Verena Bentele (born 28 February 1982, in Lindau) is a blind German Paralympic biathlete and cross-country skier.

She tore a cruciate ligament in her knee, and suffered finger and liver injuries, and damaged one kidney so badly that it had to be removed.

[4] Bentele was nominated by the Social Democratic Party to be a delegate to the Federal Convention for the purpose of electing the President of Germany in 2010, 2012 and 2017.

[6] In this capacity, she was part of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs under the leadership of minister Andrea Nahles and heads the government's focal point in charge of monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

In May 2018, Bentele was elected president of the non-profit organisation Sozialverband VdK Deutschland e.V.,[7] the largest social association in Germany.