sick member of the family who is not hospital-
ized. Under such conditions, Navy Relief may
provide assistance to bring a relative to the
service member’s home or to transport the sick
person to the relative’s home.
In instances where a service family is
financially unable to maintain a household of
its own, Navy Relief may assist with the cost
of transporting dependents to the location of
relatives or friends who are willing to take them
into their homes.
A service member who does not have
enough money to return to a duty station from
leave should be able to get a Transportation
Request (TR) from any military activity. How-
ever, it is sometimes possible for the member
to take advantage of reduced fare rates by
purchasing a ticket commercially. Assistance
for this purpose may be provided when the
shortage of funds is not the fault of the service
member.
CAR REPAIRS.—Many service members,
whether married or single, have bought motor
vehicles for a variety of purposes. Navy Relief
does not provide assistance for the purchase
or the operation and routine maintenance of
privately owned vehicles. However, in areas
where public transportation is inadequate,
assistance may be provided for essential repairs.
The criteria for providing such assistance
include:
The value of the vehicle as compared to
the cost of repairs
The adequacy of the service member’s
budget for financing the operation and main-
tenance of the vehicle on a continuing basis
The feasibility of delaying repairs for a
reasonable period. Unless a hardship would
result (e.g. loss of part-time job), repair bills
that can be met by the next paycheck should be
handled by the service member without assist-
ance from Navy Relief
An accident or breakdown while travel-
ing to a new duty station or returning from leave
poses special problems. Assistance should be
sought from the nearest Red Cross chapter if
there is no Navy Relief office in the vicinity.
Red Cross will then communicate with Navy
Relief on the need for assistance and may be
authorized to advance funds for this purpose.
If the vehicle is beyond economical repair or
the service member’s reporting date does not
permit a wait until repairs are accomplished,
funds may be advanced for air, rail, or bus
transportation.
DISASTERS.—By national charter, the
American Red Cross has the primary respon-
sibility for relief of emergencies caused by
disasters. However, Navy Relief may supple-
ment Red Cross assistance, where necessary.
Also, in cases of a solitary disaster (e.g.,
a home fire), it is not necessary to refer
sailors or marines seeking Navy Relief assist-
ance to the Red Cross. The Society is prepared
to assist with both immediate emergency needs
and also to restore the service family to a
normal standard of living consistent with its
resources.
ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR SUR-
VIVORS.—When Navy Relief was first started
in 1904, its only function was to provide
assistance for needy widows and orphans of
service members. In keeping with this heritage,
Navy Relief may provide dependents of a
deceased service member:
Month by month assistance for basic liv-
ing expenses pending receipt of Government
benefits
Financial assistance for vocational
training or education which will enable a sur-
viving spouse to become financially self-
sufficient
Financial assistance to supplement the
income of elderly survivors whose resources are
too limited to enable them to be fully self-
supporting
CATEGORIES OF ASSISTANCE NOT
N O R M A L L Y P R O V I D E D B Y N A V Y
RELIEF.—In furtherance of its basic principles,
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