- Eligibility
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The following individuals are eligible for AER assistance in accordance with Army Regulation 930-4:
- Soldiers on active duty and their eligible dependents
- Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers activated on Title 10 orders for more than 30 days and their eligible dependents
- Soldiers retired for longevity, medical, or upon reaching age 60 (reserve component) and their eligible dependents
- Surviving spouses who have not remarried and children of Soldiers who died on active duty or died after reaching retirement eligibility
- Categories of Assistance
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- Emergency Travel
- Natural Disaster (preparation & evacuation)
- Mortgage, Rent, Initial Deposit
- Temporary Lodging
- Food
- Health care (not covered by Tricare)
- Vehicle Costs
- Utilities
- Funeral Expenses
- Basic Essential Furniture
- Appliance Costs
- Cranial Helmets
- PCS Travel
- Child Car Seats
- Dental Care (for dependents)
- Home Repair
- Non-Medical Attendant Travel
- Invitational Travel Order
- Clothing
- Immigration & Passport Fees (for dependents)
- Special Needs Medical Equipment
- Spouse Relicensing / Recertification
- Child Care (Army Fee Assistance req.)
Have a request not listed above? Just ask!
- Army Emergency Relief (AER) Overview
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Overview
Army Emergency Relief is the U.S. Army's own nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating financial distress on the force. AER provides grants and zero-interest loans to Active Duty and Retired Soldiers and their Families. Over 4 million Soldiers supported since 1942. AER officers are conveniently located at installations around the world. Visit ArmyEmergencyRelief.org to learn more.
Education Programs
AER’s Education Program is a secondary mission to help Army Families with the costs of education. The three separate scholarship programs are:
Stateside Spouse Education Assistance Program
• Applicant must be the Spouse or widow(er) of an active duty or retired Soldier and reside in the United States.
• Stateside applicants must be full time students.
• First undergraduate degrees only.
• Active duty military personnel are not eligible.Overseas Spouse Education Assistance Program Major General James Ursano Scholarship Fund for Dependent Children.
Overseas Spouse Education Assistance Program
• Applicants must be a Spouse of an active duty Soldier assigned in Europe, Korea, Japan, or Okinawa.
• Applicants must physically reside with the Soldier at the assigned location.
• First undergraduate degrees only.
• Off post students are not eligible.
• Spouses may be part time or full time students.Major General James Ursano Scholarship Fund for Dependant Children
• Dependent children, stepchildren, or legally adopted children of Army Soldiers on active duty, retired or deceased while in active duty or retired status.The children of Grey Area Reservists/National Guard are eligible as well.
Scholarship awards will be awarded up to half the cost of tuition. Scholarship awards are based on financial need, as evidenced by income, assets, Family size, and special circumstances.
Applications and instructions are available for all the scholarships on the AER website at https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org/resources/
- AER Resources and Forms
- How To Apply
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- Talk to your Commander or an AER Office at your local Army Community Service office
- If you are not within 50 miles of a military installation, the American Red Cross is authorized to provide financial assistance on behalf of AER. Call the American Red Cross at 1-877-272-7337 then select the option for financial assistance.
- Fill out the application for AER assistance (AER Form 101: https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/AER-Form-101-Application-for-Financial-Assistance.pdf ) and the budget (AER Form 57: https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/AER-Form-57-Budget-Planning-Sheet.pdf)
- Gather supporting documents and submit with the application and budget
- Scholarships
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“Mrs. Patty Shinseki Spouse Scholarship Program” and “MG James Ursano Scholarship Program for Children” are a need-based scholarship programs established to provide assistance for higher education and professional certifications.
- Eligible for the program are Spouses and children of Servicemembers in the following statuses: Active Duty, Deceased Active, Retired, Deceased Retired, Medically Retired, Grey Area Retiree, AGR and ARNG / USAR on Title 10 Orders for the entire Academic Year for which they are applying.
- Applicants must be listed as dependents of their Soldier Sponsor in DEERS.
- Applicants for the MG James Ursano Children’s Scholarship Program must be under the age of 24.
- Recipients must be pursuing their first undergraduate degree (exceptions may be made for Spouse Scholarship applicants) at a college or university listed in the US Department of Education’s accreditation database. Trade schools are acceptable as well. You may visit The US Department of Education’s Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home ) to determine if your school is listed.
- The funds may be used for tuition, fees, books, and supplies. For recipients of the MG James Ursano Dependent Children’s Scholarship program, funds may also be used for room and board expenses.
- Find the application forms at https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org/scholarships/
Army Emergency Relief provides zero-interest loans and grants to Soldiers and their Families through their local installation's AER section. AER is a private nonprofit organization incorporated in 1942 by the Secretary of War and the Army Chief of Staff.
For more information and to manage your AER loan please visit: https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org
