Was someone in your family injured in Iraq/Afghanistan? Did you know that your family may be entitled
to a state grant based on injuries sustained during deployment to
Iraq/Afghanistan? It's true. Some states are providing financial grants to
wounded service members. The money is intended to give assistance to military families and ease some of the financial burdens assumed when a loved one is injured. It's a beautiful gift from the taxpayers of the state - to recognize a need and try to do something to ease the burden.
I was honored to attend a meeting sponsored by the Ohio
National Guard last week. One topic
during this meeting was the "Military Injured Relief Fund" in
Ohio
. Recently, theOhio
legislature passed Ohio House Bill 66. This bill provides grants to eligible service members in the amount of
$500 to individuals physically injured while service under Operation Enduring
Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom. What
amazed me, while doing research for this post, is that
Ohio
is not alone in its concern for the wounded families and the hardship these
injuries place on the family and their financial status. I'd heard about these types of financial grants from the federal government, but this was the first I've heard of states offering financial assistance.
Many states have similar programs - you'd have to check out
whether your state had such a provision for the wounded service members. If they don't - petition them for one! The qualifications are different for each
State and the amount of the grant is different for each state, but each state
that offers this program is recognizing the hardship of the injured service members
and striving to make a difference in their lives. Every website I searched stressed COMPLETELY
filling out the application and having all the required paperwork for the
grant.
When I was at the meeting, I asked one of the representatives
from the state offices if these grants were contingent on the amount of
financial recompense a service member may have received from the Federal
Government based on the federal Wounded Warrior Legislation. He said the state grants were completely
separate. It doesn't matter how much you have been given by the federal
government. It doesn't affect the state
grant at all!
I don't have a good feeling for whether or not the injuries
have to be designated as 'combat related'. I read a few articles on the
Ohio
bill and it doesn't appear as though this is the case. You have to be serving in OEF/OIF areas, but
it doesn't specifically mention the injuries need to be designated as combat
related. It's a question I would suggest
asking before you go through the application process.
I asked Ohio State Representative, Kevin DeWine, from my
district, about the program and he said, "Representing and supporting our
veterans is a tremendously important responsibility my colleagues and I
have. Two years ago we implemented the
military relief fund allowing taxpayers to assist military families in
need. Today we are working to exempt
military pension payments from personal income taxes here in
Ohio
. These efforts represent our unwavering commitment to support both ouractive servicemen and women and those who have served in the past."
I'm really fortunate to live in a phenomenally pro-military state. Our State and Local Representatives truly do look out for the interest of
the military community.
Like Andi said earlier this week - having the information regarding benefits for families of wounded troops or those who give the ultimate sacrifice is incredibly important. We all pray that we won't need to know this information ourselves, but at the very least we may be able to help others in our military family who do need this information.
