Family Assistance Centers are a one-stop shop for assistance and referrals for families and offer the following:
•Crisis intervention and referral: Wounded Warrior families, domestic abuse, child abuse/neglect, danger to self and others
•Legal resource and referral: power of attorney/wills, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, Employer Support of the Guard/Reserve assistance
•Financial resource and referral: understanding military pay, assistance with financial grant and loan applications, referral to community resources, referrals to budgeting classes
•TRICARE resource and referral: insurance benefits, assist with TRICARE medical and dental applications, finding local participating providers, assisting with claim denial challenge letters
•ID Cards and DEERS: assist with obtaining cards
•Community information and referral: child care resource and referral, finding local FRG, local food banks and shelters, list of community resources
Our local Family Assistance Specialist, Steve Mennemeyer, can be emailed here or call (800) 237-2850 ext. 8145 then ext. 28. You can also download a map of all the Family Assistance Centers in Indiana to find the one closest to you.
Family Assistance Centers
MYCAA Program
The Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) Program is an employment assistance program that provides up to $4,000 of financial assistance to eligible military spouses who are pursuing a license, certification or Associate’s degree in a portable career field and occupation. Visit the website here for information.
Family Relief Fund
With all the deployments going on in the military these days, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for families to meet the challenges that come with the separation. The Indiana National Guard Relief Fund provides financial grants of up to $1,500 to soldiers and their families that have encountered difficult situations due to soldiers being mobilized or in times of financial hardship.
Categories for authorized expenses include: non-receipt of pay; medical, dental and hospital expenses; utilities; essential private-owned vehicle; funeral expenses; rent, loss of funds; clothing; fire or other disasters; emergency travel; food; unexpected repair.
Categories for unauthorized expenses include: divorces; rentals, leases or purchase of vehicles; continuing assistance; liquidation or consolidation of debt; goods or items of convenience or luxury; marriages; bad checks; ordinary leave; business ventures or investments; civilian court fees, fines, judgments, liens, bail, legal fees or income tax.
Applications are available here.
VFW Helps Through Unmet Needs Program
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Unmet Needs program was created to assist military service members and their families who run into unexpected financial difficulties as a result of deployment or other hardships directly related to military service. You can receive up to $2,500 in grants that do not have to be repaid. Visit their website here for information.
Helpful Links for Families
Your one-stop shop for all resources for military members, spouses and families is Military OneSource!
The National Guard Bureau's Joint Services Support website has numerous resources on programs such as the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, National Guard Family Programs, and much more. Volunteers for the FRG can also log their hours here. Sign up today here.
Parents with young children will enjoy the Zero to Three website which has resources and information for the care of infants and toddlers.
Looking for t-shirts, mugs, magnets and more with Army logos and sayings? Visit CafePress here.
Visit A Soldier's Friend here, a local group in Scottsburg that supports soldiers.
Have you heard about Shades of Green? It is one of two Armed Forces Recreation Centers in the U.S. and is located on Walt Disney World Resort. The resort is just for members of the military and their families. Learn more by visiting their website.
Are you a military spouse who is looking for assistance for college? WGU Indiana is a new online university established by the State of Indiana. The nonprofit university offers bachelor's and master's degrees, and recognizes that military spouses "serve" too. The WGU Spouses to Graduates Scholarship offers $1,500 for use toward completion of any college degree. Visit their website here.
The University of Atlanta and AMVETS are partnering to offer a scholarship program for military members, veterans and their families. The number of scholarships awarded will be based upon the number of students applying. There are numerous degrees at the bachelor's, master's, graduate certificate and doctorate levels. Visit the university's website here and then explore the degree programs, then select "Apply Online" to complete the basic form.
Sears Portrait Studios offers a military discount. Visit their website here.
Deployment Links
Give a Daddy Doll or Mommy Doll to a child whose parent is gone during deployment by visiting Operation Give a Hug.
Need help paying for child care while your servicemember is deployed? Operation Military Child Care provides child care fee assistance for deployed soldiers' families. Call (800) 424-2246 or visit the website here.
Need help with your yard while your loved one is deployed? Project GreenCare for Troops will match you with volunteers in your area...or you can volunteer to help others as well!
Talk, Listen, Connect: Deployments, Homecomings and Changes is Sesame Workshop's initiative for military families. Watch Sesame Street videos with your children, download printable puzzles and games, and so much more to help your child with being a soldier's child.
Camouflage Kids is an organization that donates a unique college "game day" experience to athletic events for children of military members called to active duty. Kids receive game tickets, backpacks, food, t-shirts and wristbands free of charge. Go here for details.
Deployed troops or family members can request home baked cookies to be sent overseas by going to Treat the Troops website.
Order a Flat Daddy or Flat Mommy here, a life-size printed poster of parents who are serving overseas.
Need help getting rid of the snow and ice in your driveway while your servicemember is deployed? Project Evergreen Snowcare for Troops program can help! You can also volunteer to help others.
Over 10,000 volunteers, at their own expense, collect gently used paperback books for the Operation Paperback "Recycled Reading for the Troops" program. If you or your soldier is interested in receiving free books while deployed, register at operationpaperback.org.
Instead of dealing with the stress of purchasing gifts for your children, consider applying for a grant from Our Military Kids. Grants pay for participation in extracurricular activities like sports and fine arts programs. Give your child the gift of gymnastics, karate lessons or music lessons - whatever your child would like! To be eligible, your child must be ages 3-18, and your spouse must be currently deployed overseas with the Guard or will deploy within 30 days.. The grants, worth up to $500, will pay for an activity of your choice for up to six months. Fill out the one page application here and submit with a copy of the Title 10 orders, a form of ID for your child, and contact information for the activity (brochure, flyer, etc.)
A "With You All the Way" deployment kit is available for free from Military One Source. It is for ages 5 and older, and includes a cargo case for safekeeping, dealing with deployment DVD, writing journal with prompts, calendar, map and activities, caregiver guide, 10 postcards, and Cuzzie (a bear friend with removable goggles and helmet). Order from www.militaryonesource.com or call (800) 342-9647 and request the "With You All the Way" deployment kit.
Websites for Soldiers
The Department of Homeland Security has a goal of increasing its workforce to 50,000 veterans by 2012. Visit this website to learn about job opportunities.
Go to the Indiana National Guard's Human Resources page here to view AGR, civilian, contractor and technician jobs that are available.
There is a wealth of information at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website. Learn all about your benefits, such as the GI Bill, home loans, small business opportunities and so much more!
Job Search Tool
The Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces launched a new, state-of-the-art job search portal. Users can now set up a personal profile, receive notification whenever a desired position becomes available, has a resume builder, career counseling, post your resume for employers to search, and more. To use this tool, visit their website.
