TWU Member Finds Needed Assistance Through the Union Plus Disability Grant
TWU member Paul Wynn’s knee surgery prevented him from getting his regular paycheck at work. Luckily, he discovered he was eligible to apply for a Union Plus Disability Grant since he is a Union Plus Credit Cardholder.
After a knee surgery last year, longtime New York City Transit Authority employee Paul Wynn couldn’t keep working at his job cleaning subway stations. Wynn, a member of Transportation Workers Union (TWU) Local 100, knew finances would be tight without his regular paycheck.
However, he caught a lucky break while he was browsing the Union Plus website soon after. Wynn learned he could be eligible for the Union Plus Disability Grant1 because he is a Union Plus Credit Cardholder2. Sure enough, he qualified for assistance.
“It wasn’t something I was specifically looking for,” Wynn recounts. “The grant helped me maintain my expenses while I was out of work.”
The Union Plus Disability Grant is a $1,600 - $2,700 payment available to eligible Union Plus Credit Cardholders who have been unemployed for at least 90 days and who have lost at least 25 percent of their monthly income due to illness or disability during the past 12 months, among other requirements. Applicants must have been Union Plus Credit Cardholders for at least three months and their card account must be in good standing.
“It was a relatively easy and straight-forward process,” recalls Wynn of applying for the grant. “It only took about a month to receive the money.”
He now tells fellow TWU members about the various grant programs and rebates offered to Union Plus Credit Cardholders and encourages them to explore the website, as he did.
“You may be surprised what you find,” he notes.
“After all these years, working the job I worked, it takes a toll on you and your body,” Wynn reflects. “Little things like the Union Plus Disability Grant are really helpful.”
For more information on how Union Plus can help union members in times of need, visit unionplus.org/hardship.
1Certain restrictions, limitations and qualifications apply to these grants. Additional information and eligibility criteria can be obtained at https://www.unionplus.org/page/disability-grant.
2Union Plus Credit Cards are issued by Capital One, N.A. pursuant to a license from Mastercard International Incorporated.