The official charity for the Air Force and Space Force is implementing major changes to help Airmen, Guardians, and their families with child care, health care, permanent change-of-station (PCS) moves, and other stressful or expensive life needs.
The Air Force Aid Society announced earlier this month that it is streamlining the application process for financial aid, expanding the ways in which aid recipients can use the funds, and making it easier to access child care.
“These are some of the most sweeping changes we’ve made in decades to adapt to the needs of Airmen, Guardians, and their families,” AFAS Chief Executive Officer Ed Thomas Jr., a retired major general, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
New Financial Aid Options
AFAS has merged its loan and non-repayable grant programs to create a single pathway for Airmen, Guardians, family members, or retirees to request financial aid. The aid takes the form of a loan with a 0 percent interest rate, a non-repayable grant, or a combination of the two.
“Instead of taking [out] a loan on your credit card with 18 percent interest, or 39 percent interest on a payday loan, you can get a 0-interest loan paid back within two years,” Thomas explained. “It’s just a way to be able to help more Airmen and Guardians.”
Applicants can receive multiple loans if AFAS believes the need is justified and their budget supports repayment, the organization said on its website. Chief Operating Officer Kris McBride, a retired chief master sergeant, said the size of the loan is decided on a case-by-case basis, depending on the needs of the service member.
The charity is allowing its beneficiaries to request loans for a broader range of financial needs as well. Those now include adoption expenses, basic furniture costs, overseas car rentals, car seats or booster seats, essential home repairs, immigration expenses, mental health support, and vehicle shipment costs for PCS moves. The aid can still be used to help with basic living expenses (including rent and utility bills), medical or dental care, funeral expenses, vehicle repairs, family members with special needs, PCS costs, or emergency veterinarian visits. AFAS may also be able to help with other issues or direct members to other resources that can.
Child Care
Two AFAS programs aim to provide some relief for military families amid a nationwide child care provider shortage. The first, Give Parents a Break, offers members $40 per dependent child per month for up to three months to spend on any form of child care—even to help fly in a family member. The goal is to offer parents a few hours of respite from the stresses of parenting, AFAS said on its website.
Give Parents a Break requires a referral from a commander; chaplain; medical professional; family advocate; military-and-family readiness center worker; or first sergeant, a senior noncommissioned officer who oversees morale, health and quality-of-life issues within a unit.
“Maybe a family has a service member deployed and the spouse needs extra help, or they’re going through a particularly stressful time with medical issues,” Thomas said. “If the first sergeant says, ‘Hey, this family needs some extra help,’ we’re going to help them.”
The other option is Child Care for PCS, which provides $200 per child up to age 12 for a maximum of $1,000 per household during a permanent move, retirement, separation, or transfer to the Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard. The funding is available for any Airman or Guardian, regardless of rank. All they have to do is upload their PCS orders and identification.
“The PCS season can be a stressful time, and this is one of the ways that we can come alongside our force and help,” Thomas said.
Many of these changes were inspired by a listening tour where top AFAS officials heard the concerns of troops across the Air Force and Space Force. A common theme was that the financial aid application process was not straightforward, and that PCS season and a shortage of child care providers continued to be major stressors.
Last year, AFAS provided over $200,000 for child care support and $4.9 million for emergency financial aid. The charity is prepared to meet an even larger need this year, McBride said.
“We have budgeted significant funds for this, and we also understand that we are probably going to need to raise significantly more funds,” Thomas added.
But the listening tour reminded Thomas of those the money helps. A 19-year-old Airman suddenly needed to take custody of his two teenage sisters—a difficult task on a junior enlisted salary. A staff sergeant struggled to pay bills amid a daughter’s long-term hospital stay.
Besides providing financial assistance, AFAS also partners with military-and-family readiness centers and other organizations to help Airmen and Guardians build budgets and work to regain solid footing.
“Often, much of the work we do is when life happens and when the exceptional happens, and helping fill that gap to get that Airman or Guardian to a better place,” Thomas said.