'Ham Aid' eligibility extended to Rita and Wilma volunteers

Thanks to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the ARRL's 'Ham Aid' program has been expanded.

In addition to Hurricane Katrina Amateur Radio volunteers, Ham Aid now will cover those who are serving or have served in the wake of hurricanes Rita and Wilma. CNCS provided ARRL with $170,000 in grant extensions to support Ham Aid.

The fund offers limited reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses to ham radio volunteers who are providing or have provided emergency communication support in communities devastated by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

"To date, there is adequate funding to support the hundreds of hams who traveled to the Southeast since late August," said ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH. She points out that the same reimbursement procedures already in place for Hurricane Katrina Amateur Radio volunteers will apply to hurricane Rita and Wilma volunteers.

In an effort to distribute funding to as many ham radio volunteers as possible, Hobart says expense reimbursements at present are limited to $25 per day for a maximum of four days, or a total reimbursement per radio amateur of $100. Amateur Radio volunteers are eligible for one expense reimbursement per hurricane event. For now, the program only covers per-diem reimbursements between September 1 and December 31, 2005. The period may be extended, however, based on availability of funds.

Hobart says she wants to allay fears of Amateur Radio volunteers who believe accepting the money is contrary to FCC Part 97 rules. §97.113 prohibits "Communications for hire or for material compensation, direct or indirect, paid or promised, except as otherwise provided in these rules." Hobart says Ham Aid reimbursements are not for providing "communications" but to help with such costs as travel, meals, lodging and other necessities.

"These out-of-pocket expenses can be a hardship for some Amateur Radio volunteers," Hobart said, noting that some hurricane volunteers have come from the ranks of the unemployed or seniors on fixed incomes. "If we can help one ham to serve where badly needed, that's what this grant is intended to do." She encouraged all who served in the field in the aftermath of Katrina, Rita or Wilma to put in for the reimbursement nonetheless - if for no other reason than to honor those who have volunteered before them throughout ham radio's history.

"These volunteers should consider applying anyway and then donate the reimbursement to their club or to another emergency communication-related project," she said. "I'd like to see this money support ARES and our emergency response capabilities in the field." Hobart says the CNCS grant is a tangible expression of the value that the federal government puts on Amateur Radio as an emergency communication asset.

"I hope people take advantage of the helping hand CNCS has extended," Hobart says. "Let's put this funding to work as CNCS intended."

Hobart says the League will accept reimbursement request applications on a first-come, first served basis for as long as funds are available. Reimbursement checks will be mailed to the address the radio amateur provides on the form.

The CNCS grant is an extension of the ARRL's three-year Homeland Security training grant, which has provided certification in emergency communication protocols to nearly 5500 Amateur Radio volunteers over the past three years.
This grant extension does not cover additional ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications training program reimbursements, however.

Cash donations from individuals are also being accepted by the ARRL to support hams in the field assisting with hurricane relief and recovery efforts. To make a donation go to the ARRL general donation form and select 'Ham Aid' (this is a secure site).

Source: ARRL Letter - courtesy of The American Radio Relay League

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