Mark R. Warner

Senator Warner is committed to honoring the service of our military men and women by providing them the resources they deserve when they return home. Virginia is home to 800,000 military veterans, one of the highest per-capita populations of veterans in the country. Since entering the U.S. Senate, Senator Warner has pledged to improve health care to our veterans, particularly mental health treatment and care for our soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  He has also worked to create more service opportunities for veterans through AmeriCorps, so they can continue giving back to their communities once they return home.

Senator Warner's Progress:

• In October 2012, Senator Warner announced a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs award of nearly $5 million for operations at state veterans cemeteries in Amelia County and the city of Suffolk.
• In May 2012, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs released a report on strategies to address issues unique to female veterans. The report built on Senator Warner’s efforts to confront concerns that the VA did not adequately address the effects of combat stress on female veterans.
• In June 2011, Senator Warner appeared before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to press the committee to vote to end the practice of reserving gravesites for VIPs at Arlington National Cemetery. Previously, Senator Warner filed legislation that would end the improper and unofficial system of "reserved" gravesites for VIPs at Arlington National Cemetery and would call for a full investigation on the number of plots that may have been set aside in violation of a 1962 Army policy which clearly states that Arlington National Cemetery plots must be provided to any qualified military veteran, without regard to rank or status.
• In April 2011, more than 1,200 military personnel and veterans attended job fairs co-hosted by Senator Warner in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia.
• In February 2011, the Northern Virginia Technology Council released a pro-bono report in on technology challenges at Arlington National Cemetery. Senator Warner had previously announced that the Army accepted an offer from the Northern Virginia Technology Council to assess information technology challenges to Arlington National Cemetery. After reports surfaced of lost and misplaced remains of soldiers and continued use of vulnerable paper records at the national landmark, Senator Warner reached out to the NVTC and brokered the offer of assistance, which the council offered to perform at no cost to the Army or taxpayers.
• In November 2009, the Senate passed S.1407, the military construction and Veterans Administration appropriations bill, which included amendments submitted by Senator Warner that direct the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to study how it addresses combat stress in women veterans and direct the National Science Foundation to study its Defense Access Roads program to help relieve traffic surrounding our military bases.
• In March 2009, President Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which included a Veterans' Corps component introduced by Senator Warner to expand service opportunities and fellowships for our nation's military veterans.
• In the summer of 2009, Senator Warner worked with his colleagues and successfully urged the U.S. Department of the Interior to study the feasibility of incorporating the National D-Day Memorial into the National Park Service.  The Memorial, which is located in Bedford, Va., and honors the sacrifice made by Americans on the beaches of Normandy during World War II, faces significant financial challenges and is in danger of closing.