How can an Army spouse find financial help for emergency medical medical bills?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 08 May 2018 20:23:37 -0400

So, friend of a friend got beat up pretty badly at a party this weekend, and needs to get medical treatment. She's got a possible broken jaw, missing teeth, 10 stitches, the like. Tricare is 5-10 days out, attorney needs 10k to start the case, CID and legal both said they can't help her get the money. Any avenue I'm missing to help her out?

Response by LTC Kevin B. made May 8 at 2018 8:33 PM

LTC Kevin B. — Tue, 08 May 2018 20:33:10 -0400

What do you mean by "Tricare is 5-10 days out"? Also, what do you mean by "10k to start the case"? A lawsuit or to pay for medical bills?

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made May 8 at 2018 8:59 PM

SGM Bill Frazer — Tue, 08 May 2018 20:59:06 -0400

If she is active or a spouse, then TRICARE is immediate- you can have her check AER or the Red Cross.

Response by SGT Joseph Gunderson made May 8 at 2018 10:01 PM

SGT Joseph Gunderson — Tue, 08 May 2018 22:01:37 -0400

Something about this just doesn't sound right at all. If this is the spouse of an active duty service member then going to the ER should have been the first move and everything should have fallen into place after that. As far as investigating the incident, CID isn't going to be doing crap unless this issue happened to take place on the post. In the case of this kind of thing happening on the post, what the hell kind of crap is going on in housing?! Lastly, unless you are somehow suing someone for damages or what have you then you don't need a damn attorney (and unless you are hiring some famous attorney, I don't know what kind of lawyer needs 10k for a retainer). Just a side note, what kind of ridiculous people is this spouse hanging out with where this kind of crap happens?

Response by SGT Eric Davis made May 9 at 2018 8:03 AM

SGT Eric Davis — Wed, 09 May 2018 08:03:29 -0400

What you need a lawyer for?
Did they press charges?

If your friend is a military spouse then they can get medical treatment now and anytime!

CID can’t do anything for you cause it didn’t happens on post!

You shouldn’t need money for anything

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 9 at 2018 9:16 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 May 2018 09:16:45 -0400

This is confusing. Did she go to the ER? If not, she should have. They would be able to tell her if her jaw was broken. Did she (or someone) call the police when this happened? I'm confused as to why only a few days after this incident a victim of an assault needs 10K for an attorney. The police should have been called, statements taken, and the assailant should have been arrested. He would then go through the court system and been charged all without her needing an attorney for herself. The guy who beat her is the one that should be looking for an attorney. It sounds like there's more to this story.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made May 9 at 2018 9:24 AM

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 May 2018 09:24:25 -0400

Is there something like Family Services, or something similar to Navy/Marine Corps Relief? Plan B is Gofundme.com. Sorry to hear this and I hope it works out.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 9 at 2018 11:28 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 May 2018 11:28:50 -0400

I have had to deal with medical a lot for my daughter since she was six weeks old - and nothing you were told about TRICARE makes any sense. I don't wait for TRICARE to approve things before I take my daughter to the ER or whatever she's had done. TRICARE will handle all that stuff.

I have had to take my daughter to the ER multiple times when she had her central line because it got clogged or popped and needed replaced. The hospital sends TRICARE the bill - they cover what they cover.

For her referrals - I don't wait until the referral is done. Her PCM sends referrrals and then TRICARE will approve or disapprove. The only issue I have had with them is referrals getting lost and they send me a bill after the fact and then I had to track down the referrals and send them to TRICARE.

My daughter has had 3 surgeries in the last 3 years. The last one was her transplant in October. I didn't wait for anything.

The only wait would be if she has to see an off post doctor and wait to get in and the referral. However she should have had immediate care at the ER.

If she wants legal representation she needs to go find someone on her own. If I was her I'd shop around for a lawyer with a lower retainer - though that's unlikely in a civil suit case probably. There are lawyers who do free 30 min consultations - she should find one and start there. But if she wants to sue the guy - it's going to cost money. The lawyer is probably going to take some of it if she were to win.

Response by Capt David Bays made May 9 at 2018 12:17 PM

Capt David Bays — Wed, 09 May 2018 12:17:30 -0400

If she is hiring an attorney to sue someone, and the attorney is asking for money upfront, that tells me that the attorney does not think she has a good case, or does not have a case against someone who will be able to pay. If she has a decent case, she should be able to find an attorney who will front the costs and only get paid if she wins and collects money.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 10 at 2018 11:50 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 10 May 2018 11:50:00 -0400

She can look into AER (Army Emergency Relief) which provides assistance through no interest loans/grants/ and a combination of both.

Response by 1SG D S made May 11 at 2018 9:29 PM

1SG D S — Fri, 11 May 2018 21:29:37 -0400

ARMY EMERGENCY RELIEF. Service member have this program available. Talk to unit leadership about the process.