No matter how well you have planned your move, emergencies can
still happen.
Before you leave, make sure you have all important papers
with you, not in your household goods. Make sure you have important
phone numbers with you, such as an information number for your new duty station
and your sponsor's phone number.
The American Red Cross (ARC) is always
available to assist in emergency situations. Call
toll-free: 1-877-272-7337, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, or
contact the nearest ARC chapter listed in the local phone directory
Army
Emergency Relief (AER) offers emergency financial assistance to all military
personnel, active and retired and their family members in the following
categories: food, rent, emergency travel, utilities, essential car
repair, funeral expenses, emergency medical/dental assistance, and essential
needs in the event pay is not received. Eligibility includes active
duty military, ARNG and USAR Soldiers on continuous active duty for more than 30
days, military-dependent family members, and surviving spouses and orphans of
Soldiers who died while on active duty or after they
retired.
AER has an additional category of assistance titled
Commander's Referral (Assistance Code 1411). Active duty Soldiers
lacking the funds to meet their monthly obligations may request AER funds up to
$1,000 by submitting a completed DA Form 1103 to their immediate
Commander. This lack of funds could be for a myriad of complex
reasons or as simple as having overextended themselves the previous
month. Whatever the basis, the Company Commander or 1SG must be
satisfied that the Soldier's request is reasonable, justifiable and
needed. If the Commander approves the Soldier's request, under this
category, they will complete item 19 of DA Form 1103 and write in Commander's
Referral next to the approved box. The request is then taken to the
local AER section along with the current leave and earnings statement (LES) and
a copy of DA Form 31, if Red Cross emergency, where a check is issued and an
allotment for repayment prepared. The immediate Commander and 1SG are
the approving authority, not the AER representative. The following
conditions apply:
a. AER
representative will confirm eligibility for assistance under this category prior
to issuing a check.
b. There may be no more than
two such assistances a year.
c. Repayment must
be by allotment. ARNG and USAR Soldiers must continue to submit
requests for AER assistance through the Commander or 1SG to the AER officer due
to inability to set up allotment for repayment. Loan must be paid
before additional assistance in this category is
authorized.
d. Repayment must be prior to ETS,
but no more than 12 months.
In addition to emergency financial
assistance, AER provides food vouchers as a short-term solution for families
experiencing financial difficulty/inability to provide food for themselves or
their family.
NOTE: Family members must have a Power of
Attorney to receive AER financial assistance.