Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)

Air National Guard: State Active Duty

Benefit Fact Sheet

Summary

The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) is a mandatory enrollment program that works with other military and civilian agencies to provide comprehensive and coordinated community support, housing, educational, medical, and personnel services to families with special needs. Airmen and Guardians on active duty enroll in the program when they have a family member with a physical, emotional, developmental, or intellectual disorder requiring specialized services; so medical and educational needs can be considered in the military personnel assignment process. The overall goal of EFMP is to help families accompany the service member to the right duty locations, not to exclude them.

Eligibility

Air National Guard personnel serving under authority of Title 10, United States Code and Title 32, United States Code and other ARNG Service members on active duty exceeding 30 days with exceptional family members (children and adults) are required to enroll in the EFMP.

Benefit Highlights

Who should enroll in EFMP?

You should enroll in EFMP if you have a spouse, child, or dependent adult who:

  • Requires special medical services for a chronic condition
  • Receives ongoing services from a medical specialist
  • Has significant behavioral health concerns

You should also enroll in special education needs if you have a child (birth to age 21) who:

  • Receives special education services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP)
  • Receives special medical services
  • Receives early intervention through an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)
  • Is eligible for any of the above services

Enrollment is mandatory for active duty military members who have a family member eligible for EFMP. Enrollment ensures that the family member’s documented medical and/or educational needs are considered during the assignment process. EFMP enrollment is required before you may enroll in TRICARE ECHO.

What is EFMP?

EFMP has three separate components:

Identification and Enrollment: When a family member is identified with special medical and/or educational needs, the special needs are documented through enrollment in the EFMP. Medical services work with families to coordinate identification and enrollment in EFMP

Assignment Coordination: Medical and military personnel departments work with military members and families to coordinate assignments. The assignment navigators prioritize the Air Force mission requirements with each family’s special medical and/or educational needs prior to reassignment. The family’s enrollment in the EFMP ensures that a family member’s special medical and/or educational needs are considered and available at their new duty location.

Family Support: EFMP Family Support plays a critical role in helping families navigate the Identification and Enrollment and Assignment Coordination processes. They also connect families with resources and support — helping them to become their own best advocate — with services including:

  • Information and referral for military support providers and community services
  • Education and outreach
  • Referral to other Military and Family Support Warm handoffs to the EFMP at the next location
  • Non-clinical case management

Who is involved in EFMP?

EFMP Central Cell: The Exceptional Assignment Division at AFPC (EFMP Central Cell) is made up of over 70 active duty, civilian, Medical, Social Science, and Human Resource Management professionals who are dedicated to helping DAF Exceptional Families navigate through a global military experience. Our purpose is to strengthen Airman, Guardian, and family readiness through care availability assessments, resource connections, advocacy and reassignments.

The Installation Support Team (IST): The IST at each base consists of key stakeholders who play a critical role in supporting and assisting EFMP families understand and navigate the EFMP and processes. EFMP Stakeholders include: EFMP Family Support Coordinators, Base Leadership – Commanders, Chiefs, First Sergeants & Supervisors. School Liaison Officer, Legal Office, Special Needs Coordinator, Special Needs Technician, and EFMP Families.

EFMP Family Support: EFMP Family Support plays a critical role in helping families navigate the Identification and Enrollment and Assignment Coordination processes. They also connect families with resources that help them navigate federal, state, and local community organizations.

  • Non-Clinical Case Management
  • Education & Outreach
  • Respite Care recertification and application process
  • Assess needs and develop service plans to meet family goals and objectives
  • M&FRC Services: Financial, Employment, Parenting, Deployment, Relocation, Transition Services, and Casualty

EFMP Medical Support: Medical services support dependents with special medical needs through the local Medical Treatment Facility (MTF). They work with Primary Care Managers (PCMs), Pediatrics, School Liaison and families to coordinate identification and enrollment in EFMP.

Special Needs Coordinator (SNC): The SNCs are local points of contact who can help with:

  • Step-by-step support for EFMP enrollment
  • Customized help with EFMP PCS preparation
  • Support with Family Member Travel Screening OCONUS/CONUS clearance
  • Linking families to medical care at new duty station

School Liaison Program: Special Education Needs: School Liaison Officers (SLOs) offer trainings to promote self-advocacy, IFSP/IEP knowledge, and transition timelines; inform parents of national, state and local education rights; and assist in navigating school processes including private and home schooling.

Legal Office: The Legal Office provides IEP/504 eligibility support; provides advice and consultation on IEP/504 and dispute resolutions; and assists in navigating special education federal and state education laws. See your local legal office for more information.

Attorneys may be able to assist with:

  • Evaluating cases, providing options, and suggesting strategies
  • Reviewing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Section 504 plans or other documents
  • Drafting letters to schools on the parent’s behalf
  • Educating parents/guardians about their or their children’s rights
  • Preparing parents to be better advocates during meetings
  • Seeking pro-bono referrals on eligible cases
  • Attending IEP meetings (Subject to Staff Judge Advocate Approval)

How does EFMP support adults with special needs?

Most communities offer programs and services for adults with special needs. These are provided by community agencies. When working with community-based agencies, ask if case managers or service coordinators will help with eligibility requirements, program availability, referrals and applications. The installation Exceptional Family Member Program Family Support office can provide assistance and tips when working with community-based agencies and their services such as:

  • Departments of health and human services in each state offer programs and services to help adults with special needs become more self-sufficient
  • Departments of vocational rehabilitation services are state-operated and offer a variety of programs and services to locate and maintain employment
  • Departments of mental health, substance abuse or behavioral services are in every state and offer community-based programming for individuals with mental health, substance abuse or other behavioral issues
  • The Department of Defense offers a complete network of quality-of-life support programs and services to enhance the lives of military families, including the Exceptional Family Member Program; TRICARE; the Morale, Welfare and Recreation program; and Military OneSource

How does PCS Assignment Coordination Work?

Assignment coordination is the process by which the EFMP medical and military personnel departments coordinate assignments for service members and families to ensure that their needs are considered during the process. If the family is enrolled in the EFMP, here are the steps you can expect. The timeline for the process varies depending on whether the potential assignment is within CONUS or OCONUS, but both processes include the following actions:

1. Researching the availability of services:

  • When a service member enrolled in the EFMP is identified for a potential assignment, EFMP staff researches the availability of services at the new location. This can involve communication with the gaining location’s military treatment facility, the current facility’s nurse case manager and/or TRICARE
  • To determine the availability of services at a gaining location, the EFMP staff considers the individual needs of the service member’s family, using these factors:
    • The availability of MTF and TRICARE providers
    • TRICARE Access to Care Standards
    • The distance to care
    • The wait time for medical providers
    • The severity of the family member’s needs
    • The frequency of the care
  • A military service may research the availability of services before issuing an assignment

2. Assignment Recommendation

  • A potential assignment is either recommended or not recommended based on the availability of services at the gaining location to meet the identified needs of the family member. If EFMP staff determine that the services needed are available, they provide an assignment recommendation to the appropriate offices. If services are not available, staff provides a non-recommendation against the assignment. The service branch office will communicate the non-recommendation to the service member. The notice should include:
    • The reason the assignment was not recommended
    • Information about requesting a second review
      • Note that if the family member is an adult with the capacity to consent, the service office will need that person’s permission to share the reasons for the non-recommendation with the service member

3. Second Review / Reconsideration

  • A service member can request a second review of an assignment
    • Submit the required additional documentation from a medical or educational provider and updated enrollment forms (DD Form 2792, DD Form 2792-1 or both).
    • The service member will receive a final notification of the request within 30 calendar days from the date of the original assignment notification

4. Final Considerations / Steps

  • If services are available and the service member did not request a second review, military personnel finalize the order
  • If services are not available and the service member did not request a second review, personnel proceed with a new assignment, or the service member may choose to travel without family members based on service policy. Personnel finalize orders
  • If the service member requests a second review, the appropriate office conducts the review and continues with coordination

5. Making the Transition: EFMP Family Support warm handoffs are an integral part of service continuity during PCS. Families transitioning to a new installation will be contacted by the EFMP Family Support office to connect them with the support they need. If a family is not contacted, they can request a warm handoff by contacting their EFMP Family Support office.

How do I disenroll from EFMP?

Disenrollment from the Exceptional Family Member Program can occur if there is supporting medical or educational information that shows the original condition of the service member’s family member is no longer present as determined by a qualified medical or educational provider. Disenrollment can also occur when the family member is no longer the sponsor’s dependent. An overview of disenrollment is below, but contact your EFMP Coordinator for specific steps based on individual circumstances:

  1. Request to Disenroll: The service member contacts their local military treatment facility EFMP coordinator to make the request. A service member can seek assistance from their service-specific EFMP headquarters if needed.
  2. Submit Documentation: The MTF EFMP coordinator or service designee will review the documentation.
  3. Wait for the Determination: Once a decision has been made, the EFMP service enrollment office will inform the service member and the MTF EFMP coordinator or service designee of the decision
Additional Information

Military One Source Exceptional Family Member Program Overview:
https://www.militaryonesource.mil/special-needs/efmp/

DoD EFMP Quick reference Guide:
https://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/ResourceGuides/OSN-EFMP-family-support-reference-guide.pdf 

DoD Regulation 1315.19:
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/131519p.PDF

DoD Regulation 1342.12: Provision of Early Intervention and Special Education Services to Eligible DOD Dependents:
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/134212p.pdf

Exceptional Family Member Program Coverage overview:
https://www.militaryonesource.mil/special-needs/efmp/making-the-most-of-efmp-family-support-services-with-the-efmp-family-needs-assessment/

Air Force Exceptional Family Member Program Benefits and Entitlements:
https://www.afpc.af.mil/Exceptional-Family-Member-Program/

Air Force Instruction 40-701: Medical Support to Family Member Relocation and Exceptional Family Member Program:
https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_sg/publication/afi40-701/afi40-701.pdf

For the location of the Exceptional Family Member Program office on local Air Force Installations, check the Military Resource Locator library on MyAirForceBenefits:
https://www.myairforcebenefits.us.af.mil/Benefit-Library/Resource-Locator

Air Force Medical Service EFMP:
https://www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/EFMP/

Tricare Resources for Families with Special Needs:
https://www.tricare.mil/CoveredServices/SpecialNeeds/SNResources

EFMP & Me:
https://efmpandme.militaryonesource.mil/

Department of the Air Force Family Vector website:
https://daffamilyvector.us.af.mil/membersite/

Document Review Date: 17 July 2025