A shutoff notice is scary, but electric, gas, and water bills are among the most common things emergency programs cover. Help exists for veterans whether or not you've ever used a VA benefit.
Our Emergency Financial Aid program makes one-time utility grants paid directly to the utility company. A shutoff notice with a date on it is treated as urgent. It's a grant, not a loan — approved aid is paid directly to the vendor, never to your personal account, and you never pay anything back. We respond within 48 business hours. Aid is subject to available funding; one emergency grant per veteran lifetime.
Apply for emergency aid — free →Apply to more than one program at once — there is no penalty for asking everywhere, and the fastest "yes" wins. These are real, national, no-cost options:
Our open directory holds 144,800+ verified veteran resources nationwide. Search everything near you by ZIP code, or jump straight to the most relevant finders:
Your state likely runs its own veteran assistance programs on top of the federal ones — see our state guides (for example, Texas) for state-specific benefits, resources, and crisis routing in all 50 states + DC + 5 territories.
Three moves at once: ask your utility company about its hardship or payment-plan options (most have one), dial 2-1-1 for local emergency utility funds, and apply to Wounded Warriors at warriorsfund.org/apply-aid — note the shutoff date so it is treated as urgent. LIHEAP through your state is the larger federal option but can take longer.
US military veterans of any era and any branch, with a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable. Active-duty servicemembers in their last 6 months of transition, National Guard and Reserve members who served, and surviving spouses with DIC eligibility also qualify. We do not require a VA disability rating.
The utility bill or shutoff notice showing the utility company, the account balance, and the shutoff date. If approved, we may ask for your DD-214 to verify service. Payment goes directly to the utility company, never to your personal account.
No. Applying is free, and approved aid is a grant — not a loan — so you never repay it. No legitimate veteran charity charges an application fee.
Are you a funder rather than a veteran? See how foundations underwrite this program: grant opportunities →