What veterans should know about Pennsylvania's medical marijuana card

Pennsylvania's medical marijuana program has no veterans discount. Military service does not change the $50 annual card fee, and it does not change who may certify you. What does lower the cost is enrollment in one of five assistance programs. This guide sets out those programs, the listed conditions worth checking and the rules that apply to every Pennsylvania patient, veteran or not.

Veterans pay the standard $50

The Department of Health charges patients $50 once every 12 months, regardless of how many cards or certifications are issued in that period. The Department's assistance program pages list the groups that pay less, and that list contains no veterans category. We found no veteran-specific reduction on any Department page we reviewed.

So the deciding question is not your service record. It is whether you are enrolled in one of the programs below.

What brings the card fee to $0

Pennsylvania waives the annual card fee for patients enrolled in any of these:

• Medicaid, called Medical Assistance in Pennsylvania
• CHIP
• PACE or PACENET
• SNAP
• WIC

The waiver is Phase 1 of the Medical Marijuana Assistance Program, or MMAP, which the Department implemented on March 1, 2022. A veteran enrolled in one of those programs pays $0 because of the enrollment. Our explainer on who pays $0 for the card covers the waiver in more detail.

Two more provisions can help. Veterans enrolled in PACE or PACENET may also receive a $50 monthly benefit under MMAP Phase 3, which for now is open only to PACE and PACENET enrollees. And the Medical Marijuana Act lets the Department waive or reduce the fee for an applicant who demonstrates financial hardship. For that, ask the Department directly at 888-733-5595, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, seven days a week, except state holidays.

Listed conditions worth checking

A service record does not qualify anyone. A diagnosis does, if it fits one of Pennsylvania's 24 serious medical conditions and a registered physician agrees. These entries cover problems that some veterans live with:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder, listed by name. Our PTSD guide covers how to raise it with a physician.
• Severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin or severe chronic or intractable pain. The chronic pain guide explains that wording.
• Anxiety disorders, on the list since July 20, 2019.
• Damage to the nervous tissue of the central nervous system (brain-spinal cord) with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, and other associated neuropathies.

One entry is easy to misread. Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury with chronic symptoms has been approved only for Chapter 20 research purposes, so it does not support a general certification. If a brain injury is part of your history, ask the physician whether a pain or nerve-damage entry also applies. A single certification can list up to 10 conditions.

Who can certify you

Only an MD or DO with an active Pennsylvania license who has registered with the Department of Health and completed its four-hour approved training can issue a certification. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants cannot certify, whatever role they play in your care. A doctor who treats you but is not registered can still help, because his or her records give the certifying physician something concrete to review.

Since Act 44 of 2021, the certification visit can happen by real-time phone or video, which helps if the nearest registered office is a long drive away. Our page on online evaluations explains what counts as a valid remote visit. If you book one, code DRWDY85872 takes 5% off the evaluation.

Residency comes first

The program is only for Pennsylvania residents. To register, you need a Pennsylvania driver's license or Pennsylvania state-issued ID card that shows your current address, plus a working email. After a move, updating that ID is the first job. Pennsylvania dispensaries serve holders of a valid Department of Health ID card, so a medical card from another state will not work here. Our application guide covers the registry account, the 60-day payment deadline and the wait for the card.

The card and your job

Under the Medical Marijuana Act, an employer may not fire, refuse to hire or retaliate against an employee solely because he or she is certified to use medical marijuana. The protection has limits. Employers need not allow use on their premises, may discipline someone under the influence whose conduct falls below the accepted standard of care, and are not required to violate federal law. If your work is governed by federal rules, ask about your employer's policy before you register. Our page on medical marijuana and your job goes through the details.

What this guide does not cover

Next step

Check whether you are enrolled in Medicaid, CHIP, PACE/PACENET, SNAP or WIC, since that decides whether you pay $50 or $0. Then gather the records for your diagnosis and open a registry account with your Pennsylvania ID. If a family member will pick up your medicine, the caregiver guide explains how to register up to two caregivers.

Questions people ask

Worth reading next

• What the PA card costs
• The 24 qualifying conditions in PA
• How renewal works in PA
• Patient rules in PA