USA Cares provides financial and advocacy assistance to post 9/11 active duty US military service personnel, veterans and their families. We assist all branches of service, all ranks and components and treat all with privacy and dignity in appreciation for their service and sacrifice. We never charge fees nor accept repayment and rely on donations from private citizens, businesses and foundations for all funding.
Our goal is to help restore financial stability and self-sufficiency by giving "a hand up not a hand out." We strive to reach families at the earliest stage of intervention to prevent further financial distress and suffering, especially for the combat injured and their families.
For our donors, our goal is to give the American people an effective and trusted means of Sharing in the Sacrifice of our service members and their families who are giving so much for our nation. Services are free to service men and women and their families without obligation to repay.
Financial assistance is not given directly to service members or their families; instead, payments are made to mortgage lenders, utility companies, and other vendors. Each family accepted for assistance is assigned an advocate from our family resource center who assures that assistance is timely and effective.
These advocates often mobilize additional support for families from other military assistance groups, and the service member's community of local organizations, stores and church groups.
USA Cares's WARRIOR TREATMENT TODAY program enables veterans to attend VA PRRP treatment (Waco, Texas) without financial worries.
Steven R. Silver, USA Cares Regional Manager announced that the Meadows Foundation of Dallas, TX awarded a $250,000 grant to USA Cares for its Warrior Treatment Today program.
This program specifically seeks to remove the financial barrier that exists for many service members who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and/or traumatic brain injury (or PTSD – TBI), but cannot afford to leave their employment for treatment. National Guard and Reserve veterans are particularly vulnerable to this situation as they resume their civilian lives. Should they be diagnosed and referred for treatment of a significant duration, they have to not only keep their jobs, but also acquire the dollars necessary to continue to meet their financial obligations.
USA Cares will take on the responsibility for paying essential household bills (rent, mortgage, utilities, car payment, etc.) while the service member attends prescribed residential type PTSD/TBI treatment. In so doing, USA Cares will facilitate attendance to treatment programs by removing the financial obstacles many veterans face. The recent Rand study suggests over 300,000 suffer from PTSD/TBI, with fewer than half of these cases actually identified. That number is anticipated to grow considerably as conflict continues. Thus, the magnitude of the problem is significant. Bill Nelson, USA Cares Executive Director stated "We believe any program that will help service members to benefit from prescribed treatment is of great value and deserves our full support.
The grant from the Meadows foundation, one of the nation's most recognized and prestigious philanthropies, will help many servicemen and women coping with this debilitating condition. We are extremely grateful to the Meadows Foundation for their generosity and their vision." Nelson offered a recent letter from a veteran who had received this assistance from USA Cares. A portion of that note reads: "I don't know how to tell you that you helped save my life. I was beginning to think that the best answer for me to help my family was for me to die so they could have my insurance money to take care of the bills and them. So I really just want to thank you all for everything you have done".
The Meadows Foundation is a private philanthropic institution established in 1948 by Algur H. and Virginia Meadows to benefit the people of Texas. The Foundation's mission is to assist the people and institutions of Texas improve the quality and circumstances of life for themselves and future generations. The Meadows Foundation is among the most recognized private philanthropies in the country. It has received numerous awards for both its philanthropy and its management. It was the first recipient of the Texas Medal of the Arts for sustained support of arts and culture in Texas, and was named Outstanding Foundation of the year by the National Society of Fund Raising Executives.
