Armed Service and Veteran Resources
Armed Services
- Army One Source, Service Locator – provides information on military services throughout Pennsylvania.
- Joint Services Support – National Guard Bureau Assistance Programs for Guard and Reserve members.
- Transition Assistance Advisors – Veterans benefits counseling, information, and assistance and community referrals. Located at Fort Indiantown Gap.
- Army Emergency Relief
- Air Force Aide Society
- Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society
- Coast Guard Mutual Assistance
- Military One Source – Connects military servicemembers and families to organizations that provide a wide range of support, assistance, adaptive equipment, scholarships and other helpful resources.
- Angels of Mercy Program – Clothing and supplies for wounded servicemembers
- Children of Fallen Soldiers – Housing, college grants and scholarships for children and spouses of fallen heroes
- Yellow Ribbon Foundation – Food, clothing, shelter, medical assistance and education for veterans.
- Army Homefront Fund – provides grants, usually in the form of paying bills directly to the billing company, for wounded soldiers.
- Joint Family Resource Center, provides on-demand counseling, educational materials and programs to support command sponsored deployment, personal finance and transition programs at no cost to commands.
- Hero Miles – Allows troops and servicemembers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan to visit their loved ones on leave at no cost; allows family members and spouses to visit their wounded servicemembers in military hospitals across the country at no cost.
- Operation Purple – The National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple camps provide a venue for having fun, making friends, and reminding military kids that they are the nation’s youngest heroes.
- Pennsylvania Military Family Relief Assistance Program – Provides financial assistance, in the form of one time grants, to eligible Pennsylvania servicemembers and their eligible family member.
- Operation Military Kids Pennsylvania – Lists a number of programs directed at the children of servicemembers within Pennsylvania.
- Unmet Needs – A VFW and corporate partnership program that offers $2,500 grants to servicemembers and their families who are having trouble paying essential bills. The grants are paid directly to the billing firm or agency.
- Post 9/11 GI Bill - Information on eligibility criteria for GI Bill educational assistance
- Financial Aid for Spouses – A list of organizations with scholarship information
- NMFA Military Spouse Scholarships – The National Military Family Association provides scholarships to be used for tuition, fees, and school room and board for various educational opportunities.
- Blue Star Families – A member drive organization with representative at more than 70 bases around the world.
- TRICARE – The military’s affordable healthcare coverage program.
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – Support and assistance for military personnel, veterans and their families 1-800-273-8255
- Deployment Health Library – Online family readiness resources, deployment cycle support articles and physical, environmental, occupational, and mental health fact sheets.
- Wounded Warrior Resource Center – Specialized support for wounded, ill and injured servicemembers and their families.
- Blinded Veterans Association – Through service programs, regional groups, resources and advocacy, this organization seeks to provide a better life for blinded veterans at no charge. All legally blinded veterans are eligible for assistance whether they become blind during or after active duty military service.
- Fisher House – An organization that provides “a home away from home” for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease, or injury.
- Yellow Ribbon Fund – Volunteers a Walter Reed and Bethesda Medical Centers help injured servicemembers enjoy their community through outreach activities and services.
- VA Home Loans - information on VA loan guarantee program.
- Fisher House – An organization that provides “a home away from home” for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease, or injury.
- Homes for Our Troops – Builds or adapts homes for handicapped accessibility at no cost to veterans.
- Hope NOW – Hope NOW is an alliance between HUD-approved counseling agents, services, investors and other mortgage market participants that provide free foreclosure prevention assistance.
- National Foundation for Credit Counseling – Consumer credit counseling services including homeowner, money and credit, bankruptcy education and counseling, debt management planning assistance, and free or low cost general assistance.
- Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education – Offers fellowships for military spouses to attain the Accredited Financial Counselor certification.
- MILSpouse – Comprehensive resources that provide support, information and referrals for military spouses seeking portable careers and employment opportunities.
- Commonwealth Workforce Development System – CWDS links businesses and individuals to Pennsylvania’s workforce development and independent living services.
- Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts – Provides funding for licensing and credentialing training programs that provide portable careers for military spouses.
- Army Spouse Employment Partnership – This program provides Army spouses with an opportunity to attain financial security, and to achieve employment goals through career mobility and enhanced employment options.
- Survivor Outreach Services – An Army program that provides access to support, information and services for surviving loved ones.
- Gold Star Wives – An organization of widows and widowers whose spouses died while on active duty in the military services or as a result of service connected disabilities. Pennsylvania chapters: Philadelphia and Greater Pittsburgh
- Survivors Benefit Plan – Information for surviving spouses of servicemembers
Veterans
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - The US Department of Veterans Affairs provides patient care and federal benefits to veterans and their dependents.
- Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veteran Affairs – The Office for Veterans Affairs provides advice and assistance to Pennsylvania's one million veterans and their families and quality care for aging veterans.
- Social Security Administration – Fact sheets for military servicemembers.
- Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania – Provides housing, employment, and other supportive services to eligible veterans, servicemembers and their families.
- MyArmyBenefits - Online calculators and comprehensive military benefits information of value to all military servicemembers.
- Retirement Calculator – Provides estimates for retired pay during retirement years. You can personalize the inputs to reflect your expectations about your retirement and economic conditions.
- Pennsylvania Veteran Claims Services
- Chartered Veteran Service Organizations, which prepare, present and prosecute claims for benefits on behalf of veterans and their families with USDVA.
- Post 9/11 GI Bill –Information on eligibility criteria for GI Bill educational assistance.
- eBenefits – Online Veterans benefits portal that allows veterans to apply online for benefits and learn about the benefits they’ve earned.
- U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment & Training Service – Provides resources and expertise to assist and prepare veterans with the ability to obtain meaningful careers, maximize their employment opportunities and protect their employment rights.
- Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program – Provides funds to help an eligible small business meet ordinary and necessary operating expenses that it is unable to meet, due to an essential employee’s deployment in their role as a military reservist.
- Patriot Express Loans for Military Spouses – Offers streamlined and expedited loan procedures for particular groups of borrowers, notably active duty military personnel, veterans, and borrowers from distressed communities.
- Veteran Business Outreach Centers – Provides entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling and mentoring, and referrals for eligible veterans owning or considering starting a small business.
- Small Business Development Centers – Provides management assistance to current and prospective small business owners.
- Directory of Pennsylvania VA Healthcare Services
- PTSD Program Locator in Pennsylvania
- Veterans Suicide Prevention/Crisis Line – A confidential Department of Veteran Affairs hotline, which offers a 24/7 service for Veterans in crisis and their families. Enrollment in the VA is not required.
Office Locations
Washington D.C.
393 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6324
Toll Free: (866) 802-2833
Fax: (202) 228-0604
Harrisburg
22 S. Third Street, Suite 6A
Harrisburg, PA 17101
Phone: (717) 231-7540
Toll Free: (866) 461-9159
Fax: (717) 231-7542
Philadelphia
2000 Market Street, Suite 1870
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: (215) 405-9660
Fax: (215) 405-9669
Pittsburgh
Regional Enterprise Tower
425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 2490
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone: (412) 803-7370
Fax: (412) 803-7379
Northeastern PA
417 Lackawanna Avenue, Suite 303
Scranton, PA 18503
Phone: (570) 941-0930
Fax: (570) 941-0937
Erie
17 South Park Row, Suite B-150
Erie, PA 16501
Phone: (814) 874-5080
Fax: (814) 874-5084
Central PA
817 E. Bishop Street, Suite C
Bellefonte, PA 16823
Phone: (814) 357-0314
Fax: (814) 357-0318
Lehigh Valley
840 Hamilton Street, Suite 301
Allentown, PA 18101
Phone: (610) 782-9470
Fax: (610) 782-9474