Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)

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Special Needs/EFMP

The Military Services use the term Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) to refer to two different functions: a personnel function and a family support function.

The EFMP personnel function:

• Is a mandatory program for all active duty service members.
• Is standard across all Services.
• Identifies family members with special medical and/or educational needs,
• Documents the services they require, and
• Considers those needs during the personnel assignment process (especially when approving family members for accompanied travel to overseas locations).
• Involves the personnel and medical commands and the Department of Defense educational system overseas.

The EFMP family support function:

• Is not mandatory. DoD policy on family centers allows, but does not require, the Military Services to offer family support services to exceptional family members within the Military Services' family support systems.
• Differs from Service to Service.

The Army and the Marine Corps staff their family centers with individuals whose responsibility is to provide support to families with exceptional family members. They are called the EFMP Managers (Army) or EFMP Coordinators (Marine Corps).

In the Navy, the EFMP staff who support the Personnel Function may also provide family support services, but the Navy does not staff their family centers with EFMP Coordinators.

The Air Force’s Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) is designed to provide support to military family members with special needs. EFMP Services includes a variety of personnel, medical, and family support functions. The Exceptional Family Member Program – Family Support (EFMP-FS) is the community support function provided by the Airman and Family Readiness Centers (A&FRCs) that includes, but is not limited to, on-and off-base information and referral, parent training, support groups, relocations assistance, financial management, and school information.

The Special Needs Identification Assignment Coordination process (SNIAC) provides medical information management support for EFMP enrollment functions, and coordinates relocations for families who have medical or educational needs. "Both EFMP-FS and SNIAC work together with EFMP-Assignments at the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) to provide comprehensive and coordinated medical, education, community support, assignment coordination as well as housing accommodation to families enrolled in the EFMP program.

Enrollment
EFMP enrollment is mandatory and required immediately upon identification of a special need. The required forms for enrollment are:

• DD Form 2792, Exceptional Family Member Medical Summary for medical issues only, and;
• DD Form 2792-1, Exceptional Family Member Special Education/Early Intervention Summary for educational issues.