Family Readiness
If someone in your family has a medical or educational need that takes extra support, EFMP exists to keep that support in reach as the military moves you around.
The CDC cares for children of active-duty and civilian personnel families. U.S. Air Force photo, Malmstrom AFB, DVIDS (public domain).
EFMP is the Exceptional Family Member Program. It supports service members whose spouse, child, or other dependent has a special medical or educational need. Enrolling is mandatory if you have a qualifying family member, and it does two jobs. It makes sure your assignments take that family member's care into account, and it connects you to support like respite care, which is a temporary break for the primary caregiver.
Enrollment does not hurt your promotions or your assignments, and it is not shown to selection boards, the panel that decides promotions. You stay eligible for worldwide assignments.
Identify the need, enroll through your branch, let your assignments factor in your family's care, and connect to the support EFMP provides.
It does not hurt your career
Career safe: Enrollment does NOT hurt your promotions, schools, or assignments, and it is not shown to selection boards. You stay eligible for worldwide assignments.
Out-of-date EFMP info is how families end up where the needed care does not exist.
Source: Military OneSource · Army MWR
An Exceptional Family Member is a spouse, child, or dependent with a physical, emotional, developmental, or intellectual condition that needs special treatment, therapy, education, or counseling. EFMP is how the Defense Department's Office of Special Needs keeps those families supported through the chaos of military life. It runs on three parts: identification and enrollment, assignment coordination, and family support.
Enrollment starts with identifying the need. Your medical provider, your early-intervention team, or your child's school helps document the condition and coordinate the enrollment. Family members get screened, and the paperwork goes through your branch's EFMP office. The Army, for example, now handles enrollment, re-enrollment, and overseas travel screening through its online Enterprise EFMP system.
This is mandatory, not optional, if you have a qualifying family member, and you have to keep the enrollment current. Out-of-date EFMP info is how families end up assigned somewhere the needed care does not exist.
It shapes your assignments in your favor without blocking your career. Assignment managers use your documented EFMP needs so that, when possible, you are sent where the medical and special-education services your family needs are available. You stay eligible for worldwide assignments, and mission requirements still come first.
Two things to know. Special-education needs are weighed specifically for assignments outside the United States. And if you get an assignment notification you think does not fit your family's documented needs, you have up to 14 days to request a second review and submit updated information. Worried it dings your record? It does not. Enrollment does not adversely affect promotions, schools, or assignments, and the info is not given to selection boards, the panel that decides promotions.
Here is what enrollment actually puts in your hands.
The part families feel most is respite care, a temporary break for the primary caregiver. Beyond that, EFMP gives you case management, an annual check-in, a review window, and a path to extra medical support.
20–32 hrs
of respite care a month for the primary caregiver, depending on level of need, with more in exceptional cases.
Beyond respite
Use the Military OneSource EFMP & Me tool to walk through the benefits.
Source: Military OneSource
The part families feel most is respite care. Depending on your family member's level of need, you may get 20 or 32 hours a month, and families in exceptional circumstances can request more. Those hours are standardized across the services.
Beyond respite, EFMP Family Support gives you nonmedical case management: help finding services, working through special-education plans, and pointing you toward state and federal benefits your family member may qualify for. Family support providers are required to check in with each enrolled family at least once a year. The Military OneSource EFMP & Me tool walks you through the benefits and the process.
If your family member has complex medical needs, ask about TRICARE ECHO, which is extra medical support beyond standard TRICARE. ECHO stands for the Extended Care Health Option. It can add medical support services beyond what standard TRICARE covers, and you can request a referral for an eligibility review during EFMP enrollment.
What is EFMP?
The Exceptional Family Member Program. It supports service members with a family member who has a special medical or educational need by factoring that into assignments and connecting the family to support services.
How do I enroll in EFMP?
Work with your medical provider, early-intervention team, or your child's school to document the need, then enroll through your branch's EFMP office. Family members are screened as part of the process.
Does EFMP affect my assignments or my career?
It helps route you where your family's care is available, and you stay eligible for worldwide assignments. It does not adversely affect promotions, schools, or assignments, and is not shared with selection boards.
Is EFMP enrollment required?
Yes. If you have a qualifying family member, enrollment is mandatory and you must keep it current.
How many respite-care hours does EFMP give?
Depending on level of need, 20 or 32 hours a month, with the option to request more in exceptional circumstances.
Can I challenge an assignment that does not fit my family's needs?
Yes. You have up to 14 days from the assignment notification to request a second review and submit updated medical or educational information.
You do not have to figure this out alone. Your branch EFMP office handles enrollment and family support, and you can find yours through MilitaryINSTALLATIONS. The Military OneSource EFMP & Me tool lets you explore benefits and the process step by step. Your medical treatment facility and its EFMP medical staff document the need and handle screening. For additional medical support for complex needs, ask about TRICARE ECHO. You can also call Military OneSource at 800-342-9647 for free special-needs consultations. The tools and pages above are linked in Sources below.
