Pet-Well-Soon
When you're facing a vet bill you can't cover all at once, money shouldn't decide whether your best friend gets care. A zero-interest loan of $500–$1,499, paid straight to your vet, repaid in small amounts through your paycheck.
How it works
Decisions follow objective, need-based criteria set and overseen by an independent committee, applied consistently to every applicant, so a clear case is reviewed quickly and the same way for everyone. You'll upload your vet's original written estimate so the loan is tied to a specific, verified bill. Funds are released to your vet only after your employer verifies your current employment (no termination or resignation notice in effect, and at least ~4 months of foreseeable employment) and accepts the deduction memorandum you've signed. If your employer is already enrolled, this can move quickly; if not, enrollment comes first.
Run a veterinary clinic? Cover your own team.
Veterinary practices are the heart of Pet-Well-Soon — and your own staff deserve the same safety net. Enroll your clinic so your team can access zero-interest emergency help, at no cost to you.
Enroll your clinic →Your employer needs to be enrolled — and verifies before we pay
Repayments come from your paycheck, so your employer must be enrolled. Before funds release, they verify your current employment and accept the deduction memorandum you've signed. They see the amount, but never learn why you applied — your reason stays private. Not enrolled yet? Send them the sign-up link and you'll be ready when you need it.
Love animals? Help fund the next rescue.
petwellsoon.org · powered by viga.org — applications and loans are administered by VIGA, a California 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 42-2401101).
Program details
A zero-interest loan of $500–$1,499 for an urgent bill, paid directly to your provider and repaid in small amounts through payroll. Here's exactly how it's priced and decided.
How we decide
Eligibility is based on need, not a credit score. Decisions follow objective, need-based criteria set and overseen by an independent committee and applied consistently to every applicant, so a clear case is reviewed quickly and the same way for everyone. You'll upload your original written estimate, invoice, or notice (for example a vet estimate, repair estimate, or rent-due notice) so the loan is tied to a specific, verified bill. We run a soft credit check (no impact to your score) only to set an affordable per-paycheck amount — never as a pass/fail credit gate.
0% interest — and what "APR" means here
The loan carries zero interest. You repay the principal plus one disclosed, one-time administrative fee — nothing more. Lending law still requires the cost to be expressed as an APR (annual percentage rate). Because the fee is a real cost of borrowing, the APR on your disclosure will be a small number above 0% even though no interest is charged — it's simply the fee translated into the standardized APR format so you can compare it to any other loan.
The administrative fee: 7% or $90, whichever is less
A single, one-time fee helps cover the cost of running the program. For a first loan it is the lesser of 7% of the loan or $90, the maximum allowed under California Financial Code §22066 for nonprofit zero-interest loans. Repeat loans carry a lower cap. No recurring fees, no interest, no penalty charges.
The fee is shown in exact dollars before you accept. Reference: Cal. Fin. Code §22066 (subject to counsel review).
What repayment looks like
Semi-monthly payroll (paid 1st & 15th). Loans under $1,000 repay over 90 days; $1,000 and above over 120 days. Repayment begins on your 2nd payroll after your provider is paid. First-loan fees shown.
| Loan | Fee | Total | Term | Per paycheck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500 | $35.00 | $535.00 | 90 days | $89.17 ×6 |
| $750 | $52.50 | $802.50 | 90 days | $133.75 ×6 |
| $1,000 | $70.00 | $1,070.00 | 120 days | $133.75 ×8 |
| $1,250 | $87.50 | $1,337.50 | 120 days | $167.19 ×8 |
| $1,499 | $90.00 | $1,589.00 | 120 days | $198.62 ×8 |
Illustrative, first-loan fees, rounded. At $1,499 the fee hits the $90 cap (7% would be $104.93). Your exact amounts are shown before you accept.
On-time payments are reported to a consumer reporting agency, which can help build your credit. Genuine hardship pauses repayment; we never sell debt, use collection agencies, or sue. Full terms in your loan agreement.
administered by VIGA, a California 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 42-2401101). Final terms disclosed before you accept.
How the money moves
From your application and estimate, through your employer's verification and your signed deduction memo, to your provider being paid directly — then gentle repayment from your paycheck.
1. Apply, upload your estimate & get a decision
Apply and upload your original written estimate, invoice, or notice, so the loan is tied to a specific, verified bill. Decisions follow objective, need-based criteria set and overseen by an independent committee and applied consistently to every applicant, so a clear case is reviewed quickly and the same way for everyone. A soft credit check (no score impact) helps set an affordable per-paycheck amount; it is not a pass/fail credit gate.
2. Employer verification & your signed deduction memo
Before any money is released, your employer must:
- verify your current employment — with no termination or resignation notice in effect, and at least ~4 months of foreseeable employment;
- accept the deduction memorandum you have signed, authorizing the payroll repayment.
Nothing is paid until both are complete. Your employer sees the amount and the repayment schedule, but never the reason you applied. If your employer is already enrolled, this can move quickly; if not, enrollment comes first.
3. We pay your provider directly
Once verification and your signed memo are in place, we pay your provider directly — your vet clinic, repair shop, landlord, or other provider named on your estimate — so the money goes straight to the need. Funds are never sent to you as cash; they go to the provider on your bill.
4. You stay in control
The deduction is yours to authorize and yours to stop. Your employer only forwards it. If you hit genuine hardship, repayment pauses — the program supports you, it doesn't pursue you. (Hardship terms in your agreement.)
Repayment timing
Repayment begins on your 2nd payroll after your provider is paid — a cushion before the first deduction. Payments are equal, at 0% interest, on the 1st and 15th.
Your employer must be enrolled
So repayments can run through payroll, and so they can verify your employment and accept your signed deduction memo before funds release. They see the amount, never the reason. Not enrolled yet? Apply anyway, and we'll help you send them the sign-up link.
administered by VIGA, a California 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 42-2401101). Timing illustrative; exact dates in your agreement.
Give your team a financial safety net — at no cost to you
Your employees get access to zero-interest emergency loans. You verify employment, accept their signed deduction memo, and forward repayment through payroll. You don't fund it and don't approve loans — and you never learn why anyone borrowed.
How enrollment works
Integrates with your payroll system
Don't see yours? We support most major payroll platforms and a simple manual deduction file for any system.
What you see in your dashboard
Why there's no benefit-plan burden: VIGA is an independent charity. You don't establish, fund, or administer it — you verify employment and forward a repayment your employee has authorized, like any voluntary deduction. No ERISA plan, no fiduciary duty, no exposure for loan decisions or outcomes. (Subject to counsel review.)
viga.org · VIGA Inc., a California 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 42-2401101). Final terms, integration steps, and agreements provided during enrollment and subject to counsel review.
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