April is Adaptive Sports Awareness Month: an opportunity to recognize the wounded and injured servicemembers who've found a new mission in competition, and I know firsthand how powerful that is. Adaptive sports helped me get my life back during my own recovery, and in Congress, I’ve supported and passed legislation to help more veterans get the chance to compete too. 

Every summer, injured combat heroes come together to compete in the Warrior and Invictus Games, and remind the rest of us what resilience looks like. This year’s Warrior Games will bring nearly 200 competitors across 12 adaptive sports, with every branch of our Armed Forces represented.

The Department of Defense only sponsors veterans who are within one year of their recorded medical retirement, but the issue is that recovery doesn't always work on that kind of timeline. My bill, the Gaining A Meaningful Experience from Service (GAMES) Act, eliminates that barrier and opens the door for more wounded veterans—regardless of how long they’ve been medically retired—to compete. 

Recovery doesn’t have a timeline, and neither should the Warrior Games’ requirements. This year, I’ll keep pushing to make sure every wounded veteran who wants to participate has the chance.