Military Family Relief Fund

What is the Arizona Military Family Relief Fund?

The Arizona Military Family Relief Fund (MFRF) was created to provide financial assistance to active duty service members, Veterans, and their families for unforeseen financial hardships caused by the service member’s military service. MFRF is open to both pre 9/11 and post 9/11 service members. MFRF is designed to bridge the gap for basic living expenses caused by unforeseen circumstances. Basic living expenses include, but are not limited to rental assistance, vehicle payments, utility assistance, etc. Common finances not covered by MFRF are VA debts, education, child support, credit cards, legal fees, etc.

Eligibility Requirements

Service Members and Veterans discharged under honorable conditions who meet all of the following criteria may be eligible for financial assistance:

1. Deployment by the service member or Veteran

Military deployment is the movement of armed forces. Deployment includes any movement from a military service member’s home station to somewhere outside the continental U.S. and its territories.

2. Arizona Residency (one of the following must apply to the service member or Veteran)

• Claimed Arizona as home of record OR
• Member of Arizona National Guard at time of deployment OR
• Deployed from an Arizona military installation OR
• Established residency in Arizona and be able to provide proof of continuous physical presence in Arizona for at least 12 months prior to submitting an application.

Below is a list of acceptable documents to prove 12 months of continuous physical presence in the state.

“Continuous physical presence” means that a service member has a documented place of habitation and is living in this state or has a community service organization verification of homeless status and continuous physical presence in this state.

Acceptable Documents

• DES benefit summary
• Lease or mortgage statements
• VA blue button appointment report
• Utility bills, (water, electric, gas)
• 3 or 5 year state motor vehicle record  $3 and $5 dollar fees
• Employment history report
• State income tax returns
• Property titles
• Health or medical records showing consistent appointments
• College verification of enrolment verification
• Community service organization letter

3. Financial Hardship (one of the following must apply):

• For Veterans & service members: must demonstrate that your current or past military service caused their current financial hardship
• For family members of a service member: must demonstrate that a financial hardship is due to the service member’s current military service
• For surviving families: service member or Veteran died or was wounded in the line of duty and family members need financial assistance with travel and living expenses.

(If a widow, widower or dependent child of a deceased service member is applying for financial assistance, the service member must have died in the line of duty in a combat zone or a zone where the person was receiving hazardous duty pay)

Financial assistance from the Arizona Military Family Relief Funds are determined by MFRF Advisory Committees, which are comprised of twelve members appointed by the Governor, as well as the ADVS Director or the Director’s designee. The Pre-9/11 and Post-9/11 MFRF have separate advisory committees. One-time emergency financial assistance is available for first-time applicants through the Pre-9/11 or Post-9/11 MFRF Emergency Committee, which is composed of five of the Advisory Committee members.  The one-time emergency assistance is limited to $3,000* and the lifetime limit for the MFRF program is set at $20,000.

*The $3,000 emergency assistance comes out of a Veteran's total MFRF lifetime limit of $20,000

If you meet the eligibility criteria the link for the applications below. Before completing the application please refer to the “How to Guide” below. This document shows step by step instructions on how to complete the application and how to submit required documentation.

Online MFRF Grant Application

Once you have reviewed the “How to Guide” follow this MFRF Grant Application link to access and complete the online application.

NOTE - THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED TO BE SUBMITTED WITH THE ONLINE APPLICATION IN ORDER TO BE PROCCESSED: DD214, two months of bank statements, two months pay stubs, past due/future bills for what you're requesting financial assistance with, VA decision letter and ratings. Other required documents (if applicable): proof of relationship to service member or Veteran (e.g. birth certificates, marriage license, child support order, divorce decree). Missing documents will result in applications not being processed.

FY23 MFRF Application Submission & Advisory Committee Meeting Dates 

Meetings are generally held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, but are subject to change. The applications are due by 4:00pm on the cut-off date, if the applications are received after the aforementioned time, they will be considered during the following month’s advisory committee meeting.

***Applicants are allowed to submit a one-time emergency request, which will be considered upon receipt***
 
Important MFRF Links

• MFRF Arizona State Statute 41-608.04 - about the statute
• MFRF Donation Information - how to donate

MFRF Advisory Committee & Application Processing

• MFRF Meetings are tentatively held every 3rd Tuesday of the month.
• MFRF Advisory Committee Meeting Agendas & Minutes are available online.
• Once an application is approved, checks may take 30-45 days to arrive and will be mailed out to vendors by ADVS on behalf of the applicant.

To the Public:

Pursuant to A.R.S. 38-431.02, the Military Family Relief Fund program and its committees hereby state that all meeting notices of this public body and any of its committees will be posted electronically here on this website and the Arizona Public Meeting Notices Website (https://publicmeetings.az.gov/arizona-public-meetings (link is external)). Physical copies of the public meeting notices will be posted at the following location:

Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services

1688 W. Adams Street

Phoenix, AZ 85007

This office is open to the public Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, except legal holidays and state mandated furlough days. All meeting notices and agendas will be posted in these locations at least 24 hours in advance of the meetings. MFRF and its committees are open to the public.

MFRF Emergency Committee

• The Emergency Committee will do a one-time review of an application to provide an expedited response to emergent financial needs.
• Emergency funds can only be used once, any future applications will be reviewed by the full MFRF Advisory Committee.  
• The MFRF Emergency Committee has 5 business days to vote on all submitted applications.
• Once an Emergency application is approved, checks are issued within 5-10 business days and will be mailed out to vendors by ADVS on behalf of the applicant.