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Helping the Army Take Care of Its Own
March 1, 2013
Army Emergency Relief Annual Campaign Kick-Off
Questions and Answers
General Questions:
QUESTION: What is Army Emergency Relief (AER)?
ANSWER: AER is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1942 that is dedicated solely to
"Helping the Army Take Care of its Own" by providing financial assistance to Soldiers and their
Families.
QUESTION: How is AER Managed?
ANSWER: AER is governed under bylaws established by the AER Board of Managers as a
private corporation. Day to day operations are conducted by the Director, LTG(R) Robert F.
Foley who is responsible to the Board of Managers.
QUESTION: How does AER assist the Army in caring for Soldiers and their Families?
ANSWER: The AER charter is “to collect and hold funds and to relieve distress”. This is a
Commander’s program which has the ability to provide Soldiers emergency financial assistance
to meet a wide range of unexpected needs such as housing, food, utility and travel expenses.
The use of AER funds are only constrained by the amount of a Soldiers’ valid emergency
financial need. Since its founding, AER has provided over 1.3 billion dollars in assistance to
Soldiers and their Families.
Army Emergency Relief
Questions and Answers

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Financial Assistance Questions:
QUESTION: Who can AER assist?
ANSWER: AER provides emergency financial assistance to:
 Soldiers on extended active duty and their eligible family members.
 Army members of Reserve Components (U.S. Army Reserve and Army National Guard)
on orders under Title 10 U.S.C. for continuous active duty for a period of more than 30
consecutive days, and their eligible Family members.
 Soldiers who retired from active duty for longevity or by reason of physical disability or
upon attaining age 60 (Reserve Components); and their eligible Family members.
 Surviving spouses and orphans of Soldiers who died while on active duty or after
retirement.
QUESTION: When is AER financial assistance available?
ANSWER: AER assistance is available when:
 Soldiers and their eligible Family members have a valid emergency financial need.
 Surviving spouses and orphans of deceased Soldiers have emergency need.
 Unmarried dependent children and spouses of Soldiers need financial assistance for
undergraduate level study.
QUESTION: How can Soldiers apply for AER emergency financial assistance?
ANSWER: AER emergency financial assistance is available at 82 AER Sections located at
Army installations world-wide. Should a Soldier need help away from an Army installation, AER
help may be found at more than 750 locations around the world by contacting the:
 Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
 Air Force Aid Society
 Coast Guard Mutual Assistance
 The American Red Cross Call Center at 1-877-272-7337.
QUESTION: How is AER emergency financial assistance provided?
ANSWER: AER emergency financial assistance may be provided in the form of:
An interest free loan, normally repaid over 12-24 months;
An outright grant when repayment would cause hardship; or,
A combination interest free loan and grant when repayment of the full amount of

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assistance would cause hardship.
In all cases the form of assistance is determined by the Soldier’s individual circumstances.
QUESTION: Why is AER referred to as “Soldiers helping Soldiers”?
ANSWER: AER is the only organization dedicated solely to helping Soldiers and their Families
in time of emergency financial need. Assistance provided by AER is funded in large part by
fellow Soldiers who are either repaying their AER assistance loans so AER can redistribute
funds to other Soldiers in need or by Soldiers making donations to help meet the needs of their
fellow Soldiers.
QUESTION: What is AER’s record of assistance for the past year?
ANSWER: In 2012 AER provided $76.8 million dollars in assistance to more than 59,000
Soldiers and their Families.
QUESTON: What are the categories for assistance?
ANSWER: To better meet the needs of our Soldiers, AER continually solicits input from the field
and adds new categories as needs change. Exceptions to policy can be granted if there is a
valid need in a non-designated category. Currently, the following categories are available for
assistance:
 Non-receipt of pay
 Loss of funds
 Medical expenses
 Funeral expenses
 Travel expenses
 Rent
 Food
 Utilities
 Vehicle repair
 Travel (PCS)
 Repair of heating and cooling equipment
 Repair/replacement of appliances
 Child car seats
 Cranial helmets

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 Dependent dental care
 Basic furniture
 Rental vehicle
 Replacement vehicle
Educational Assistance Questions:
QUESTION: Does AER offer financial assistance for education?
ANSWER: AER has education scholarship programs for undergraduate study for dependent
children and spouses.
QUESTION: What are the eligibility requirements for AER’s scholarship programs?
ANSWER:
Spouse Education Assistance Program is a need-based program designed to provide
financial assistance to pursue a four year college degree based on the following criteria:
 Applicant must be the Spouse of either a Soldier on federal active duty, a retired Soldier,
or the widow(er) of a Soldier who died on active duty or in a retired status.
 Applicant must be registered as the Spouse in DEERS.
 Applicant must be pursuing their first undergraduate degree at a school accredited by
the U.S. Department of Education.
 Applicant may be enrolled part-time or full-time. Part-time = 6 credit hours per
semester/term. Full-time = 12 credit hours per semester/term.
 Applicant must have and maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale.
MG James Ursano Scholarship Program is a need-based program designed to provide
financial assistance to pursue a four year college degree based on the following criteria:
 Applicant must be the dependent child of either a Soldier on federal active duty, a retired
Soldier, or a Soldier who died on active duty or in a retired status.
 Applicant must be registered as a dependent in DEERS.

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 Applicant must be under the age of 23.
 Applicant must be unmarried for the entire academic year.
 Applicant must be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student for the entire academic
year at a school accredited by the U.S. Department of Education.
 Applicant must have and maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale.
 Applicant must have a high school diploma or a G.E.D.
QUESTION: What is the basis for awarding AER scholarships?
ANSWER: AER awards most of its scholarship funds based on financial need. However a
portion of the Children’s Scholarship Program is based on academics and leadership.
QUESTION: When is the deadline for the application and supporting documents?
ANSWER: 1 MAY 2013
QUESTION: Where can I get more information on AER’s Scholarship Programs?
ANSWER: Full AER scholarship information is available from local AER Officers, directly from
National Headquarters AER and from the AER website: www.aerhq.org.
Annual Campaign:
QUESTION: Why does the Army have an Annual AER Campaign?
ANSWER: The Army and AER conduct an Annual Campaign for several reasons:
 To continually increase the awareness of all Soldiers, active and retired, and their
Families -- including spouses and orphans of deceased Army members about AER’s
programs, benefits, and how to obtain assistance if the need arises.
 Inform Soldiers how their fund operates and their contributions result in Soldiers helping
Soldiers.
 Provide an opportunity for all Soldiers to "Help the Army Take Care of its Own" by
contributing to AER.
QUESTION: Is AER part of the Annual CFC Campaign?
ANSWER: AER is not a part of the CFC Campaign. Because AER is the Army's own

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organization and the important role AER has in supporting Soldiers and their Families, the Army
conducts a separate AER campaign. AER Annual Fund Campaign is the only time each year
Soldiers are asked to help their own organization and their fellow Soldiers.
QUESTION: Does AER only solicit Soldiers during its Annual Campaign?
ANSWER: AER solicits donations only from Soldiers, active and retired because those are the
beneficiaries of AER assistance. However, AER does gratefully accept unsolicited donations
from the general public from those who find AER is an acceptable way to support Soldiers and
their Families.
QUESTION: Why should I contribute to AER?
ANSWER: Your contributions allow AER to fulfill its mission of helping Soldiers in time of
distress and misfortune. Contributions help assure continued availability of AER funds to meet
the increasing assistance needs for soldiers. Through your contribution you are helping carry
on the tradition of Soldiers helping Soldiers in time of need.
QUESTION: How can one contribute to the AER Campaign?
ANSWER: Contributions may be by allotment, cash, check or on-line with a credit card via our
website, www.aerhq.org. Soldiers who chose to contribute by allotment can spread their
donation out over time, up to 12 months.
QUESTION: How successful is the Annual Campaign?
ANSWER: Last year the Annual Campaign raised $9.1 million from donations by Soldiers, both
active and retired.
AER Operations
QUESTION: How is AER funded to sustain its programs?
ANSWER: AER funding comes from several sources:
 The Annual Campaign.
 Repayment of AER loans.
 Unsolicited contributions from members of the general public.
 Investment income from funds currently not in demand for assistance.
QUESTION: How much of every dollar spent by AER is actually used for assistance to Soldiers

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and their Families?
ANSWER: In 2012; nearly 88 cents of every dollar spent by AER was spent on assistance
programs, 9.8 cents went to payroll and other administrative costs and the remaining 2.5 cents
went to cover fund raising expenses.