House Committee Approves Bill with Sorensen’s Priorities for Disabled Veterans

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) applauded the inclusion of his priorities to help disabled veterans in a bill passed in the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. 

"I'm proud to see the House Veterans' Affairs Committee take further steps to show gratitude to our disabled veterans, with my priorities for home accessibility grants included," said Sorensen. "Our brave veterans represent the best of us. And disabilities sadly make it harder for many of them to live comfortable lives after service." 

“I applaud my colleague Representative Sorensen for introducing such an important piece of legislation. This past May I had the pleasure of visiting Rep. Sorensen’s district to tour The Laurent House. This specially adapted home built for a paraplegic veteran is a shining example of how we can best support disabled veterans to live fulfilling lives,” said Ranking Member Takano. 

Last month, Sorensen and House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) introduced legislation to increase grants for disabled veterans to make home alterations to fit their needs. Sorensen also testified before the Committee to bring attention to the issue. 

Sorensen’s bill will increase grant amounts to up to $10,000 for all veterans, regardless of whether their disability was a result of their service. Recent legislation approved by the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee increases grant awards to up to $9,000 for all veterans. 

This is a substantial increase from the current $6,800 ceiling for those with service-related disabilities and $2,000 for those with non-service-related disabilities. Despite labor and material costs increasing by 40 percent over the last decade, Congress has not revised these grants since 2009. 

The bill will go before the full House of Representatives for a vote. You can view Congressman Sorensen’s full remarks before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs here. 

Congressman Eric Sorensen is the first openly LGBTQ person elected to represent Illinois at the federal level and is a member of the New Democrat Coalition. He serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Prior to serving in Congress, Sorensen was a local meteorologist in Rockford and the Quad Cities for nearly 20 years. His district includes Illinois’ Quad Cities, Rockford, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal. 

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