AFAS helps ease financial stress Published Sept. 17, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Mikaley Towle 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The Air Force Aid Society here is a private non-profit organization that supports the Air Force mission by relieving financial stress experienced by Air Force members and their families. AFAS provides interest-free loans to assist Airmen with basic living expenses, emergency travel, vehicle expenses, funeral expenses, medical and dental procedures, child-care costs, moving expenses and miscellaneous expenses. "This is an alternative for service members so they don't have to go to [off base] loan offices or banking institutions and get a high-interest loan," said Quan Franklin, 99th Force Support Squadron personal financial readiness manager. For members experiencing personal financial emergencies, the AFAS helps make it less stressful for military members and their families, said Franklin. In 2013, the Nellis AFAS helped 565 different emergency assistance cases, loaning approximately $400,000 for emergency assistance and donating $100,000 to education and community programs. The AFAS also aids Airmen with emergency support. "If they have an emergency back home, Airmen can come in and apply for aid at the center or online," said Hiroko Bush, 99th Force Support Squadron community readiness consultant . "Then they come in and finish the [application] process at the Airmen and Family Readiness Center. The AFAS will then give them that financial support." Even though AFAS assists members in times of financial need, there are factors that could prevent an Airman from getting a loan approval. Loan repayment terms depend on the loan amount and an individual's time left in service. Typically, Airmen can get 6, 10, 12 or 18 months to repay a loan, which comes out in automatic allotments. The AFAS is available to all Air Force service members, spouses with a power of attorney if the sponsor is unavailable, retirees and Air Force Reservists with Title 10 orders. The AFAS also aids other branches of service with emergency relief. For more information about AFAS, contact the Airman and Family Readiness Center at 702-652-3327 or call the American Red Cross at 1-877-272-7337 after duty hours.
