Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)

The EFMP is a Department of the Army program designed to assist military personnel agencies in making assignments for the Soldier, accompanied by Family members as often as possible, based on the documented medical and special education needs of the Soldier’s Exceptional Family Member (EFM). When possible, Soldiers are assigned to duty locations where the medical and special education needs of their EFM can be met. It is important to understand that this is dependent upon a valid personnel requirement for the Soldier's grade, specialty, and eligibility for the tour. All Soldiers are still eligible for worldwide and unaccompanied assignments.

The EFMP works together with other military and civilian agencies to provide a comprehensive, coordinated, multiagency approach for community support, housing, medical, educational and personnel services to Families with special needs. Enrollment into the EFMP works to ensure that needed services are available at the gaining installation before the military personnel office (Human Resources Command - HRC) assigns the Soldier to that new duty location. Enrollment into the EFMP is mandatory, based on carefully defined rules. The EFMP operates under the provisions of AR 608-75, http://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/pdf/r608_75.pdf

An EFM is a Family member, regardless of age (child or adult), with any physical, emotional, developmental, or intellectual disorder that requires special treatment, therapy, education, training or counseling. The Family member must be enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) to be enrolled in the EFMP. A Soldier who has a Family member who falls into any of these categories MUST be enrolled in the program. 

View Some of the Common Diagnoses that Qualify for Enrollment into the EFMP 

Enrollment Q&As

Are All Active Duty Soldiers Required to Enroll in the EFMP if They Have an EFM? 
The following Soldiers with EFMs are required to enroll in the EFMP:
1) Active Army
2) U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) Soldiers in the USAR Active Guard Reserve (AGR) Program. Mobilized and deployed Soldiers are not eligible for enrolment in the EFMP.
3) Army National Guard (ARNG) AGR personnel serving under authority of Title 10, United States Code and Title 32, United States Code. Soldiers who are members of the Army Married Couples Program will both enroll in the EFMP when they have a Family member that qualifies. This process will ensure that the assignment manager of each sponsor considers the Family’s special needs.

How Will Enrollment into the EFMP Affect My Career?
Enrollment in the EFMP will not determine advancement or career opportunities of Soldiers. The Soldier is not required to turn down an assignment if Family members cannot accompany him/her – the Soldier has the option of accepting an assignment while the Family is supported in another location. The EFMP is not utilized to limit assignments, but rather to consider the best assignment for individual circumstances. Information contained in an EFMP enrollment is confidential and protected by privacy laws (HIPAA) thus cannot be released to selection boards for promotions or schools nor can it be released to commanders or other individuals without proper consent. 

The Enrollment Process
To enroll for a medical condition, the individual’s medical provider must complete DD Form 2792, Family Member Medical Summary. If the Soldier has a young child between the ages of birth to three years old who is receiving early intervention services as outlined on a Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP) or a child/young adult who is receiving special education services from school as outlined on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan, the early intervention service provider or school must complete DD Form 2792-1, Special Education/Early Intervention Summary, attaching a copy of the appropriate plan (i.e. IFSP, IEP or 504). Keep in mind that it is possible that an individual can have both a medical and educational enrollment, thus both documents would need to be completed. 

Once these forms are complete, they must be submitted to the EFMP office located at: 

• Andrew Rader Us Army Health Clinic
  Bldg. 525 401 Carpenter Road Fort Myer, Virginia 22211
  703-696-3216

• Fort Belvoir Community Hospital
  9300 DeWitt Loop Fort Belvoir, Virginia 22060
  571-231-1054

• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
  8901 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda, Maryland 20889
  301-400-1688

Once a Family member is enrolled in the EFMP, he/she remains in the program until:
1) the condition that warranted enrollment has been resolved;
2) when the Soldier leaves the Army
3) when the Family member is no longer enrolled in DEERS. Documentation is required to disenroll from the EFMP regardless of the circumstances and this documentation must be requested through the either the medical provider for a medical enrollment or the school/early intervention provider for an educational enrollment.

It is the responsibility of the Soldier to ensure that enrollments are updated a minimum of every 3 years or as changes occur. Because a Soldier can be nominated for an assignment at any time, it is crucial to ensure that enrollment information is up to date at all times.

Enrollment Forms:
DD Form 2792
DD Form 2792-1

How Does a Soldier Disenroll From the EFMP? 
The same process in place to enroll in the program is in place to disenroll from the program. If there is an existing medical enrollment, the EFM’s medical provider completes the DD Form 2792, Family Member Medical Summary, indicating that the condition that warranted enrollment has been resolved (certain medical and mental health diagnoses have exceptions). If there is an existing educational enrollment, the school/early intervention provider completes the DD Form 2792-1, Special Education/Early Intervention Summary, indicating that those services are no longer required. The completed documents are submitted to the Military Treatment Facility EFMP Coordinator For more information on disenrollment procedures.

Systems Navigation is a Family and Community support component of the EFMP that connects Families with special needs to the systems of care they need, both on and off the installation.

The EFMP Systems Navigators are knowledgeable about the systems of care used by Families with special needs. The primary role of a Systems Navigator is to navigate Families through the available systems of care by assessing EFM/Family strengths/needs; developing a plan to reach goals; referring to appropriate agencies/organizations; and providing advocacy while teaching and strengthening self-advocacy skills. EFMP Systems Navigators reach out to Families to offer support services, particularly during transition, and work closely with our EFMP medical counterparts to accept referrals for those Families who have received new and/or complex diagnoses that require multiple support services.

Referrals for Systems Navigation services are accepted from a variety of sources and Families can self-refer by contacting the EFMP office.