St. Clair County's Soldiers and Sailors Relief Fund pays emergency grants to indigent wartime veterans with an honorable or general discharge, their un-remarried spouses and dependent children, on an application submitted in person to the Department of Veterans Affairs, whose director decides the claims as the committee's authorized agent.
Also called: Soldiers and Sailors Relief Fund, SSRF, veterans relief fund, emergency assistance, rent, mortgage, utilities, car repair, home repair, 35.21, 180 days.
For: Veteran or service member, spouse, child, survivor.
Michigan requires every county to keep a fund for the relief of indigent wartime veterans and their families (MCL 35.21; see the Michigan entry on the county veterans relief fund). St. Clair County runs it through the Department of Veterans Affairs, which lists the fund among its emergency grants.
Who qualifies, by the fund's own application. An honorable or general under honorable conditions discharge, and either 180 days of service in a period of war, or less than 180 days with at least one day of wartime service and a separation for a service-incurred medical or mental disability, or 180 days with an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal or Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal; also an un-remarried spouse or dependent child of a veteran who qualifies. The application's periods run World War II (December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1946), Korea (June 27, 1950 to January 31, 1955), the post-Korean expeditions (February 1, 1955 to February 27, 1961, with the AFEM or Vietnam Service Medal), Vietnam (February 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975) and the Persian Gulf (August 2, 1990 to be determined), with other conflicts by the expeditionary medal and 90 days for World War I.
How to apply. "All information must be verifiable. Complete the application, gather supporting documents, and all paper work must be submitted in person to the Veterans Affairs office" at 200 Grand River Avenue, Suite 104, Port Huron, 810-989-6945. The papers are the DD-214 or other discharge, proof of residence, income and expenses, the last two months of bank statements, all monthly bills, the cost of the help sought, a marriage certificate and the children's birth certificates, with a landlord's or mortgage company's statement, two quotes for a repair and an eviction notice where they apply. The director is the committee's authorized agent who "provides applications and approvals of disbursements".
A refusal can be taken to the circuit court within 15 days (MCL 35.23; see the Michigan entry). The department also runs a separate Hardship Fund for peacetime veterans, its own entry.
Thresholds
Thresholds for St. Clair County Soldiers and Sailors Relief Fund
Gate
Rule
Indigent, with a wartime record
The fund relieves indigent wartime veterans and their families under MCL 35.21: 180 days of wartime service or less with a service-incurred disability, plus spouses and dependent children. No rating is needed.
Honorable or general discharge
The fund takes an honorable or general under honorable conditions discharge. No rating is needed.
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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.