Assistance, Retirement, and Student Aid

Disaster assistance.gov - This government site helps you determine if your address is in a declared disaster area. It also links to local FEMA and Red Cross centers.

Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Application - The FAFSA is a free student aid application managed by the U.S. Department of Education. Most colleges and universities encourage students to fill out this application as part of their process for determining finanial aid. Aid packages typically include a combination of grants (money you don't have to pay back), loans, and work-study funds.

Social Security Administration (SSA) home page - The SSA manages social security payments, which includes retirement, disability, and survivor benefits that is paid in through a payroll tax on your wages. This page includes tools to understand your contributions so far and estimate future payments. In order to start receiving retirement benefits, like with Medicare, you need to enroll. Here is the link to the SSA online application for receiving retirement benefits.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs administers all benefits for U.S. military veterans, their families, and survivors. This includes health care, educational, and burial benefits. The VA Applying for Benefits page covers the different kinds of benefits and how to apply for each.