Robert P. Casey Jr.United States Senator for Pennsylvania

Armed Services

General Services Information

• Army One Source, Service Locator – provides information on military services throughout Pennsylvania.
• Joint Services Support – National Guard Bureau Assistance Programs for Guard and Reserve members.
• Transition Assistance Advisors – Veterans benefits counseling, information, and assistance and community referrals. Located at Fort Indiantown Gap.

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Charitable Organizations

• Army Emergency Relief
• Air Force Aide Society
• Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society
• Coast Guard Mutual Assistance
• Military One Source – Connects military servicemembers and families to organizations that provide a wide range of support, assistance, adaptive equipment, scholarships and other helpful resources.
• Angels of Mercy Program – Clothing and supplies for wounded servicemembers
• Children of Fallen Soldiers – Housing, college grants and scholarships for children and spouses of fallen heroes
• Yellow Ribbon Foundation – Food, clothing, shelter, medical assistance and education for veterans.
• Army Homefront Fund – provides grants, usually in the form of paying bills directly to the billing company, for wounded soldiers.

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Family Programs

• Joint Family Resource Center, provides on-demand counseling, educational materials and programs to support command sponsored deployment, personal finance and transition programs at no cost to commands.
• Hero Miles – Allows troops and servicemembers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan to visit their loved ones on leave at no cost; allows family members and spouses to visit their wounded servicemembers in military hospitals across the country at no cost.
• Operation Purple – The National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple camps provide a venue for having fun, making friends, and reminding military kids that they are the nation’s youngest heroes.
• Pennsylvania Military Family Relief Assistance Program – Provides financial assistance, in the form of one time grants, to eligible Pennsylvania servicemembers and their eligible family member.
• Operation Military Kids Pennsylvania – Lists a number of programs directed at the children of servicemembers within Pennsylvania.
• Unmet Needs – A VFW and corporate partnership program that offers $2,500 grants to servicemembers and their families who are having trouble paying essential bills. The grants are paid directly to the billing firm or agency.

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Education

• Post 9/11 GI Bill - Information on eligibility criteria for GI Bill educational assistance
• Financial Aid for Spouses – A list of organizations with scholarship information
• NMFA Military Spouse Scholarships – The National Military Family Association provides scholarships to be used for tuition, fees, and school room and board for various educational opportunities.
• Blue Star Families – A member drive organization with representative at more than 70 bases around the world.

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Healthcare

• TRICARE – The military’s affordable healthcare coverage program.
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – Support and assistance for military personnel, veterans and their families 1-800-273-8255
• Deployment Health Library – Online family readiness resources, deployment cycle support articles and physical, environmental, occupational, and mental health fact sheets.
• Wounded Warrior Resource Center – Specialized support for wounded, ill and injured servicemembers and their families.
• Blinded Veterans Association – Through service programs, regional groups, resources and advocacy, this organization seeks to provide a better life for blinded veterans at no charge. All legally blinded veterans are eligible for assistance whether they become blind during or after active duty military service.
• Fisher House – An organization that provides “a home away from home” for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease, or injury.
• Yellow Ribbon Fund – Volunteers a Walter Reed and Bethesda Medical Centers help injured servicemembers enjoy their community through outreach activities and services.

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Housing Assistance

• VA Home Loans - information on VA loan guarantee program.
• Fisher House – An organization that provides “a home away from home” for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease, or injury.
• Homes for Our Troops – Builds or adapts homes for handicapped accessibility at no cost to veterans.
• Hope NOW – Hope NOW is an alliance between HUD-approved counseling agents, services, investors and other mortgage market participants that provide free foreclosure prevention assistance.

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Financial Education

• National Foundation for Credit Counseling – Consumer credit counseling services including homeowner, money and credit, bankruptcy education and counseling, debt management planning assistance, and free or low cost general assistance.

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Employment Assistance

• Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education – Offers fellowships for military spouses to attain the Accredited Financial Counselor certification.
• MILSpouse – Comprehensive resources that provide support, information and referrals for military spouses seeking portable careers and employment opportunities.
• Commonwealth Workforce Development System – CWDS links businesses and individuals to Pennsylvania’s workforce development and independent living services.
• Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts – Provides funding for licensing and credentialing training programs that provide portable careers for military spouses.
• Army Spouse Employment Partnership – This program provides Army spouses with an opportunity to attain financial security, and to achieve employment goals through career mobility and enhanced employment options.

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Survivor Services

• Survivor Outreach Services – An Army program that provides access to support, information and services for surviving loved ones.
• Gold Star Wives – An organization of widows and widowers whose spouses died while on active duty in the military services or as a result of service connected disabilities. Pennsylvania chapters: Philadelphia and Greater Pittsburgh
• Survivors Benefit Plan – Information for surviving spouses of servicemembers

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Veterans

General Services Information

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - The US Department of Veterans Affairs provides patient care and federal benefits to veterans and their dependents.
• Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veteran Affairs – The Office for Veterans Affairs provides advice and assistance to Pennsylvania's one million veterans and their families and quality care for aging veterans.
• Social Security Administration – Fact sheets for military servicemembers.
• Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania – Provides housing, employment, and other supportive services to eligible veterans, servicemembers and their families.

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Benefits

• MyArmyBenefits - Online calculators and comprehensive military benefits information of value to all military servicemembers.
• Retirement Calculator – Provides estimates for retired pay during retirement years. You can personalize the inputs to reflect your expectations about your retirement and economic conditions.
• Pennsylvania Veteran Claims Services
• Chartered Veteran Service Organizations, which prepare, present and prosecute claims for benefits on behalf of veterans and their families with USDVA.
  • American Legion
  • AMVETS
  • Disabled American Veterans
  • Military Order of the Purple Heart
  • Veterans of Foreign Wars
  • United Spinal Association
  • Vietnam Veterans of America
  • Jewish War Veterans
• Post 9/11 GI Bill –Information on eligibility criteria for GI Bill educational assistance.
• eBenefits – Online Veterans benefits portal that allows veterans to apply online for benefits and learn about the benefits they’ve earned.

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Employment Assistance

• U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment & Training Service – Provides resources and expertise to assist and prepare veterans with the ability to obtain meaningful careers, maximize their employment opportunities and protect their employment rights.

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Veteran Business Assistance

• Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program – Provides funds to help an eligible small business meet ordinary and necessary operating expenses that it is unable to meet, due to an essential employee’s deployment in their role as a military reservist.
• Patriot Express Loans for Military Spouses – Offers streamlined and expedited loan procedures for particular groups of borrowers, notably active duty military personnel, veterans, and borrowers from distressed communities.
• Veteran Business Outreach Centers – Provides entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling and mentoring, and referrals for eligible veterans owning or considering starting a small business.
• Small Business Development Centers – Provides management assistance to current and prospective small business owners.

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Healthcare

• Directory of Pennsylvania VA Healthcare Services
• PTSD Program Locator in Pennsylvania
• Veterans Suicide Prevention/Crisis Line – A confidential Department of Veteran Affairs hotline, which offers a 24/7 service for Veterans in crisis and their families. Enrollment in the VA is not required.

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