The Royal British Legion is the largest armed forces charity in the UK. Their dedication to supporting the military community has remained unwavering and well-received. Last week, the charity launched a brand new grant scheme for veterans and their families who are currently struggling to pay their recently inflated energy bills. This generous initiative will offer non-repayable emergency grants of up to £2400 a year and will be available across the whole of the UK.
The charity has chosen to intervene with ‘Everyday Needs Grants’ after observing 20% rise in requests for support with urgent and basic needs such as food and household costs. With this in mind, the Royal British Legion expects this trend to continue to increase over the coming winter months.
There are more than two million armed forces veterans currently residing in the UK according to the latest estimated figures from the Ministry of Defence.
The charity has highlighted that there is no particular cut-off to how many veterans they can support with this scheme and told Money Saving Expert it would like to help as many members of the community as it can.
Who Can Apply For The Royal British Legion Grants?
When it comes to support and services from the Royal British Legion, the armed forces community extends to those who have served, those that are still serving and families, dependants, including form children, spouses widows and widowers.
The available grants will be means tested, however you do not need to be receiving state benefits to receive one.
With this in mind, If you are currently receiving a means tested benefit from universal credit, to pension credit, you should qualify for a grant automatically.
To receive a grant, The Royal British Legion will check your income and expenditure to assess your relevant needs. If you are struggling financially the RBL does encourage you to apply online.
Each month for a year you can receive up to £200 depending on your personal circumstances. You need only apply once, there is no need to reapply at any point during the year.
It is important to note that in most cases, you will not be paid using cash. For example, you’ll get one or more of the following depending on your situation:
- Vouchers to top-up your gas or electricity prepayment meter.
- A virtual credit card you can use to pay utility bills (the card would be restricted to this use).
- Vouchers for food, clothing or household items.
- Replacement white goods.
Apply online here: https://bit.ly/3yTsd2V