Page 11 - Flaming Cauldron – Issue 57

ACC ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
Benevolence Report – March 2021
“You have not lived today until you have done
something for someone who can never repay you”
– John Bunyan
In the previous edition of The Flaming
Cauldron, I explained in some detail the process
of obtaining financial support for those who may
have fallen on hard times or find themselves in
need due to age or infirmity. The ACC Association
cannot help directly as we come under the remit of
The Royal Logistic Corps for all matters benevo-
lence related. However, provided an applicant meets
certain criteria, help is always available. The aim is
to provide speedy relief in cases of proven need,
hardship, or distress and I carry out case audits to
confirm that this is indeed the case. Eligibility rules
and assistance criteria apply but are designed to be
as broad and helpful as possible. It will come as no
surprise to learn that virtually all fund-raising char-
ities such as ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, have seen a
significant reduction in the amount of income, up
to 65% in some cases, and have drawn heavily upon
their reserves.
The criteria for eligibility are incredibly gener-
ous featuring just one day of full colour service in
the ACC (up to 1993) or in The RLC (from 1993)
including the TA/Army Reserve. Until now, the
TA/Army Reserve has included a longer period of
service before qualifying, but a change was agreed
which will bring reservists more closely aligned
with their regular counterparts. Dependants (wives
or husbands of an eligible applicant) and widows or
widowers of a serving or former member may also
apply provided they have not remarried or co-habit
with another. However, eligibility would be restored
if a subsequent marriage ends in divorce (or death)
of the other spouse or the relationship ends.
I mentioned a change to the TA/Reservist
period of service. The Committee agreed that
soldiers who had passed Phase 1 training and a
reservist who had completed 3 years training may
be eligible for benevolence support. Reservists may
qualify sooner if they have deployed on an opera-
tional tour. This is reduced from a lower limit of
12 years’ service before January 2014 or four years
continuous service after that date or carried out an
operational tour. This reflects the fact that so many
Reservists carry out many roles which are virtually
identical to their Regular counterparts.
Applications for assistance must be made on
the Common Application Form (Form A) or
equivalent and must be initiated by the appli-
Editor: If you have any queries about eligibility and how to apply for
cant and submitted by SSAFA Forces Help, the
assistance, please contact SSAFA, the RBL or the Secretary.
Royal British Legion or other recognised welfare
SECRETARY@ACCASSOCIATION.ORG | WWW.ACCASSOCIATION.ORG
authorities. A caseworker will be assigned by the
relevant organisation, assist with the completion of
Form A, and make a recommendation. Any appli-
cation made direct to The RLC Benevolent Fund
will be referred back to an appropriate caseworker.
Details can be found online or by contacting the
Secretary who will always be pleased to assist.
Once a case is submitted, it will be consid-
ered for a grant. Once every six months The RLC
Benevolence Committee meets to audit cases dur-
ing the previous period, review the finances and
make any necessary recommendations. Prior to each
meeting, the Secretary will review/audit a number
of cases and occasionally, one-off applications are
made and considered. I have yet to find a case that
has not been given the most thorough considera-
tion and financial support where necessary.
The most recent meeting of the Committee
was held on 16th March and once again revealed
some interesting statistics. The average request for
assistance has decreased slightly from £633 to £624
for the ACC. Across all grants, the average this
year was £624 compared to last year at £602. In the
whole of 2019 to 31st December there were 131
ACC cases awarded a total of £85,267. Over the
same period in 2020, 72 ACC cases were awarded
£45,100, a significant reduction in cases year on
year. Once again, it was thought that a reduction in
the number of SSAFA and RBL caseworkers (who
tend to be retired members of the community) due
to the pandemic, may have resulted in a blockage
of applications being processed and the buildup
of a ‘bow wave’ of applications for the future.
As mentioned previously, the number of RLC cases
for 2020 again outnumber the total cases for all
forming Corps by a significant margin. Based upon
previous trends, the forecast for 2020 was for a
total of 1890 for all cases but this dropped to 1004
which is a significant 46% reduction compared
with the prediction. It will be interesting to see the
number of cases submitted as we go through 2021.
However, funds are available for any eligible appli-
cant based upon an assessment of the need.
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