SOLDIERS WILL SOON GET $2,000 FROM ARMY EMERGENCY RELIEF FOR EMERGENCY TRAVEL

By Allison Kirschbaum

Did you know that the Army has a nonprofit organization called Army Emergency Relief (AER)? No? Well, let us enlighten you! One of the major goals of Army Emergency Relief is to help provide financial assistance to military families in need.

The Army recently announced that soldiers who require financial support to travel during a family emergency can apply for money from a charity relief fund. The travel money will give financial assistance to military families so they don't have to worry about loan repayment. Soldiers who obtained emergency travel loans were previously required to repay half of the loan total.

Tony Grinston, CEO of Army Emergency Relief, is now in charge of the program that will grant Soldiers additional travel funds. Grinston became the CEO of this nonprofit group right after his retirement as an Army sergeant major in August 2023. His personal experience in the Army is the reason why he is committed to ensuring that the soldiers will get all the help they need.

What Does Army Emergency Relief Do?

Army Emergency Relief provides zero-interest loans or grants to qualifying Soldiers and families. There’s also an Army Emergency Relief scholarship available to military spouses and dependents (applications for the scholarship are due each spring).

What Can AER Help With?

The Army Emergency Relief Fund can help with pretty much everything under the sun (well, almost everything). They can’t help with things like vacations, fines, legal expenses, home improvements or purchases, or bad checks.

But they can help with things like home payments, including rent and mortgage payments. They can also help with vehicle repairs, medical expenses, food, PCS expenses, home appliance repairs/replacements, home heating and cooling repairs/replacements, emergency travel, utilities and utility deposits, funeral expenses, car seats, vehicle rentals, loss of funds, furniture replacement, and paycheck problems. It’s a long list! AER is a great option for many people.

Officials in the organization also recently started a fund for Soldiers leaving the military and transitioning back into civilian life. The AER is offering grants to Soldiers attending an approved Career Skills Program. The Career Skills Program gives Soldiers opportunities to participate in pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships, on-the-job training, internships, job shadowing, and more.

Soldiers are still able to receive their full pay and benefits during the Career Skills Program. The grant from the AER program helps Soldiers cover travel costs, lodging, work attire and/or supplies, and food and utilities.

Travel Funds from the Army Emergency Relief

Under this new program, Soldiers will now be given up to $2,000 for domestic travel and up to $4,000 for international travel. The funds raised are intended for disaster relief, life-threatening surgeries, and crises like the death of a loved one.

Beginning on January 1st, the policy will offer further assistance in the form of interest-free loans for travel expenses that are above the $2,000 and $4,000 limit. The Army has authorized AER to organize and assist the Soldiers when they’re able to meet the requirements.

Army Emergency Relief’s Mission

The goal of the organization is to relieve the financial hardship for service members and their families by providing interest-free loans, grants, and scholarships for a range of purposes. This includes medical care not covered by military health insurance, burial costs, home repairs, or spouse licensing and recertification.

It can also help Soldiers get clothes, child care, and even car seats for their kids. In the previous year, 5.5% of military members received aid, and each case is evaluated individually. The Soldiers make extensive use of the emergency travel program. The group says it has provided roughly $4.6 million in aid for emergency travel to 4,327 soldiers as of the end of November.

Emergency Travel Assistance for Soldiers

The majority of the Soldiers in the program are ranked from sergeant first class to specialist. Earlier this year, Grinston stated that the amount given to each soldier can differ significantly. For instance, assisting a soldier to drive home in a comparable circumstance is significantly less critical than paying for flights to bring a Soldier, spouse, and kids back to the United States from Germany after a death in the family.

The grant funds will be limited to $2,000 per request for domestic travel and $4,000 for travels beyond the continental U.S. starting January 1, according to Army Emergency Relief. The family may be eligible for an interest-free loan if expenses, such as lodging and meals, exceed the threshold. According to the nonprofit, that loan might also turn into a grant, depending on the family's financial circumstances.

After traveling the world to speak with Soldiers and learn their opinions about the nonprofit group, Grinston started working in March to figure out how to convert this partial loan into a full grant. Donations to AER totaled over $2.2 million last year. More than $38.6 million in loans, $7.8 million in grants, and $5.2 million in scholarships were given to soldiers by the organization.

The AER Loan Provides PCS Assistance to Military Personnel

Are you about to PCS? AER helps active duty Soldiers, Active Guard and Reserve Soldiers, and families receive financial assistance to make your more operate more smoothly. You can receive grants, zero-interest loans, or both to help with your moving expenses.

AER helps to cover expenses that pop up during, after, and before a PCS. Some of these expenses include: auto repair, rent deposit, temporary lodging, child care assistance, spouse relicensing, etc.

You can apply to receive assistance by first talking with your Chain of Command. Then, visit your local AER office at armyemergencyrelief.org/offices. Lastly, call the American Red Cross at 1-877-272-7337.

Repaying Your AER Loan

One of the biggest benefits of the Army Emergency Relief program is the zero-interest loans. Payments will be determined by your AER officer and can be paid through a paycheck allotment, meaning that the AER will automatically take out your payment with each paycheck. This can be set up by the AER. You can also make your payments online, through check, or by money order.

The Army Emergency Relief program is a fantastic nonprofit organization that can help you out in a bind. Your Army Emergency Relief loan features zero interest and there are grants that can help you with house payments, PCS expenses, vehicle repairs, and much, much more. AER is great for anyone in need of immediate assistance!

Army Emergency Relief for Domestic Abuse

Sadly, for some military families, domestic abuse is a part of their story. Considering there are thousands of uncounted cases of abuse, it’s difficult to say exactly how far-reaching this problem is.

Nevertheless, such living conditions are never okay but many victims are unable to leave bad situations due to the cost of doing so.

Now, a new policy within the Army Emergency Relief is allowing for an expedited process to provide family members in need with the funds to leave.
AER is providing up to $1,500 for emergency transportation, temporary lodging, food, and essential items to Soldiers and milspouses.

This assistance aims to help victims who are financially dependent on or manipulated by their abusers, providing a path to safety, so that they may leave abusive situations faster by using the nonprofit’s funding.

These changes come about after government reporting found many domestic abuse survivors cited financial dependence as a barrier to reporting the abuse, as well as feedback Army Veteran and CEO Tony Grinston received from many different bases.

Here’s how much funding is available:

$1,500 or five days’ worth of funds for immediate needs.
AER can provide additional funds for a total between $2,500 and $4,000 to help victims safely move.

Furthermore, in some cases, exceptions apply where even the highest cap can be lifted, though the Garrison Commander must approve these measures.
Before the change, there were restrictions that made programs offering financial assistance require proof of abuse or legal action.

AER’s policy is aligning with the Army Family Advocacy Program to speed up needed assistance when command funding is unavailable. Now, delays due to filing a report, which has to pass through as many as ten agencies before becoming official, are over.

The Army Emergency Relief Fund continues to be a valuable resource more military families should remain aware of. It’s helpful in many different situations and continues to expand to meet the needs of Soldiers and their spouses.

Financial Challenges for AER

AER has increased its support for military families that are facing financial problems, and this most recent action is part of a larger set of improvements at the organization. After soldiers and their families were impacted by hurricanes earlier this year, the foundation donated $2.7 million for relief efforts, which included a $25,000 award for house renovations to a noncommissioned officer.

The group also increased their funding for victims of domestic abuse. However, there are certain financial risks associated with the increased benefits. AER anticipates a possible funding deficit of $1.7 million in 2024, so the fundraising efforts for the following year are crucial.

Increasing inflation has limited AER's ability to use its funds, even though donation levels have remained steady, averaging around $10 million per year. Its funding comes from a combination of donations and investment revenue, just like many other charities.

According to data from the foundation, the organization helped troops and their families this year to the tune of almost $58 million. In general, Army Emergency Relief has survived the drop in charitable contributions that has affected many nonprofit organizations. AER, like the majority of charities, uses donations and investments to fund its operations.

AER is actively looking for new funding sources and urging anyone to make any contribution to overcome these financial obstacles. An increased budget guarantees the long-term viability of these programs that are providing ongoing assistance to military families in need.

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