What is the purpose of a QAL? Quick Assist Loans are designed to help with emergency needs for basic living expenses such as housing, utilities, food and clothing; medical or dental expenses; vehicle or transportation expenses, or to assist during family emergencies. Like the Society’s other loans, QALs are interest-free.

Who is eligible? Any active duty Sailor or Marine who has no outstanding loans from the Society and who is in good standing. Our goal is to serve our clients in as little as 15 minutes. To help us reach that goal, please bring your most recent Leave and Earnings Statement and your active duty ID card. You can speed up the short process by filling out the single-page application available on line at www.nmcrs.org.

Quick Assist Loans: Earning Their Name Every Day!  

By Lisa Aszklar

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society  

Quick! How much is 15 minutes of your time worth?  

If you said “$300,” you’re right, thanks to Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society’s Quick Assist Loan program!   

The QAL program is the Society’s alternative to high interest payday loans. With an application process of just 15 minutes, it offers the same speed and ease of a payday loan, without any of the stigma or risks associated with predatory loans.  The QAL is a need-based, no-interest loan designed to help with basic living expenses, transportation and vehicle repairs, medical and dental costs, and family emergencies that can confront us all.    

Ben Franklin once said “Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.”  Think of a QUAL as the damage control plug that can fix the leak and allow the ship to remain afloat.  With a maximum loan amount of $300 and requiring only an LES and an active duty ID card as proof of obligated service, absence of fines, and sufficient income to repay, the Quick Assist Loan is a lifesaver for many Sailors and Marines.  Only active duty service members are eligible.   

One of the Society’s newest and most successful offerings, the QAL program is similar to all of the Society’s programs in that Sailors and Marines do not need permission from their chain of command to obtain one; simply fill out the application on our web site or in an NMCRS office.  A service member is allowed up to two QALs per twelve-month period. Funds are issued directly to the service member, not the creditor.  Repayment must be completed within 10 months by allotment. In addition, the service member is allowed only one outstanding QAL at a time. To make the entire process even easier, NMCRS offices worldwide have arranged for local banks or merchants to cash the QAL check so overdraft fees never come into the picture.  

Because Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society has a mission of financial education and helping service members achieve financial self-sufficiency, should a third QAL ever be needed, a spending evaluation is required.  

NMCRS Executive Vice President Jan Gaudio says the Society is committed to combating the dangers of predatory lenders.  The QAL program is a critical component of that commitment.  

“The Society’s intent was to confront high interest payday loans on three fronts: legislative change, education and awareness, and no-interest alternatives for Sailors and Marines,” he says. “The National Defense Authorization Act of 2007 provided legislative relief from some of the most harmful aspects of predatory lending to service personnel and their families, including prohibition of payday loans, auto title loans, and tax refund anticipation loans with interest rates exceeding 36 percent.  

“At the same time, NMCRS initiated a major education and awareness campaign at our Full Service Offices around the world to make leadership, as well as Sailors and Marines, understand the dangers of short-term predatory loans.  

“The last step was for the Society to offer a no-interest alternative to the payday loan, and the QAL program does just that.”  

The program’s success has exceeded all expectations! Over the last five years, the Society has documented a 75 percent downturn in the number of requests for assistance related to repayment of predatory loans, thanks in part to the QAL program.   

So vital is the program, says Cheri Nylen, NMCRS Director of Casework, that many service members need to obtain a QAL before they even reach their first duty station!  

“QAL is the Society’s little miracle program,” she says. “Sailors and Marines are treated with dignity, respect, and fairness—as they are with all our other programs—and through their interaction with Society personnel, they become aware of other ways we are able to assist, including our Budget for Baby program and Education programs!”