February 23, 2021

Texas Children’s team members whose income or homes were impacted by the February 2021 winter storm in Texas may be eligible for disaster relief from the Employee Financial Assistance Fund (EFAF).

Established and managed by the Employee Assistance Program, EFAF provides financial help to eligible employees experiencing unexpected, unforeseen or unavoidable emergencies. Grant funds are available for emergency needs only.

To be eligible for an EFAF grant related to the recent winter weather event, employees must meet the requirements outlined in Employee Financial Assistance Fund Policy #1475 as well as the following criteria:

  • Must be able to verify their emergency and demonstrate that it is a basic need.
    • If requesting assistance with loss of income, employees will need to provide documentation such as late household bills to show financial hardship.
  • Must use existing resources (within reason) or plan to use them given the need is so much greater than the resources available.
  • Must contact insurance first before EFAF can assist with repairs.
    • In the application process, employees must be able to show either an insurance denial or an insurance reimbursement/payment verification.
    • If available, employees must apply for assistance from FEMA.
    • Any repairs must be related to basic needs, such as the roof, water or electricity.
    • Some home insurance will cover the cost of relocating to a hotel.
  • When the home is not livable due to damage and the employee does not have other options for shelter, relocation expenditures are covered under emergency EFAF.
  • When food loss is due to electricity outages or damage to a refrigerator has occurred, HEB gift cards can be provided.

To learn more about the EFAF process, including how to submit a confidential EFAF application, click here. You can also learn more about FEMA Disaster Assistance and additional Community Resources here.

September 11, 2017

It’s hard to believe that less than a week ago Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Greater Houston area dumping foot after foot of rain into our communities’ streets, homes and businesses. Since then, people across the region – including many employees at Texas Children’s – have been working around the clock to try and put their lives back together again.

Many of those directly affected by the storm are looking for help, and many of those who were spared by the storm’s wrath are more than willing to lend a helping hand. As you move forward with your recovery efforts, please remember there are guidelines Texas Children’s employees must follow when seeking and receiving aid.

One most important guideline to note pertains to the use of the Texas Children’s name and/or logo. Using the organization’s name and/or logo is not allowed when soliciting funds or other types of help unless the request is done in an official capacity. Therefore, individual employees should not mention Texas Children’s or their employment with the organization when seeking aid whether it be via an email to colleagues, a GoFundMe page, an Amazon Wish List or a post on social media.

Additional guidelines about giving and accepting gifts in your role at Texas Children’s can be found here.

“We understand that many of our employees are suffering due to the storm and are in need of help, however it is important that everyone follows our policy to not use the Texas Children’s name or logo in any way other than in an official capacity,” said Director of Risk Management Melissa Murrah. “There are many other ways to seek help and offer aid, such as donating to our Employee Financial Assistance Fund.”

Many Hurricane Harvey relief opportunities can be found here and include ways to donate money to employees affected by the storm, how to apply for employee assistance funds and an Employee Resource Network developed to help employees with needs related to Hurricane Harvey and connect with employees who would like to volunteer their services of a resource.

If you have a question about giving or receiving gifts pertaining to the storm, please contact Compliance and Privacy (ext. 4-2085 or compliance@texaschildrens.org).