DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS  
MILITARY FAMILY RELIEF FUND  
PROCEDURE FOR REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS AND DISBURSEMENT  
OF FUNDS  
(By authority of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs by 2004 PA 363,  
MCL 35.1216; 1967 PA 281, MCL 206.438)  
R 200.5 Purpose.  
Rule 5. The military family relief fund is created as a separate fund in the  
department to offer grants to provide assistance to families of qualified individuals.  
History: 2005 AACS.  
R 200.10 Definitions.  
Rule 10. As used in these rules:  
(1) "Department" means the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.  
(2) "Family" or "families" means the military dependents as determined by the  
qualified individual's branch of service.  
(3) "Fund" means the military family relief fund created in section 3 of 363 PA  
2004, MCL 35.1211.  
(4) "Qualified individual" means an individual who meets all of the following  
criteria:  
(a) The individual is or was a member of a reserve component of the United States  
armed forces based in this state or who is a resident of this state serving in a reserve  
component of the United States armed forces based in another state and is called to  
active duty by the president of the United States or the United States secretary of  
defense as a result of national response to September 11, 2001 or as a response to a  
national emergency declared by the president of the United States and for which funds  
are being spent by the federal government.  
(b) The individual's family may document the need for financial assistance for  
clothing, food, housing, utilities, medical services or prescriptions, insurance payments,  
vehicle payments, or other related necessities of daily living in either of the following  
situations:  
(i) The need occurred during the time the individual was on active duty.  
(ii) The need occurred because the individual has incurred a line-of-duty injury or  
illness.  
(5) "Reserve components of the United States armed forces" means all of the  
following:  
(a) The Army National Guard of the United States.  
(b) The Army, Naval, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard Reserves.  
(c) The Air National Guard of the United States.  
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History: 2005 AACS.  
R 200.20 Determination of grant eligibility.  
Rule 20. (1) All of the following factors are needed for an individual to qualify for a  
grant from the Michigan family relief fund:  
(a) The applicant is a qualified individual or family.  
(b) The need for financial assistance either occurred during the time that the  
qualified individual servedon active duty, or the need for financial assistance occurred  
because the individual has incurred a line-of duty injury or illness.  
(c) There is a documented need for financial assistance for necessities of daily  
living that include, but are not limited to, any of the following:  
(i) Food.  
(ii) Clothing.  
(iii) Housing.  
(iv) Utilities.  
(v) Medical service or prescriptions.  
(vi) Insurance payments.  
(vii) Vehicle payments.  
(viii) Or other needs that are necessities of daily living.  
(d) The qualified individual or family has not received more than $2,000 in grants  
from the family relief fund in any 1 calendar year.  
(e) The qualified individual has served at least 30 days of active duty.  
(f) The qualified individual has incurred a significant increase in the necessities  
of daily living, suffered a loss of pay, or suffered a significant emergency that  
warrants financial assistance.  
(2) Military dependents must provide proof of military dependency to  
the  
department upon their initial application for a grant. The department may verify  
military dependency by obtaining a copy of the dependent's military identification card  
through DEERS, SIDPERS, by contacting personnel managers at the department's  
branch of service, or through any other reliable system or means of verification.  
(3) The applicant must provide proof that the qualified individual is a Michigan  
resident if the qualified individual is a member of a reserve component of the United  
States armed forces for units that are based outside of the state of Michigan. Proof of  
residency for military members may consist of information obtained through  
DEERS, SIDPERS, by contacting personnel managers at the department's branch of  
service, or through any other reliable system or means of verification. Members of  
reserve components of the United States armed forces who were assigned to or who were  
based out of units located in Michigan are not required to prove residency.  
(4) Proof of active duty must consist of a copy of the orders issued by an authorized  
headquarters ordering the member to such duty, and documentation that such duty was  
actually performed.  
(5) The applicant must provide a copy of a payroll record from the member's  
civilian employer that indicates the member's monthly salary and a copy of a military  
payroll record that indicates the member's monthly salary. The following applies to a  
demonstration of need:  
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(a) The qualified individual must have incurred a significant increase  
in the  
necessities of daily living, suffered a loss of pay, or suffered a significant emergency  
that warrants financial assistance, and:  
(i) The applicant must provide proof that the qualified individual's military  
salary (including basic allowance for housing (BAH), hazardous duty pay, separation  
allowance, jump pay, flight pay, professional pay, re-enlistment or extension  
bonuses, and basic allowance for sustenance (BAS)) has decreased from the member's  
civilian salary.  
(ii) Any tax benefits, prorations, or tax forgiveness by any taxing authority may  
not be considered in determining need.  
(b) The applicant must provide proof that the qualified individual or family  
member has incurred or is about to incur a specific monetary expense relating to  
clothing, food, housing, utilities, medical services, medical prescriptions, insurance  
payments, vehicle payments, or other needs that are necessities of daily living. Such  
proof may include, but is not limited to, a copy of a bill, invoice, estimate, cancellation  
notice, or any other similar record.  
(6) The applicant must indicate that the grant request is for the purpose identified in  
the application and that the grant funds must be used for the purposes requested.  
(7) If a custodial parent, guardian, or an individual appointed under a family care  
plan is applying for a grant on behalf of a qualified individual's dependent, then  
the applicant must provide proof of that relationship at the time of application.  
(8) The following qualified individuals are ineligible to receive grants:  
(a) Personnel serving in active guard reserve (AGR) or similar full-time unit  
support programs unless called to Title 10 service.  
(b) Qualified individuals who, at any time before disbursement of funds pursuant  
to a grant application under this rule, receive a punitive discharge or an administrative  
discharge with service characterized as under other than honorable conditions or worse  
conditions discharge.  
History: 2005 AACS; 2006 AACS.  
R 200.50 Family need-based grant levels and limits.  
Rule 50. (1) Payments to a qualified individual must not exceed $2,000 per calendar  
year.  
(2) The Adjutant General may waive the requirements in emergency cases only,  
upon a written request indicating the circumstances justifying such a waiver. The  
Adjutant General may grant or deny such requests.  
History: 2005 AACS.  
R 200.80 Documentation; application; payment; denial.  
Rule 80. (1) All of the following must apply to the acceptance of applications:  
(a) To receive consideration for a grant, applicants must request and submit an  
application on a form provided by the Michigan Department of Military Affairs.  
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(b) All of the necessary documentation required in R 200.20 must be included  
with the application, unless otherwise provided under DEERS, SIDPERS, or any  
other system, and the applicant must authorize access to those systems for purposes of  
verification.  
(c) Applications may be submitted via facsimile, but the  
documentation must be submitted before any grant payments may be authorized.  
(d) Incomplete applications must be returned to the applicant.  
original  
(e) The Department of Military Affairs, upon receipt of a complete original  
application, must verify the required information and must then process the  
information for payment. The application must be processed in an expeditious manner.  
(2) All of the following must apply to payments:  
(a) Payment must be made to the applicant who has met all of the eligibility  
requirements under R 200.20, subject to funds availability. Payments will not be made  
to creditors. The timeliness of payment will be determined by the amount of funds  
available at the time of application.  
(b) If adequate funds are not available, the application will be held until funds  
are available.  
(c) If a payment is authorized and sufficient funds are available, the department  
must forward the payment to the applicant within 30 days of application.  
(3) Both of the following must apply to denial of grants:  
(a) Grant applications from those not meeting eligibility requirements must be  
denied.  
(b) A letter explaining the denial, as well as providing additional sources of  
available relief, must be sent to the applicant within 30 days after receipt.  
History: 2005 AACS.  
R 200.90 Determination; process.  
Rule 90. (1) The department must provide adequate staffing and other resources  
to carry out the requirements of this program and may not utilize any monies from the  
Michigan family relief fund.  
(2) The Adjutant General, at the general's pleasure, must appoint not less than 3  
personnel to serve on the Michigan family relief fund review panel. The Adjutant  
General may appoint not more than 12 civilian or military members for the panel.  
This panel will meet on an as-needed basis to review and approve grant requests. All of  
the following must apply to meetings of the panel:  
(a) Three members of the review panel are required for a quorum.  
(b) Each panel member must have 1 vote.  
(c) A majority vote of the quorum is required to approve each grant application.  
(d) One member of the review panel must keep a record of each vote cast during  
grant application reviews. Those documents must be maintained by that individual who is  
responsible for managing the Michigan family relief fund.  
History: 2005 AACS.  
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R 200.95 Veterans homes transfers.  
Rule 95. (1) As required by 2004 PA 364, MCL 206.438, Michigan Department of  
Treasury must distribute monies from income tax form contributions to the Department  
of Military and Veterans Affairs. Of those tax form contribution monies received, 80%  
must be placed in the military family relief fund, and 20% of those monies must be  
deposited to the post fund and posthumous fund of the Michigan Veterans Homes. The  
20% to be deposited for the Michigan Veterans Homes must be forwarded to those  
entities biannually on dates to be determined by the director of the Department of  
Military and Veterans Affairs.  
(2) The funds must be divided between the Grand Rapids Veterans Home and the  
D.J. Jacobetti Veterans Home by an amount equal to their proportional share of the  
overall post/posthumous appropriation in each fiscal year.  
History: 2005 AACS.  
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