Congressman Sarbanes has made the challenges facing our veterans a top priority.  Soon after being sworn in, the Congressman helped coordinate a trip with his freshman colleagues to visit the soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  He has also visited the VA Medical facilities that directly serve the veterans who live in the Third Congressional District.  These visits have shaped Congressman Sarbanes’ priorities and have helped him begin to identify ways to improve care and access to benefits for our veterans.

Congressman Sarbanes has introduced HR 2943, the Benefit Ratings Acceleration for Veterans Entitlements (BRAVE) Act so that our disabled veterans won’t have to navigate an unnecessary and duplicative benefits approval process with the Social Security Administration if they have received a 100 percent disability rating from the Veterans Administration.  This legislation has significant bipartisan support in Congress and has been endorsed by a number of Veteran Service Organizations, including the American Legion, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

The Congressman also introduced an amendment to establish a national conversation on how we as a nation can provide better care for our existing veterans’ population and our future veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.  The amendment was passed in committee by a vote of 46-0, a significant bipartisan victory.