A strong support system can make things easier, especially for families with medical or educational needs. Finding and coordinating services can be challenging. Add in the demands of military life, and it can quickly feel overwhelming.
If a service member has a child, spouse or other dependent with medical or educational needs, the Exceptional Family Member Program, or EFMP, is a critical part of their support network. EFMP provides comprehensive and coordinated support to enhance mission and family readiness.
What is EFMP?
EFMP is a Defense Department program implemented by all service branches. EFMP has three components all working together.
- Identification and enrollment is the point of entry into EFMP. Enrollment in EFMP is mandatory for active-duty military members who have family members who meet enrollment criteria for identification with a medical or educational need. Members of the National Guard or reserve may enroll according to service-specific guidance.
- Assignment coordination ensures the family’s special needs are considered during the assignment process. EFMP makes every effort to help keep families together and support the service member’s career. The final decision for duty station selection will always be determined based on mission need.
- Family Support enables the family to become its own best advocate by helping them identify and connect with resources, expert consultations, education and community support. EFMP Family Support provides in-person support as well as virtual self-service support through online information and resources available on Military OneSource and through Military OneSource special needs consultants.
Ways EFMP can support service members and their families
Each installation has an EFMP Family Support office staffed with providers who can help in the following ways:
- Find and tap into community resources, services and programs that will meet each family’s individual needs
- Provide information and referrals to resources
- Conduct a family needs assessment and develop a family services plan
- Offer training and other support to help families be their own best advocate
- Provide PCS transition assistance in the form of a warm handoff to the EFMP Family Support office at the next installation
Tools and resources for families with special needs
Families can access support for medical or educational needs through Military OneSource as well as through the installation EFMP providers.
- The EFMP MilLife Guide provides the essentials about MilLife topics for military families with special medical or educational needs all in one place. The guide includes Military OneSource services, benefits, resources and articles that provide deeper content and relevant links.
- EFMP & Me is an online tool that allows service members and family members to navigate resources and services, create customized checklists and stay organized. Service providers and leaders can also find helpful information and resources to help the service members and families that they support.
- The Exceptional Advocate is a quarterly eNewsletter that focuses on updates and information from the Exceptional Family Member Program.
- The Office of Special Needs EFMP podcast series covers all things EFMP and other topics of interest to military families with medical or educational needs, like caregiving, legal and long-term financial planning, PCSing, finding community support and more.
- Military OneSource special needs consultants provide enhanced support by phone or video. Special needs consultants can connect families with experts in education, the military health care system and TRICARE, special needs financial planning and more.
Having the right information and the right people to turn to for support can make life easier to manage for a family with medical or education needs. EFMP equips service members and their families with the information, resources, and network of support to meet their individual needs and thrive.
Support for Military
