Patriot Guard Riders of New York Inc

It is the intention of the Patriot Guard Riders (PGR) to proactively assist active duty military personnel and veterans of America’s armed forces who have needs that have not been addressed by other programs. Help On The Homefront (HOTH) is devoted to helping these Heroes and their families through a wide variety of projects. The statement by the National Board for the PGR outlines the intention to augment the PGR mission as written. The PGR wishes to serve all Heroes who need us while continuing its core mission of honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The PGR will strive to assist those actively serving and honorably discharged from military service to the United States of America. The PGR’s commitment also extends to Gold Star families. The PGR’s promise to always be there for them will not be compromised.

This assistance may also be available to an immediate family member (mother, father, sibling, son or daughter) of a U.S. Armed Forces member who is or qualifies as a Gold Star Family member, or one who qualifies as a Blue Star Family member of a deployed active duty soldier who is currently serving in a theater of combat operation.

The Patriot Guard Riders of New York Help On The Homefront program has identified certain basic critical needs typically not addressed by other assistance programs, and has focused on two major areas of assistance for our military and veteran personnel; Financial Assistance and Transition Assistance.

Financial Assistance: For those qualifying personnel that are experiencing a particular financial hardship, he or she may apply for one-time financial support deemed necessary due to an unforeseen financial hardship brought about by circumstances or events that are beyond the veteran's control. This assistance may also be available to an immediate family member (mother, father, sibling, son or daughter) of a U.S. Armed Forces member who is or qualifies as a Gold Star Family member. Assistance may also be available to an immediate family member who is, or qualifies as, a Blue Star Family member of a deployed active duty soldier who is currently serving in a theater of combat operation.

After reviewing a veteran's request for financial assistance, a referral to other agencies for support with counseling, financial management or benefit application may take place. All cases are reviewed individually and independently by each member of the 9 member Board of Directors, and are based on merit.

Veterans Transition Assistance: Veteran's Transition Assistance is a Help On The Homefront program that may provide security deposit/first month rent, or one-time delivery of new furniture to US Armed Forces homeless veterans who are in financial need and have been a resident of an in-house program receiving counseling/treatment with Department of Veterans Affairs or other VA-accredited veteran assistance agency, and are now moving into their own residence. The existence of these conditions must be documented and further verified by the accredited agency where the veteran has received treatment/counseling.

If these criteria are met for either the Financial or Transition Assistance Program, he or she may fill out an application for assistance, and a determination will be made as to whether he or she may qualify for one of these programs. After receiving all necessary information for an applicant, the request must be reviewed; and if acceptable, be submitted to the Board of Directors (BOD) for approval. Once the BOD has approved the request, arrangements will be made for the veteran to receive assistance.

The Patriot Guard Riders of New York, inc. is a financially solvent 501(c)(3) that has a dedicated management infrastructure in place for the operation of the Help On The Homefront Program. All HOTH-related requests are thoroughly vetted through caseworkers and submitted to the HOTH Director for processing. The HOTH Director submits the request to the PGRNY Secretary who, in turn, presents it to the Board Of Directors for consideration. Upon majority approval of the BOD, notification is provided to the HOTH Director who in turn, coordinates financial payments, or furniture delivery. This entire process is conducted electronically, and in the case of a critical needs request, can be completed, literally, within several hours.

It should be understood that PGRNY, including the PGRNY HOTH program, will always strive to observe any and all Operational Security (OPSEC) and Personal Security (PERSEC) guidelines when disseminating information. PGRNY will never knowingly jeopardize the safety and security of the men and women we serve.

During 2019, we made tremendous strides in our HOTH Veteran's Assistance Programs, providing furniture and financial assistance to veterans in the PGR NY Region 2 (Rochester) and 6 (Poughkeepsie) areas. So far in 2020, with the program expanding according to plan, we have provided assistance to veterans in Regions 2, 5 (Albany), 8 (NYC) and 9 (LI).

Furniture Assistance Program - At the end of April, 2019, a new Veteran’s Furniture Assistance program was introduced. This new program was rolled out statewide, so any veteran anywhere in New York State who met the qualifying criteria could apply for brand new furniture in a room of their choice. The program is a volunteer outreach program that can provide a one-time delivery of furniture to US Armed Forces veterans who are in financial need, and have been a resident of an in-house program with Veterans Affairs or other veteran-supported agency. Working in conjunction with Raymour & Flanigan, once an application has been approved by the PGR NY Board of Directors and delivery details finalized, the veteran receives brand new furniture, usually delivered within three business days anywhere in the state. Feedback on this program from the veterans and caseworkers to date has been very positive.

Financial Assistance Program - The second major change was to our Veteran’s Financial Assistance Program. The previous requirement for an applicant to have a VA service-connected disability was eliminated. The Veteran's Financial Assistance Program is a volunteer outreach program that can provide one-time financial support to US Armed Forces veterans who require financial assistance due to an unforeseen financial hardship brought about by circumstances or events that are beyond the veteran's control. As a result of these changes, we have experienced a substantial increase in veteran applications and have assisted a substantially higher number of deserving veterans than in years past.