§Private, non-profit corporation
AER – Authorized Categorie
§Exists to help the Army “take care of its own”
§Supported by donations
§Eligibility
§Soldiers on active duty (AD) and their dependents
§Reserve component Soldiers on continuous AD Title 10 U.S.C. orders for more than 30 consecutive days and their dependents
§Survivors of Soldiers lost while on AD
§Retired Soldiers and immediate family members; widows and orphans of retired Soldiers
To be eligible for assistance from Army Emergency Relief, an individual must be on Active duty or retired from the Army. In addition to Regular Army Soldiers, Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers are eligible when they are ordered to active duty under Title 10, United States Code for greater than 30 consecutive days. A Soldier in any of these categories becomes eligible on the first day of active duty. Retired Soldiers remain eligible for assistance from Army Emergency Relief throughout their lifetime. Retirees include those individuals who retire for longevity, medically retire and gray area retirees (Reserve components) who at age 60 start to receive retired Army pay. Disabled American Veterans (DAV), gray area retirees not yet age 60, and Reserve component Soldiers on weekend or annual training are Not eligible for assistance from Army Emergency Relief. Eligible family members include the spouse, unmarried children under 21 (or under 23 if attending college full time), unmarried children over 21 who are incapable of self-support, step-children, adopted children, wards and any dependent parent approved by Department of the Army. Assistance for family members must be approved by the Soldier or retiree. In the absence of the Soldier or retiree, the spouse may request assistance using a valid Special Power of Attorney (SPOA) which authorizes the spouse to borrow money in the Soldier’s or retiree’s name. If there is no valid Special Power of Attorney, the spouse may request the Soldier, or retiree, be contacted through the American Red Cross for concurrence. Surviving spouses of Soldiers who died on active duty, or after retiring, remain eligible for assistance provided they do not remarry. Orphans remain eligible until age 21 (or 23 if attending college full time). Most financial assistance to Surviving spouses and orphans is provided at the time of the death of the Soldier, or retiree, and is given as a grant. However, they may request assistance at a later time should they encounter an unforeseen emergency.
AER – Assistance Types
§Loans
§AER assistance is typically given as a loan
§All AER loans are interest-free
§AER assistance is typically given as a loan
§All AER loans are interest-free
§Grants:
- given when repayment in the foreseeable future would cause undue hardship
—Assistance may also be given as a combination loan/grant
—The need must be emergency in nature
AER – Authorized Categorie
§Non-receipt of pay- as a result of DFAS
§Loss of funds - police report
§Medical/dental - up to $5,000 for Dental needs necessary for individual health.
§Funeral expenses - Death of immediate Family Member or immediate non-eligible relative.
§Car Seat- purchase for the safety of minor children.
§Replacement Vehicles – when the cost of repairs exceeds Blue Book Value of a vehicle; up to $4,000.
§Rent, utilities - Inability to pay upcoming or past due rent; Initial Rent & Deposit.
§Essential POV- Unexpected repairs for Essential Vehicle.
§Fire/disasters- Immediate need items (Food, Clothing, Shelter).
§Cranial Helmets - medical necessity for treatment of moderate to severe head deformities in children.
§Advanced Travel Funds – delay in receipt of Advance Travel, Advance Pay and Dislocation Allowance (DLA).
•Furniture - when establishing a new household or replacement is required as a result of a natural disaster.
•Dental Care for Dependents – up to $5,000 for Dental needs necessary for individual health.
AER – Categories Not Authorized
§Abortion
§Marriage/Divorce
§Bad checks
§Debt consolidation
§Education expenses
§Fines or Forfeitures of Pay (UCMJ actions)
§Legal fees for civilian court or bail
§Fines, judgments, liens
§Ordinary Leave
There are always situations that are unique or require special consideration. These type cases may necessitate consideration as an exception to policy. The regulation that governs financial assistance from Army Emergency Relief, AR 930-4, outlines several types of circumstances for which AER does not provide funds. Some of those categories are: Legal fees, fines, and court costs, overdrawn bank accounts, divorces and marriages. However, there are times when situations are so exceptional and warrant approval, when determined to be in the best interests of the Soldier and the Army. Each case is evaluated on its own merit and no two cases are exactly the same. While AER funds cannot be used to help a Soldier pay a speeding ticket there may be occasions when a ticket not being paid results in a Soldiers arrest. This situation can be compounded when the Soldier is a single parent or is preparing to deploy. For this reason, the Garrison Commander has been granted special authority to approve exceptions to policy for up to $3500 in all circumstances except when the request is based on eligibility, or the Soldier is requesting an abortion (this can never be authorized using AER funds). Requests for assistance submitted by Soldiers who are not eligible may be forwarded to the Director of Army Emergency Relief. These requests will be considered only under extreme hardship and must be fully documented and endorsed by the Garrison Commander.
AER Loan Approvals
§AER Officer (Level I) can approve up to $3,000
§Installation (Level II) can approve up to $4,000
§Any loans requested above $4,000 must be approved by AERHQ (Level III)
This amount includes requested amount and any balance owed if prior assistance was received. For instance, Soldier obtained loan last week in the amount of $1500.00 and no payments made under AER Form 600 and this month is requesting an additional $1000 under AER Form 700 that is a total of $2500.00 (Level I) approval.
Commander Referral Loan
§Commander Referral Loan: AER Form 600
§Available on AER web site: www.aerhq.org
§For loans up to $2,000 for authorized categories
§No more than two Command Referral loans allowed per year; the first must have been repaid before a second will be processed
Regular Loan (AER Form 700)
§Assistance requested is for more than $2000
§Soldier is still paying on existing Commander’s Referral
§Soldier has had 2 Commander Referral loans in the past twelve months
§If an exception to policy is required
Spousal Requests
§Must have approval of Soldier
§Special Power of Attorney (SPOA)
§Verification through another AER section
§Does not need signature of Commander/1SG
§Soldier must be deployed
§Follows the same process as a Regular Loan
Spousal Request for AER assistance when Soldier is Unavailable
Special Power of Attorney (SPOA)
• Gives eligible dependent the authority to incur debt in Soldier’s name
• May use AER SPOA (AER Form 53) or SPOA for another source
• Must be notarized by a civilian or military notary
• May be used multiple times prior to expiration
AER Account and Allotment Authorization Form
• May be executed by the AER Officer in lieu of the SPOA
• AER Form 55 is sent to the Soldier electronically for consent and
authorization to establish an allotment
• Identity and concurrence is validated through a digital signature from the
the Soldier’s Common Access Card (CAC)
• Unlike the SPOA, a separate AER Form 55 is required for each request for
assistance
A Soldier is considered unavailable when a Sponsor is outside of the geographic area i.e. TDY, FTX, Deployed or a mission/duty requirement within the geographic area that has been determined by the Soldier’s Chain of Command that he/she is unavailable to visit the local AER Section in a timely manner to meet an emergency need. In these cases, a Spouse has two options available to obtain AER assistance. The options are as follows:
(1) Special Power of Attorney (SPOA – AER Form 53) - a Spouse or other authorized dependent must have a valid special power of attorney (SPOA) from their sponsor granting them the authority to act as the sponsor’s attorney-in-fact to establish, change, or stop allotments.
A Soldier may use a special power of attorney from another source and in another format. However, any power of attorney accepted by AER must state that the attorney-in-fact has the authority to establish, change, or stop an allotment and to incur AER debt in the Soldier’s name.
(2) The AER Account and Allotment Authorization Form (AER Form 55) may be executed by the AER Officer in lieu of a special power of attorney (SPOA), when appropriate, to provide an AER no interest loans to an authorized Army dependent when the Soldier cannot be physically present to sign the promissory note. Under this policy change, AER may provide a Soldier who is not physically present with a no-interest loan repayable by allotment by validating the Soldier’s identity through a digital signature from their CAC card or other US Government issued (digital) certificate.