INDIANAPOLIS— WRTV Investigates has uncovered a state fund meant to help veterans in need continues to grow with money.
Meanwhile, some former military personnel in our state say they’re struggling to make ends meet.
A new push is underway to get more Indiana veterans and their dependents help with their bills.
When you purchase a veteran or Support the Troops plate, a chunk of the money goes to the Military Family Relief Fund which helps veterans with emergency needs like food, rent and medical bills.
The fund currently has $11.2 million, and some say the state could help even more veterans with the money.
Roger Williams is a disabled Kokomo veteran and father of three kids.
"I was a military police officer,” said Williams. “I went on disability, so my income dropped dramatically, trying to support the family, paying rent, car payments."
Williams applied for help through the Military Family Relief Fund in 2019, but says the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA) denied his request.
“Basically they said I wasn't being frugal enough with my money,” said Williams.
Williams said the denial affected him deeply.
“I'll tell you the truth. I became suicidal because of it,” said Williams. “It's like everything we went through and did didn't really matter. Sure, they'd say thank you for your service and things like this, but it was just words."
The Military Family Relief Fund keeps growing with money from license plate revenue.
In 2021, the fund sat at $10 million, and it’s now up to $11.2 million.
To qualify for the fund, you have to make less than two-times the federal poverty level— that’s currently under $60,000 income for a family of four.
"We have a lot of veterans in Indiana that are not eligible,” said Lisa Wilken with the Military Veterans Coalition of Indiana.
The coalition is pushing state lawmakers and IDVA to loosen up the fund’s income requirements to allow more veterans to get help.
“What we would like to see is if we have a veteran who has an emergency and they can demonstrate the emergency, then we can give IDVA the ability to be able to help them,” said Wilken. “Personally, i would like to see the income limitations completely removed because the IDVA process is very clear. They provide their bank statements, and their taxes and they do that so they can make sure the veteran doesn't have a bunch of money sitting around while they get money from the state."
The lifetime limit for the Military Family Relief Fund is $2,500, meaning once you hit that dollar amount, you can’t apply again.
Veteran Matt Hall says the income requirement and $2,500 limit are roadblocks for some people.
“I've talked to veterans who received it once a year or two ago and now they're back into financial hardship and they can't apply again,” said Hall.
In 2018, under previous leadership, WRTV Investigates uncovered IDVA giving out Military Family Relief Fund benefits beyond the $2,500 limit including to IDVA’s own employees.
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Weeks after the WRTV Investigation aired, then-IDVA director Jim Brown announced his resignation.
Dennis Wimer took over as IDVA director in 2019 and has aimed to improve the Military Family Relief Fund.
"We are still not completely spending the dollars we are getting in, which is OK,” said Wimer in an October 2023 interview with WRTV. “We have got some more room to go."
Wimer says they’ve done extensive outreach to the state’s 400,000 veterans including radio ads, social media ads and events.
“One of the challenges we have is people believe they’re in need, but they have got money in the bank and don’t want to spend their money they’ve got in the bank,” said Wimer. “That’s a challenge. We have others that have no money whatsoever and don’t know about us. I want to get to that person.”
The number of applications filed for the Military Family Relief Fund has grown 140% in the last two years.
APPLICATIONS FILED
518 in FY21
1,242 in FY22
2,284 in FY23
FAMILIES SERVED
129 in FY21
432 in FY22
1,034 in FY23
"I hope we're not done yet,” said Wimer. “The increases over the last two years have been significant. We are hoping those things are getting us to the point that we’re spending the dollars we are getting in.”
Wimer said he’s open to discussions about the fund’s $2,500 lifetime limit.
“I do think the $2,500 is a level we need to look at,” said Wimer.
Currently, if a veteran has an emergency that exceeds $2,500, they can ask the Indiana Veterans Commission to review it.
Numbers obtained by WRTV Investigates show the number of requests approved by the commission has tripled in the last two years.
REQUESTS BEYOND $2,500
FY2023 - 150 Approved
FY2022 - 74 Approved
FY2021 - 49 Approved
"I do think there's stuff we need to look at to see what's the right amount, how do we adjust the amount,” said Wimer. “How do we put something into legislation so that it isn’t steady and always this until you change it until 15 years later? We are trying to evaluate that right now and see what we should do in the next fiscal/long session of the legislature.”
Wimer also points out the federal poverty levels are already adjusted for inflation.
“It keeps getting moved up,” said Wimer. “That poverty level gets looked at regularly.”
Veteran Roger Williams does not plan to apply for the Military Family Relief Fund again, but says he could use the $2,500 to fix his care.
“It could do a lot for me," said Williams.
The Military Veterans Coalition says the Military Family Relief Fund is on their list of priorities for the upcoming legislative agenda.
However, it's not a budget season so state lawmakers may not be able to make some changes until 2025.
