Emergency Assistance

If you have an American Red Cross verified emergency, which requires you to take emergency leave and you do not have the financial means to do so, the Air Force Aid Society, Army Emergency Relief, and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society can provide emergency financial assistance to military personnel and their eligible family members for airfare, travel expenses in privately owned vehicles, etc., on a case-by-case basis.

The relief societies can also provide emergency financial assistance for other expenses based upon need.

Please, follow these instruction to apply for financial emergency assistance by branch of services.

The https://portal.afas.org/ea-eligibility/ https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org/loans/  and https://www.nmcrs.org/pages/financial-assistance-and-counseling societies are all official charities of the Department of Defense. All are private, non-profit organizations that promote the military mission by providing worldwide emergency assistance, sponsoring education assistance programs, and offering a variety of base community enhancement programs that improve quality of life for military members and their families. Each relief society assists with rent, food, shelter, vehicle repairs (including parts and labor) and emergency travel for death or serious illness of immediate family members.

Categories of financial assistance include:

• Basic living expenses (food, shelter, utilities)
• Medical expenses not covered by TRICARE
• Dental expenses not covered by dental insurance
• Funeral expenses
• Emergency transportation
• Essential car repairs
• Pay and allotment problems

The American Red Cross can also help in times of emergency. Quick communications with home about family emergencies is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  This includes verification of death or serious illness of immediate family, birth announcements to parents deployed overseas, and health and welfare reports resulting from a loss of communication over an extended period of time. The American Red Cross is also available for emergency assistance: 877-272-7337.

Ensure you have the phone numbers for your Commander, Commander Support Staff, your sponsor, and lodging in your contacts on your cell phone. These numbers can be invaluable in case of an emergency while in transit.

Ensure you have paper or electronic versions of your important documents with you (orders, passports, Leave and Earnings Statement, bills, immunization record, etc.).

The Military and Family Readiness Center can provide you with on-base and local area information. For questions, email the M&FRC at FSC.Frontdesk@us.af.mil. 

You can also find valuable information at https://macdillfss.com/

The Salvation Army is another good source of information and assistance in an emergency.

• TAMPA AREA COMMAND 1603 N. Florida Avenue, 33602
• Mailing Address: P. O. Box 2839, Tampa, FL 33601. 
• Phone 813-549-0641

Planning for your Permanent Change of Station is critical. The more you know, the easier it will be and the better prepared you are to deal with the unexpected. This is especially important while you and your family are traveling across country or around the world. Emergencies can happen even with the best of planning, and usually at the most inopportune time.