Grants to Guard and Reserve families for income loss or emergency expenses during a mobilization of 30 days or more. Apply within six months of returning, one grant per deployment, and expect a wait: applications are reviewed monthly.
Also called: Military Family Relief Fund, MFRF, grant, National Guard, Reserve, mobilization, pay differential, deployment expense, 28-3-15.
The Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs administers the Military Family Relief Fund, established in part 15 of article 3 of title 28, which makes grants to service members and their families to defray costs of food, housing, utilities, medical services, and other expenses when a family member leaves civilian employment for active duty, serves in a hostile fire zone, or is called to state active duty by the governor.
Eligibility is tied to a mobilization rather than to veteran status. The service member has to be currently serving on active duty for at least 30 days on overseas mobilization orders, and has to be a Colorado resident for income tax purposes as shown by a current Leave and Earnings Statement. National Guard and armed forces Reserve members qualify where the mobilization caused a loss of household income or emergency expenses.
There are two application tracks, one for pay differential, meaning the gap between civilian and military pay, and one for deployment-related expenses. A family should know which one fits before starting.
Three procedural limits decide most outcomes. The application has to be filed within six months of redeployment. Only one grant is authorized per deployment. And the fund explicitly is not an emergency fund: applications are reviewed at a monthly meeting, roughly every 30 days, so a family facing a shutoff notice this week should not be relying on it.
For a veteran no longer serving, this fund is not the answer and neither are the state's grant programs, which are described in the separate entry on grant-funded assistance. County Veterans Service Officers are the practical route to immediate help, and they are free.
Grants from the fund are deductible from Colorado taxable income, which the Legislative Council Staff documents as a standing tax expenditure, so a recipient does not pay Colorado tax on the grant.
Thresholds
Thresholds for Colorado Military Family Relief Fund
Gate
Rule
Current mobilization, not a rating
The grant requires current active duty of at least 30 days on overseas mobilization orders, Colorado residency for income tax purposes, and a resulting loss of household income or emergency expense. No disability rating is involved, and a veteran no longer serving is outside the program.
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Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.