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Three Different Grants for a Deployed Guard Family — and One Needs No Hardship at All

Montana's Military Family Relief Fund pays DEERS-enrolled dependants of a Montana Guard or Reserve member deployed on federal contingency orders for 30 or more consecutive days, at pay grade O-3/W-3 or below. There are three routes. STATUS-BASED pays $250 per eligible dependant and asks for no hardship at all — deployment is the whole test. NEED-BASED pays up to $2,000 where household income drops 30% or more, or for emergency costs. CASUALTY-BASED pays $2,000 for a nonfatal combat-related injury documented by a Purple Heart award.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

Montana's Military Family Relief Fund pays DEERS-enrolled dependants of a Montana Guard or Reserve member deployed on federal contingency orders for 30 or more consecutive days, at pay grade O-3/W-3 or below. There are three routes. STATUS-BASED pays $250 per eligible dependant and asks for no hardship at all — deployment is the whole test. NEED-BASED pays up to $2,000 where household income drops 30% or more, or for emergency costs. CASUALTY-BASED pays $2,000 for a nonfatal combat-related injury documented by a Purple Heart award.

What it's worth: $250 per dependant with no hardship test; up to $2,000 on need; $2,000 on a Purple Heart injury

  • STATUS-BASED: $250 PER ELIGIBLE DEPENDANT, with NO HARDSHIP TEST. Deployment is the whole qualification.
  • NEED-BASED: up to $2,000 where household income falls by 30% or more, or for emergency costs.
  • CASUALTY-BASED: $2,000 for a nonfatal combat-related injury documented by a Purple Heart award.
  • The member must be a MONTANA RESIDENT National Guard or Reserve member.
  • Federal contingency-operation orders for AT LEAST 30 CONSECUTIVE DAYS.
  • PAY GRADE O-3/W-3 OR BELOW.
  • Applicants are DEERS-ENROLLED DEPENDANTS.
  • Administered from Fort Harrison by the Department of Military Affairs, not by the veterans division.

Who is entitled to it

  • You are in one of the groups the fund reaches.
  • The service is Guard or Reserve.
  • Montana administers the fund.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

Deadline: While the deployment qualifies
  1. 1Apply for the STATUS-BASED grant first. It asks for no hardship, only the deployment, and many families never claim it because they assume they must be struggling.
  2. 2Count the dependants. The status grant is $250 EACH, not $250 per family.
  3. 3Check the orders: 30 or more consecutive days on federal contingency operations, and the member at O-3/W-3 or below.
  4. 4Make sure dependants are DEERS-enrolled — that is who applies.
  5. 5If income has fallen 30% or more, apply on the need route as well; the routes are separate.
  6. 6If there is a Purple Heart for a nonfatal combat injury, the casualty grant is a third route.
Form
Military Family Relief Fund application, Department of Military Affairs
File with
Montana Department of Military Affairs, Director's Office
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingThe three grants are separate and a family may qualify for more than one. Do not treat the status grant as an alternative to the need grant.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.