RMEWF - Financial Assistance for Medical Treatment of Ex-Servicemen

What is RMEWF Financial Assistance for Medical Treatment of Ex-Servicemen?

RMEWF Financial Assistance for Medical Treatment is a welfare grant under the Raksha Mantri Ex-Servicemen Welfare Fund (RMEWF), administered by the Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) in the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence. It helps poorer ex-servicemen who do not receive a pension, and their widows, meet the cost of treatment for a serious illness.

According to the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, the grant is paid from the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFDF), which is built from the public's donations on Armed Forces Flag Day every 7 December. The scheme recognises that a former soldier of low rank who retired without a pension can be financially crushed by a major medical event, and provides a one-time or case-based grant to ease that burden.

The scheme is one of several welfare measures funded from the AFFDF under RMEWF, others include the penury grant, education grants for children of ex-servicemen, and assistance to disabled children of ex-servicemen. Each has its own eligibility rules, and this guide covers only the medical treatment component.

Who is eligible for RMEWF medical treatment assistance?

You can apply if:

• You are an ex-serviceman up to the rank of Havildar or equivalent in the Navy and Air Force, or the widow of such an ex-serviceman.
• You are not in receipt of any service pension (a non-pensioner).
• The treatment was taken at a recognised government hospital.
• Your application is verified and recommended by your Zila Sainik Board (ZSB).

You cannot apply if:

• You draw a service pension. The scheme is specifically for non-pensioners.
• You held a rank above Havildar (that is, JCOs and officers are outside this particular grant).
• You took treatment at a private hospital rather than a recognised government hospital.
• You are a serving member of the armed forces, this is an ex-servicemen welfare grant.

Because eligibility turns on rank, pension status and where the treatment was taken, the Zila Sainik Board's verification is central to the process.

How much assistance is given?

The grant is sanctioned per case by the Kendriya Sainik Board toward the cost of medical treatment at a recognised government hospital. Expenditure is reckoned at the rates approved under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) and the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS).

Different sources cite different ceilings over the years — earlier material references an annual limit of around Rs 30,000, and later material references Rs 50,000 to because the amount is periodically revised by the Ministry of Defence. To avoid quoting a stale figure, confirm the current sanctioned ceiling with your Zila Sainik Board or on the KSB portal before you apply. The dependable facts are that the grant is case-based, tied to government hospital rates, and paid from the AFFDF.

What documents are required?

How to apply for RMEWF medical treatment assistance

1. Visit the Kendriya Sainik Board portal at ksb.gov.in and register or log in as an ex-serviceman or widow.
2. Open the RMEWF / Armed Forces Flag Day Fund welfare scheme for medical treatment and fill in the application.
3. Upload your documents; discharge book or ESM identity card, the medical record and hospital bills from the government hospital, a non-pension declaration, and your bank details with IFSC code.
4. Submit the application to your Zila Sainik Board, which verifies your rank, pension status and papers, and forwards it through the Rajya Sainik Board to the Kendriya Sainik Board.
5. On sanction, the grant is transferred to your bank account. Track the status on the KSB portal or with your Zila Sainik Board.

Applications are received and recommended through the Zila Sainik Board, so your local ZSB office is the single most important point of contact, visit it in person if you need help completing the online form.

Help and grievance redressal

• Kendriya Sainik Board, West Block-IV, Wing-VII, RK Puram, New Delhi-110066
• General inquiry: 011-25777049 / 9667647016
• Portal: ksb.gov.in
• Your local Zila Sainik Board / Zila Sainik Welfare Office for in-person help

The assistance is a genuine government welfare grant funded by public donations to the Flag Day Fund; no agent or middleman should charge you to file the application. If a figure or timeline is unclear, rely on what your Zila Sainik Board confirms rather than on third-party websites.

How to check your application status

Because the application moves through the Zila Sainik Board (ZSB) and Rajya Sainik Board before it reaches the Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) for sanction, status checks work best when you follow the same chain rather than only watching the portal.

1. Log in to the KSB portal at ksb.gov.in with the credentials you used to apply, and open your application under the RMEWF / Armed Forces Flag Day Fund medical treatment scheme. The portal shows whether the case is still with your ZSB, has been forwarded, or has been sanctioned.
2. Call or visit your Zila Sainik Board if the online status has not moved for several weeks. Since the ZSB is the office that verifies your rank, pension status and documents, it can tell you exactly which stage is holding up the file, most delays happen at this verification step rather than at KSB itself.
3. Contact the Kendriya Sainik Board directly on 011-25777049 / 9667647016 if your ZSB confirms the case has already been forwarded and you want to confirm it reached KSB and is awaiting sanction.
4. Watch your bank account once you are told the grant is sanctioned. Disbursal is by direct transfer, so a credit to the account you listed in your application is the final confirmation the case is closed.
5. Keep your application reference number and the date your ZSB forwarded the file on hand for every follow-up call or visit; this is what lets the KSB or ZSB staff pull up your case quickly instead of searching by name alone.

Because there is no SMS-based tracking published for this scheme, a phone call or in-person visit to your Zila Sainik Board remains the most reliable way to get a real update between the two portal states of "submitted" and "sanctioned."

Common reasons for rejection

• Applicant draws a service pension. This grant is reserved for non-pensioner ex-servicemen and widows. If your discharge or service record shows you are pension-linked, the application is rejected regardless of how serious the illness was. There is no fix for this beyond eligibility itself, confirm your pension status with your ZSB before applying so you don't wait weeks for a result you could have anticipated.
• Rank above Havildar or equivalent. The scheme covers ranks up to Havildar (or the Navy/Air Force equivalent); JCOs and officers fall outside it. Check your discharge book against this rank ceiling before submitting, rather than relying on the ZSB to flag it after the fact.
• Treatment taken at a private hospital. Because the grant is reckoned against CGHS/ECHS government hospital rates, bills from a private facility are typically not accepted. If a genuine medical emergency required private treatment first, ask your Zila Sainik Board whether any exception or partial recognition applies to your case rather than assuming it will be rejected outright.
• Missing or incomplete medical documentation. A rejection or a long delay is common when hospital bills don't clearly show the diagnosis, treatment given and amount charged. Collect an itemised bill and discharge summary from the treating government hospital, not just a payment receipt, before you submit.
• No non-pension declaration, or an inconsistent one. If your declaration doesn't match what your service record shows, the ZSB will hold or reject the file pending clarification. Make sure the declaration is signed and consistent with your discharge papers.
• Application not routed through the Zila Sainik Board. Since ZSB recommendation is mandatory, an application submitted only on the portal without in-person follow-up at your local ZSB can sit unverified indefinitely rather than being formally rejected. Visiting the ZSB office in person after submitting online is the practical way to move the file forward and avoid it stalling.
• Bank account details that don't match the applicant's name or have an incorrect IFSC. Since disbursal is a direct transfer, mismatched account details lead to failed payment even after sanction. Double-check the account number and IFSC code you submit against a current passbook or bank statement.