WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced new legislation that would address the nationwide shortage of vision rehabilitation specialists treating blinded veterans. The Vision Scholars Act of 2009 would assist our nation’s blind and low-vision veterans by establishing a scholarship program for students seeking training in vision rehabilitation.


“As more service members return from combat with eye injuries, we have a commitment to ensure they have access to rehabilitation specialists,” said Brown. “This bill would improve VA recruitment of blind instructors while giving our nation’s veterans the comprehensive care they deserve.”


From 2001 to 2008, more than 1,000 service members were hospitalized for ocular injuries attributed to combat operation. Thirteen percent of all casualties evacuated from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had associated eye injuries.


The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that there are 163,000 legally blinded veterans in the United States— 47,560 of whom are enrolled in Veterans Health Administration services. The incidence of blindness among the total veteran population of 24 million is expected to increase by 40 percent over the next two decades.

The VA has a shortage of Blind Rehabilitation Outpatient Specialists (BROS), with nearly one-third of its total positions unfilled. VA faces additional recruiting challenges due to the nationwide shortage of certified blind instructors.

The Vision Scholars Act would establish a scholarship program for students seeking a degree or certificate in blind rehabilitation. Students enrolled in these programs— Vision Impairment or Orientation and Mobility—would be eligible for up to $45,000 in scholarship assistance ($15,000 per academic year). Scholarship recipients must agree to serve as full-time VA employees for three years within the first six years after program completion.

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