Links to Additional Resources

ADA.gov This is the official federal website for information and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  It provides links to other related federal resources and to a number of helpful ADA publications including ADA: Know Your Rights – Returning Service Members with Disabilities.  The booklet explains individual’s rights under the ADA and where they can go for more information and for assistance.

American Legion  The American Legion is a large, nonprofit veteran service organization that supports the needs of military personnel who have sustained severe injuries as they prepare to return to local communities.  The American Legion operates worldwide through over 15,000 American Legion Posts.

American Red Cross (ARC)  ARC provides services to military families including emergency messages to deployed service members. They also provide access to financial assistance, counseling, and assistance to veterans.

Arlington National Cemetery  The Arlington National Cemetery website provides veterans and their dependents with information on eligibility for interment or Columbarium internment in the nation's premier military cemetery.

Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS)  This website has information regarding military pay, including military pay tables. It includes a link to "My Pay" so a service member can view his or her Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) and other financial information related to military pay.  Included on the DFAS website is pay and benefit information on wounded warrior pay, Traumatic Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (TSGLI), disability retirements, and combat-related injury and rehabilitation pay.

Department of Labor (DoL) Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS)  VETS provides veterans and transitioning service members with the resources and services to succeed in the civilian workforce by maximizing their employment opportunities and protecting their employment rights.  The website includes information about veterans' preference, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), and licensing and credentialing requirements.  Many of these benefits are also available to survivors of deceased veterans, including employment and training services, connections to DoL's national business partners, and the Spouse Telework Program (STEP).

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)  This website describes the wide variety of VA services, benefits, and special programs with online application forms.   The website also provides information and assistance on the wide range of benefits for surviving spouses, dependent children, and dependent parents of deceased veterans and service members.  The website provides brief descriptions of and links to the required forms for VA programs to include Survivors and Dependents benefits and Burial and Memorial benefits.

Disabled American Veterans (DAV)  DAV provides free assistance on a range of issues including transition, homelessness, disaster relief grants for natural disasters, and other emergencies and general assistance and advocacy.

Fisher House  The Fisher House Foundation provides airline tickets, using donated frequent flyer miles, to family and friends of service members who were hospitalized as a result of their service in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom.  The Fisher House Foundation also provides temporary lodging and transportation support for these family members and friends.

Gold Star Wives of America, Inc.  Gold Star Wives Of America, Inc. is an organization of military widows/widowers whose spouses died while on active duty or from service-connected disabilities.  The website provides resources, announcements, news and announcements, and contact information for regional chapters.

Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund  The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund provides injured Marines, Sailors, and their families with financial grants during the immediate crisis period following an injury and also provides financial assistance to help address more long-term needs and concerns.

Military & Family Life Counselors (MFLCs)  MFLCs are Masters or PhD level, licensed, and credentialed clinical providers that offer intervention and support to military service members, DoD civilian personnel designated as Civilian Expeditionary Workforce members, and their families.  Like Military OneSource, they provide up to twelve sessions of non-medical, short-term counseling per person, per issue for every day issues, such as anger management, stress, parenting, communication, family relationships, deployment, and other military-related topics.  The goal of the program is to support operational readiness and family readiness.  Situations requiring mental health treatment are referred to behavioral health agencies that treat these conditions.

MFLCs can be accessed through installation locations such as the Army Community Services (ACS), Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS), Navy Fleet and Family Support Centers (FFSC), and the Airman and Family Readiness Centers (A&FRC). MFLCs will also provide support at National Guard and Reserve Component drill weekends, mobilizations, and family events.  For information about Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) MFLCs, contact the installation Family Center, Child Development Center, or school liaison officer.

Military Funeral Honors   Family members of eligible veterans of the uniformed Services may request military funeral honors from the DoD.  The core elements of military funeral honors include flag folding, flag presentation, and the playing of Taps.  The website provides eligibility requirements and information about available services.

MilitaryINSTALLATIONS  This resource, available on MilitaryHOMEFRONT, provides contact information for programs and services, maps and directions, links to comprehensive location overviews, and community points of interest for military installations worldwide. Contact information for installation Family Centers and Emergency Relief Services offices can be found on the site.

Military OneSource  This site provides information and resources to help balance work and family life. Consultants are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week by phone, online, or via email offering personalized support to any service or family member.  Military OneSource can connect individuals with a trained, state-licensed mental health professional in the community, telephonically, or online for confidential/private counseling.  All active duty members, Guard and Reserve members, DoD civilian personnel designated as Civilian Expeditionary Workforce members and their family members are eligible for this benefit.
 
Military OneSource offers twelve in-person counseling sessions per person, per issue.  Consultants are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week by phone, online, or via email to provide support and resource information to service members, and DoD civilian personnel designated as Civilian Expeditionary Workforce members and their families or to surviving spouses, parents, and children of deceased service members.  To contact Military OneSource by phone, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, call Stateside at 1-800-342-9647. The Military OneSource website lists specific dialing information for other countries.

National Association for Uniformed Services (NAUS)  NAUS is a military-affiliated association whose membership is open to the entire military/veteran family - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, United States Public Health Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Guard and Reserve. NAUS serves as the voice of service members in the government and fights for the benefits of all uniformed Services members, retirees, veterans, and their family members.

National Military Family Association (NMFA)  NMFA is a national organization dedicated to identifying and resolving issues of concern to military families. Under the "Family Member Benefits" section, visitors can access fact sheets and resources on survivor benefits.

National Society of Military Widows (NSMW)  NSMW benefits widows of members of all branches of the Services by providing moral support, advice, referral service and, in general, by helping them return to normal life.

Response to the Terrorist Attach on the Pentagon:  Pentagon Family Assistance Center (PFAC) After Action Report - March 2003.  Following the events of September 11, 2001, the PFAC developed quickly into a multiagency emergency response effort. Various military components, Federal, State and local government, and non-government agencies came together to support the families. This report discusses the three phases of the operation and the services and support provided to meet the needs of the families over time.

• Appendix A
• Appendix B
• Appendix C
• Appendix D

Social Security Administration (SSA) Survivors Benefits  The SSA website allows beneficiaries to apply for certain kinds of benefits, find local Social Security offices, request Social Security-related documents, and receive copies of SSA publications.  Surviving spouses, former spouses, dependent children, and dependent parents may be eligible for Social Security Survivor Insurance upon the death of a member who has paid Social Security benefits.

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Inc. (TAPS)  TAPS is a national, nonprofit organization made up of, and providing services to, all those who have lost a service member.  TAPS provides surviving family members with assistance through peer support, crisis intervention, case work, grief and trauma resources, and the TAPS support network.

TRICARE  TRICARE is the healthcare insurance benefit provider for service members and family members. Many professionals across the United States provide counseling for service members and their families through TRICARE.  The TRICARE website can help service members and families connect to providers and find information on a number of health topics.  On the TRICARE Beneficiaries page of the website, under the "Mental Health & Behavior" tab, service and family members can find explanations of the types of mental health providers and mental health treatment options available to them. This website can also be used to locate the nearest Military Treatment Facility or an appropriate civilian healthcare provider.

United Services Organization (USO)  The USO is a private, nonprofit organization that supports service members and their families by providing morale, welfare, and recreation-type services. For family members of injured service members, the USO can assist in arranging transportation and finding low-cost lodging.

Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW)  Operating through over 8,400 posts worldwide, the VFW provides public outreach, youth education, and other community support. The VFW website provides news and updates, and assistance on accessing benefits and entitlements provided by the VA.

Wounded Warrior Project (WWP)  The WWP seeks to assist those men and women of our armed forces who have been severely injured during the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations around the world.  The WWP website provides advocacy, coping services, family support, as well as many other programs and service designed to assist wounded warriors in returning to civilian life.