Armed Services

General Services Information

• Army One Site, 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

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Charitable Organizations

• Army Emergency Relief
• Air Force Aide Society
• Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society
• Coast Guard Mutual Assistance
• America Support You – Connects military servicemembers and families to organizations that provide a wide range of support, assistance, adaptive equipment, scholarships and other helpful resources.
• Angles of Mercy Program – Clothing and supplies for wounded servicemembers
• Children of Fallen Heroes – Housing, college grants and scholarships for children and spouses of fallen heroes
• Yellow Ribbon Foundation – Food, clothing, shelter, medical assistance and education for veterans.

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Family Programs

• 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 – List 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 service members and their families who are having trouble paying essential bills.  The grants are paid directly to the billing firm or agency.

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Education

• 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.

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Healthcare

• 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.

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Housing Assistance

• 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.

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Financial Education

• National Foundation for Credit Counseling – Consumer credit counseling services including homeowner, money and credit, bankruptcy education and counseling, debt management planning assistance, and free and low cost general assistance.

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Employment 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.

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Survivor Services

• 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

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Veterans

General Services Information

• 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 service members.

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Benefits

• 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 behlf of veterans and their families with USDVA.
  • American Legion
  • AMVETS
  • Disabled American Veterans
  • Military Order of the Purple Heart
  • Veterans of Foreign Wars
  • United Spinal Association
  • Vietnam Veterans of America
  • Jewish War Veterans
• 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.

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Employment Assistance

• 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.

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Veteran Business Assistance

• 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.

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Healthcare

• 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.

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Latest

• In Meeting with Defense Secretary Nominee, Casey Makes Case for PA, Foreign Policy Priorities

  Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) met with Ash Carter, President Obama's nominee to be Defense Secretary, and pressed the case for Pennsylvania’s military priorities and for a comprehensive strategy to combat ISIS and deal with instability in Iraq and Syria. Casey raised concerns over the Army’s plans to move Apache helicopters away from the National Guard, which could undermine the state’s Guardsmen. Casey also urged the nominee to consider abandoning the Army’s proposal to deactivate the 55th Armored Brigade Combat Team headquartered in Scranton. Casey also raised the President’s proposal for an Authorization for the Use of Military Force against the terrorist group ISIS and pressed the nominee on the need for robust assistance to Syrians affected by the conflict. Carter, who could receive a vote tomorrow, is a Southeastern Pennsylvania native. Read More

  Posted on 02/11/15

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• Two Casey Bills to Aid Military Families Clear Critical Senate Committee

  oday, two pieces of legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) sailed through the Senate Finance Committee in a bipartisan fashion. One piece of legislation, the Military Spouses Job Continuity Act, defrays the cost of renewing or transferring a professional license when a military family moves to serve the country in a new location. Another, the Wounded Warrior Tax Equity Act would provide tax relief to injured military personnel as they recover. Read More

  Posted on 02/11/15

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• Casey Urges Speaker Boehner to Allow a Vote on a Bill to Reopen the Government

  With a Bipartisan Majority of Representatives in PA Signaling Support for the Measure, Casey Urges Speaker Boehner to Allow a Vote on a Bill to Reopen the Government Read More

  Posted on 10/08/13

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• Casey Statement on House’s New Extreme Plan that Threatens Government Shutdown

  Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement after Republicans in the House moved the country closer towards a government shutdown with an extreme plan. Read More

  Posted on 09/28/13

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• Casey: New Fact Sheet Shows Consequences of Government Shutdown to PA

  Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) highlighted a new fact sheet showing the consequences of a government shutdown to the state. The fact sheet is attached. Read More

  Posted on 09/27/13

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• Casey Statement on Memorial Day

  Posted on 05/27/13

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• As Decision On Air Traffic Control Facility Looms, Casey & Toomey Invite Transportation Secretary to Tour Tobyhanna

  Posted on 05/24/13

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• Bills require VA report infectious diseases to states

  Posted on 04/29/13

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• Casey Response to Personal Briefing from VA Inspector General’s Office on Legionnaires’

  Posted on 04/23/13

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• Casey Pushes for Passage of Bipartisan Veteran Jobs Bill

  Posted on 09/13/12

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