Resource Center: TAPS Casework Assistance
Author: Glenn Gray
Help is Here When You Need It
As those who have come in touch with TAPS soon learn, one of our primary missions is to provide support and guidance to our survivor families, helping to overcome the emotional hurdles of military loss and identifying solutions that allow you to focus on celebrating the life of your loved one.
TAPS also recognizes that there are always points in your journey—whether days after the loss or even months or years—where other external hurdles can get in the way of your efforts to continue your journey of healing. Sometimes it’s confusion over the many new benefits or services that could be available to you as a survivor. Other times it may be an unforeseen medical, legal, or financial problem. Whatever the issue, it can be a cause for great stress, fear, and concern for you and for your family members.
To that end, the TAPS Casework Department is here to help you navigate those concerns, work to find appropriate solutions, and help you get back to focusing on your journey. Our Casework Advocates are available to speak to a number of topics of concern to our TAPS family members, to include questions about funeral and burial benefits, survivor financial benefits, health care, education and scholarship options, financial and legal issues, and many more subjects common to our community. Here are just a few of the many ways TAPS can help:
- Guide you through your benefit questions and put you in touch with the right people to guarantee you are getting the benefits your loved one earned and provided for you
- Connect you with experts at TRICARE, DEERS and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that you and your children are coordinated with the appropriate health care
- Provide you with updated information on federal, state, and private education scholarships, as well as share the information you need to know about school tuition for both you and your children
- Contact partner organizations on your behalf that may be able to fulfill requests for financial assistance
- Pursue pro bono legal options, if available in your area
- Identify local resources in your community for a host of different needs and requests
- Recommend options for employment assistance and job searches
- Ensure that you receive the documentation, military honors and awards, and other items you and your family members deserve in recognition of your family member’s sacrifice to our nation.
There is no straight path to healing. Each person’s journey is bumpy, with obstacles throwing you off track now and then. This is normal, and usually you can get yourself back on track by identifying the source of this problem, determining if you can solve the problem yourself and, if not, reaching out to those around you for support. That said, please keep us in mind for the next time one of those obstacles is too big for you to overcome on your own. We are here for you.
To speak with a TAPS Casework Advocate, call us at 800-959-TAPS and ask for the Casework Department or email us at casework@taps.org.