veteran who experienced military sexual trauma may first disclose it, sometimes for the first time, to a county veterans affairs caseworker while applying for an unrelated benefit. Whether that caseworker responds with trauma-informed judgment or with a scripted, non-specialized process can shape whether the veteran ever learns about relevant legal timelines, support services, or VA disability pathways tied to military sexual trauma.

What happens next

Act 38 takes effect 180 days after its signing, which gives Pennsylvania's 67 counties a defined window to build out or contract for the required training curriculum. Because the law does not centralize training delivery at the state level, implementation details, including exactly which training vendors or modules counties use, are likely to vary somewhat by county in the near term.

Survivors of military sexual trauma in Pennsylvania do not need to wait for the training rollout to seek help. Existing VA resources, including MST-specific counseling that does not require a formal disability claim or discharge status, remain available now. County veterans affairs offices remain a valid starting point for benefits questions, and the new training requirement is aimed at making that starting point more responsive rather than replacing it.

What Changes for Veterans Under Act 38

Act 38 is a staffing and training reform rather than a new legal right, but it touches several parts of how veterans interact with county-level services. Here is what shifts once the law is fully implemented.

1. Mandatory trauma-informed training: County veterans affairs directors must complete training covering trauma-informed care principles, not just benefits processing.
2. Military sexual trauma specifically named: The curriculum explicitly addresses military sexual trauma alongside PTSD and traumatic brain injury, rather than treating trauma generically.
3. 180-day implementation window: Counties have roughly six months from the signing date to stand up compliant training before the requirement takes legal effect.
4. No new civil claim created: The law does not open a lawsuit, benefits appeal, or statute-of-limitations change; it changes staff competency, not legal rights.
5. Task force recommendations behind the bill: The legislation reflects recommendations from a state task force focused on the health care needs of women veterans.
6. County-level variation expected: Because the state did not centralize a single training vendor, the specific curriculum and delivery method may differ county to county at first.

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