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Veterans Marker Now Available on Driver’s Licenses

Pennsylvania’s military veterans can now have their service noted on their driver’s licenses.

The new designation is free, though the costs of renewing the license apply.

At a roll-out news conference Tuesday, Sen. Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne) said the designation helps identify veterans so people can simply show respect.

“And it will come in handy in the worst of times when a veteran may find him or herself in a dangerous situation,” Baker said. “This designation is something our veterans have asked for, and worked for, for a very long time.”

The notation was created with a law signed in 2012. At the time, its House sponsor, Rep. Jeff Pyle (R-Armstrong), said its chief purpose was to help veterans prove their status so they could get discounts and bonuses. Pyle said that way, even without having their military ID at the ready, veterans could receive the discounts without having to rely on something like “a gigantic Navy tattoo.”

At the start of the week, before the official debut of the Veteran’s Designation, about 100 people had already signed up online to get it on their new driver’s licenses.