Wills for Heroes

June 2, 2017

Wills for Heroes

On Saturday, June 10, volunteer lawyers will be conducting a Wills for Heroes Program for Pennsylvania military veterans and their spouses or significant others and for first responders, all sworn personnel and their spouses/significant others (please note that proof of affiliation or DD214 will be requested at the event). The June 10 event will be held at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 5080 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, beginning at 11 a.m.

Appointments for each person last approximately one hour and, at the conclusion, you will have notarized legal documents – a will, living will, and health care and financial powers of attorney (or any combination thereof). If you select that you are coming with a spouse/significant other you will have back-to-back appointments, and the computer will automatically schedule a second appointment. You do not need to schedule a separate appointment. Please schedule your appointment early as this event is sure to fill up fast.
Appointments must be scheduled online at: pabar.org/wfh/
The password is: MVAWFH

For access to state-related veteran’s services click here.

Strengthening Penalties for DUI

To help keep repeat offenders of driving under the influence off the road, the House passed legislation recently to strengthen penalties for those who have been convicted of DUI and continue to operate a vehicle under a suspended driver’s license.

Currently, anyone convicted of a DUI who then operates a vehicle despite their driver’s license suspension currently faces the same penalty – a $500 fine and 60-90 days in jail -- no matter how many times they get behind the wheel.

House Bill 1049 would create a tiered system that increases the fines and sentences with each subsequent offense. Those sentence enhancements would range from a $1,000 fine and a minimum 90-day jail term for a second offense, to a $5,000 fine and no less than two years in jail for a fourth offense. In addition, the legislation would allow a judge to impose a maximum five-year jail sentence if the offender is also convicted of homicide by vehicle.

The bill is now with the state Senate.

Legislation to Safeguard Children from Online Sexual Predators

To help keep children safe from online predators, the House approved legislation to allow the state attorney general and district attorneys to continue to have the authority to use administrative subpoenas to identify information pertaining to child sex predators transmitting child pornography.

This bill was first enacted in 2014 but included a sunset date of Dec. 31, 2017. House Bill 561 would remove the sunset date and give this authority to prosecutors permanently.

Since its enactment, this law has been a vital tool for law enforcement to make it easier to track child sex predators.

The bill is with the Senate for review.

Bill to Boost Reimbursement for Ambulance Services Advances

Ambulance companies would be reimbursed for providing medical treatment, even if the patient is not transported to a hospital, under legislation approved by the House recently.

Under current law, EMS agencies can only be reimbursed by insurance companies if they transport the patient, even though time is spent, supplies are used and services are provided regardless of whether a transport takes place. This is a significant contributor to the financial challenges facing ambulance companies.

House Bill 1013 would allow for reimbursement when transport does not take place as long as the following conditions are met: The Basic Life Support (BLS) or Advanced Life Support (ALS) unit must be dispatched by a county 911 center, and the EMS provider must have rendered care even though the transport was declined.

New Immunization Requirements for PA Schools This Fall

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has revised Pennsylvania’s school immunization requirements for the 2017-18 school year.

The new rules require parents to get their children fully immunized prior to the fifth day of school or the students will be excluded from school. Previously, parents had eight months to meet school immunization requirements.

If a student is in the middle of an immunization series and it is too soon for the next dose, the parents must provide the school nurse with a written plan, signed by their health care provider, within the first five days of school.

For more information, contact your health care provider, visit health.pa.gov or call 1-877-PA-HEALTH.

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