Military Family Relief Fund ready to help military families
Comet staff report

Indiana National Guard and Selected Reserve families who are experiencing financial difficulties due to the deployment of the service member can now receive help in the form of grants from the State.

Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs Director, Tom Applegate, has announced that the Military Family Relief Fund, signed into law by Governor Mitch Daniels last year is now ready to accept applications.

Applegate said last Thursday that the department completed an aggressive two-week program to train the county Veterans' Service Officers on the application process. "Applicants will be able to call their local Service Officer and set up an appointment to complete the application," Applegate said. The applicant, who, in most cases, will be the spouse of the service member, must be able to show that the service member has been deployed for over 30 days and that the reason for the financial difficulty is a result of the deployment. "If the service member is making less money on active duty than he or she did in their civilian employment, then they are probably eligible for the grant," Applegate explained.

The fund is financed through the sale of the new "Support Our Troops" license plate as well as the "Hoosier Veteran" license plate. Twenty dollars from the sale of each "Support Our Troops" plate and fifteen dollars from the sale of each "Hoosier Veteran" plate is placed in a special account by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The account is controlled by the state Department of Veterans Affairs and, unlike most money budgeted to state agencies, the money left over in the account at the end of the fiscal year will not revert back to the general fund. It will remain in the fund and will accumulate for each successive year. Donations to the fund will also be accepted.

Annual grants of up to $2,000 are available for items such as food, housing, utilities, medical services, transportation and other essential family support expenses which were caused by the mobilization of the service member. Grants will also be awarded for families still suffering hardships for up to six months after demobilization.

In his Veterans' Initiative submitted to state legislators this session in the form of Senate Bill 480, Governor Daniels pledged matching funds of up to $350,000 for the Military Family Relief Fund. That bill passed the Senate by a vote of 47-0 and, so far, has successfully negotiated the House Veterans Affairs Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee. If the bill makes it through both the House and the Senate, a special billsigning event is being planned at a northern-Indiana location. Veterans and the public will be invited.

Indiana National Guard and Selected Reserves members or spouses can obtain an application from their local County Veterans' Service Officer or can download an application from the Department of Veterans Affairs web site at www.in.gov/veteran.

Applications and assistance can also be obtained by calling the State Military Family Relief Fund Coordinator, Cheryl Phillips, at 317- 232-3922 or e-mail cphillip@dva.in.gov.