COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of our lives. Below are resources that we hope will help journalists, veterans, and others make it through this extraordinary time:
1. Economic Support:
- CARES Act Relief:
- IRS Economic Impact Payment: You can check the status and/or update the information of your Economic Impact Payment at https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments.
- Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for Small Businesses: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/paycheck-protection-program.
- Student Loan Relief: https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/coronavirus
- Retirement Account Withdrawal Rules Modification: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/coronavirus-related-relief-for-retirement-plans-and-iras-questions-and-answers
- Job Boards:
- Military Times Job Board: https://jobboard.militarytimes.com/
- Indeed.com: https://www.indeed.com/q-Journalist-jobs.html
- Society of Professional Journalists – Job Bank: https://jobs.spj.org/jobs/
- JournalismJobs.com: https://www.journalismjobs.com/
- Mortgage/Rent Support:
- Unemployment Benefits: Information on broad rules, CARES Act relief, and applying for state programs can be found at https://www.usa.gov/unemployment.
- Student Veterans and how COVID-19 affects the GI BILL: https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/
- Active Duty Military Emergency Relief Funds:
- Air Force: https://afas.org/how-we-help/emergency-assistance/
- Army: https://www.aerhq.org/Home
- Coast Guard: https://www.cgmahq.org/
- Navy/Marines: https://www.nmcrs.org/
- Veteran-Specific COVID-19 Relief and Support: Some companies, foundations, non-profits, and state/local governments are offering veteran-specific coronavirus relief. These appear to be highly volatile and may open/close very quickly. More information on some resources for such can be found at: https://www.aarp.org/home-family/voices/veterans/info-2020/free-coronavirus-resources.html.
2. Physical Health Support:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Coronavirus Information: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
- National/State Realtime Breakdown of Coronavirus Statistics: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html.
- “Preventing the spread of the coronavirus: Social distancing, hand washing, and other preventive measures” (Harvard Medical School): https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/preventing-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus.
- Coronavirus Testing Information (WebMD): https://www.webmd.com/lung/coronavirus-testing.
3. Mental Health Support:
- Veterans Crisis Line: If you are in need of or would like someone to talk to you can call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1 to talk with a trained VA responder. More information is available at: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/veterans-crisis-line.asp.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Hotline: SAMHSA offers a hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). More information can be found at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
- CDC Mental Health and Coping During Coronavirus: The CDC offers various strategies and resources for mental health support during the coronavirus pandemic at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html.
- Resources for journalists telling COVID-19-related stories: https://www.cartercenter.org/health/mental_health/fellowships/journalism_resources.html
We wish you all well in these extraordinary times. Together we’ll make it through!
