EMERGENCY RELIEF COMMITTEE
Contact: emrelief@virginiadav.org
The Emergency Relief Committee is made up of members from Chapters throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia who are appointed by the Department Commander to a 1-year term.
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The Committee is responsible for oversight of the Emergency Relief Program. The Emergency Relief Program was established to assist disabled veterans, spouses, survivors, and/or dependents having a legitimate need for a one-time monetary grant to assist in an emergency situation.
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The Committee provides this needed assistance to qualified veterans after reviewing and approving grant requests to determine if the request for emergency assistance is in accordance with guidance and criteria established by the Department Service Commission (DSC). The Committee and local Chapters also work with other governmental and non-governmental organizations in order to address the needs of veterans and families.
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The Committee typically receives referrals from Chapter Service Officers (CSO) and Department Service Officers (DSO), or from Chapter leaders.
26-27 COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Kim Tomas
Chapter 27 - Portsmouth
Regina Lawrence
Chapter 50 - Richmond
Rick Davis
Chapter 26 - Chesapeake
Curtis Newell
Chapter 22 - Portsmouth
Gery Becker
Chapter 33 - Charlottesville
Moses Reynolds
Chapter 48 - Eastern Prince William County
Cynthia Bailey, PDC/ Ex-officio
Chapter 20 - Virginia Beach
Department By-Laws Article 4, Section 4, Para. 4: Emergency Relief Committee
Para 4: EMERGENCY RELIEF COMMITTEE
Para 4.1: The goal of the Emergency Relief Committee is to assist eligible veterans, their dependents and survivors who are confronted with emergency situations. A dependent is defined as:
Para 4.1.1: Spouse -A person legally married to the veteran. (Common Law Marriages are not recognized in the Commonwealth of Virginia.)
Para 4.1.2: Child - Biological, legally adopted or under the court ordered guardianship of the veteran and under 18 years of age, unless a full time student under the age of 23, or permanently disabled prior to attaining 18 years of age.
Para 4.1.3: Parent - The veteran is directly caring for, and the parent's income and net worth are below a specified amount, per the Department of Veterans Affairs regulations.
Para 4.1.4: Survivor -A legal dependent, as described above, at the time of the veteran's death.
Para 4.2: The committee shall investigate all requests for assistance, determine if an emergency exists, ascertain that all available resources have been exhausted including aid through local DAV Chapters and then, if in order, make appropriate recommendations to the DSD.
Para 4.3: The Emergency Relief Committee Chairperson will maintain a detailed and confidential electronic case record on each claim for assistance and transfer the electronic case record to the Department Headquarters on an annual basis for retention.