Financial Assistance Policy
PURPOSE:
The Financial Assistance program is part of the Tennessee Hemophilia & Bleeding Disorder Foundation's continuing effort to improve the quality of life of individuals and families affected by bleeding disorders by providing financial support. The Financial Assistance program is supported by generous contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations committed to the bleeding disorders community.
Example eligible expenses include, but are not limited to, the following:
Basic Living Expenses
-
Rent/Mortgage
-
Utilities (electric, gas, water, phone)
-
Food
NOTE: This program is intended to help individuals and families after other sources of assistance have been exhausted or unavailable. Every effort should be made to utilize other community resources such as social services, food banks, and other organizations that routinely meet these types of needs. There are additional agencies in Tennessee and nationally, that may also be able to provide financial assistance. For more information on these, please contact the Chapter or your HTC.
ELIGIBILITY:
Prospective applicants will need to meet the following criteria:
-
Be a constituent that resides in the territorial jurisdiction of THBDF or receives treatment for an inherited bleeding disorder at any of the area Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTCs).
-
All applicants must be 18 years of age or older. Applicants can be a parent or caregiver of a minor child who lives in your home and who has a diagnosis of a bleeding disorder OR be an individual with a diagnosed bleeding disorder.
-
Complete all sections of the application thoroughly and accurately. If a question does not apply, it should be marked not applicable (n/a). Failure to provide complete and truthful information may result in denial of your request.
-
THBDF must determine that the applicant qualifies for financial assistance pursuant to its Financial Assistance Policy to review the request.
-
Applicants must sign the application to indicate an intended use agreement stating that the financial assistance received from the THBDF will be used for the purpose indicated on the approved financial assistance application.
ADMINISTRATION:
Financial assistance approvals depend on the availability of funds and the applicant’s eligibility. Payment of funds upon approval also cannot be guaranteed earlier than 3 business days, and may take longer, from the date of the request due to the approval process.
Assistance is limited to a maximum of $500 for active members of THBDF (attended an event hosted by THBDF in the last 365 days) and $200 for non-active members. If non-active members attend an event, they will now be qualified for the full amount. Assistance is available once per calendar year, per household, which also includes claimed dependents.
THBDF cannot provide funding directly to the individual applicant(s). Disbursements will be made directly to vendors identified in the application that have been verified by THBDF. In the case of a request for food, the requesting staff person will facilitate expenditure without giving cash directly to the client, and applicant must sign an Intended Use agreement stating that the financial assistance received from the THBDF will be used for the purpose indicated on approved financial assistance application.
PROCESS:
The Executive Director of THBDF will review applications for completeness and accuracy. If the assistance request does not provide the necessary information, the staff member will contact the applicant for additional details. If the request cannot be completed after two attempts to gather the required information, then it will be denied.
The Executive Director, or designated staff member, will notify the applicant about the decision via email or phone communications within 2-3 business days of the application decision. In most cases, approved applicants can expect a total of 4 business days for the entire process and payment to be submitted.
Please submit all applications along with relevant supplemental materials, such as utility bills, rent/mortgage statement, insurance bill, etc., via email, postal mail, or online application (where available):
201 E. Main St, Ste 240
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
CONFIDENTIALITY
All applications and information pertaining to funding requests are considered confidential to the full extent permitted by law.
Information from the THBDF Financial Assistance applications may be compiled for statistical purposes and for compliance with local, state, federal, or affiliate organization requirements. However, any publication of this data will be in aggregate form only and will not include names or any other personal information that could be used to identify individual applicants or recipients.
No personal information will be used or disclosed for any purposes other than that for which is was collected without the applicants’ written permission. At no time will personal information be shared with any individual, company, and organization outside THBDF.