I just want to help spread the word about a very underused fund that can be a great help to a lot of Military families. I recently recieved the following email:
Some common misconceptions about the fund are:
1. That it is a "limited" pool of money. All pools of money are limited but as of the last annual report there was 5 million in the fund and they have yet to spend muc more in a year than they get in.
2. You need to impoverish yourself before you qualify for assistance. Depending on the circumstance, you may need to prove financial hardship. For the special needs assistance, it is less important as it is recognized that special needs children incure extra-ordinary expenses.
3. You CoC must "Approve" it. Your immediate CoC must staff it up to Ottawa with a couple of exceptions. Supervisors and the CO can minute it and support or not support it but the decision is made by the National Military Families fund office in Ottawa. Base Commanders are delegated approval for urgent request (require action in less than 48 hours) under 5000 dollars. All other request should be forwarded to Ottawa with in 2 working days.
4. Special Needs children require a previous diagnosis and treatment plan. The MFF provides up to 4000 dollars for assessments. You will need to provide some proof that your child needs the assessment but in many cases the cost of the assessment is what is preventing your child from receiving the care they need. An autism assessment can cost 2 to 3 grand.
5. You must prepay and then get reimbursed. Base COs are issued prepaid BMO cards that they can hand to you with in 24 hours if the need is urgent enough. Receipts will be required but they can be submitted after the fact.
More information about the fund can be had by contacting the people above or visiting the MFF site at
https://www.cfpsa.com/en/SupportOurTroops/OurFunds/MFF/Pages/default.aspx
Some common misconceptions about the fund are:
1. That it is a "limited" pool of money. All pools of money are limited but as of the last annual report there was 5 million in the fund and they have yet to spend muc more in a year than they get in.
2. You need to impoverish yourself before you qualify for assistance. Depending on the circumstance, you may need to prove financial hardship. For the special needs assistance, it is less important as it is recognized that special needs children incure extra-ordinary expenses.
3. You CoC must "Approve" it. Your immediate CoC must staff it up to Ottawa with a couple of exceptions. Supervisors and the CO can minute it and support or not support it but the decision is made by the National Military Families fund office in Ottawa. Base Commanders are delegated approval for urgent request (require action in less than 48 hours) under 5000 dollars. All other request should be forwarded to Ottawa with in 2 working days.
4. Special Needs children require a previous diagnosis and treatment plan. The MFF provides up to 4000 dollars for assessments. You will need to provide some proof that your child needs the assessment but in many cases the cost of the assessment is what is preventing your child from receiving the care they need. An autism assessment can cost 2 to 3 grand.
5. You must prepay and then get reimbursed. Base COs are issued prepaid BMO cards that they can hand to you with in 24 hours if the need is urgent enough. Receipts will be required but they can be submitted after the fact.
More information about the fund can be had by contacting the people above or visiting the MFF site at
https://www.cfpsa.com/en/SupportOurTroops/OurFunds/MFF/Pages/default.aspx
