The Exceptional Family Member Program or EFMP is a mandatory U.S. Department of Defense enrollment program that works with other

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...

agencies to provide comprehensive and coordinated

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

support,

housing Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether it ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

al, medical, and personnel services worldwide to U.S. military families with

special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in ...

. Service members on active duty enroll in the program when they have a family member with a

physical Physical may refer to: *Physical examination In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a medical condition. It generally co ...

, developmental, or emotional or mental disorder requiring specialized services so their needs can be considered in the military personnel assignment process. Family members must be screened and enrolled, if eligible, when the service member is on assignment instructions to an

OCONUS The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...

(outside the continental

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

) area for which

command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on Apple Macintosh computer keyboards * ...

sponsorship/family member travel is authorized, and the service member elects to serve the accompanied tour. This screening consists of

medical record The terms medical record, health record and medical chart are used somewhat interchangeably to describe the systematic documentation of a single patient's medical history and care across time within one particular health care provider's jurisdic ...

s review for all family members, and developmental screening for all

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

72 months (6 years) of age and younger. Service members are responsible for keeping their EFMP enrollment current as exceptional family member conditions change, or at least every three years, whichever comes first. The U.S. Coast Guard does not participate in the EFMP program since it is not a Department of Defense branch. Instead, USCG members are required to register in the Coast Guard Special Needs Program by contacting work-life staff at the nearest Integrated Support Command. Each service has its own specific program governed by the following references:
Army - Regulation 608-75

Navy - OPNAVINST 1754.2

Marine Corps - MCO P1754.4A

Air Force - AFI 40-701 Medical Support to Family Member Relocation and Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)

Coast Guard - COMDTINST 1754.7A

External links

Military Homefront: Supporting Our Troops and their Families
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National Naval Medical Center EFMP

STOMP Project for military families with special needs children
Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) Military life Disability law in the United States

See also

External links