Get online access to EFMP tools, resources and information that let you focus on what matters most to you and your family member with special needs.
There are many resources to help military families with special needs. But where do you start? Here are some top resources, services and programs.
A first step is to know what resources and services are available. Then you can learn how to access them. Your local Exceptional Family Member Program, EFMP Family Support provider(s) can help you with this.
You can find the nearest installation EFMP Family Support office at MilitaryINSTALLATIONS. Your installation EFMP Family Support provider can assist you with:
Each military service branch has EFMP resources. Here are links by branch:
You may also enroll at MilitaryINSTALLATIONS. Visit Military OneSource’s Exceptional Family Member Program to find out even more.
EFMP & Me is an online tool that helps you find the resources and information you need, when you need it. Its goal is to make life less stressful for your military family with special needs. EFMP & Me gives you a 24/7 connection to personalized, up-to-date information and resources. You can learn how to enroll in EFMP and prepare for a PCS or deployment. You can find resources to help manage changes in education or medical needs and adjust to new life situations. EFMP & Me is here to provide assistance as you become your own best advocate. Get started today with EFMP & Me.
View the EFMP & Me Instructional Video (Streaming YouTube is currently blocked from DOD networks).
You will find a number of helpful resources on Military OneSource, developed specifically for military families who have a member with special needs. Check out these available directories, toolkits and resources:
Military OneSource provides those unable to meet with their installation EFMP Family Support another way to access a knowledgeable special needs consultant familiar with the military, EFMP and special needs. A Military OneSource special needs consultant can work with you to assess your family’s needs. They can answer your questions about education, finances, support groups and more. Ask them about the following:
Call Military OneSource at 800-342-9647 or live chat any time to schedule a specialty consultation. You can meet by phone or video.
Some children may require more than routine or basic care, such as children with, or at-risk of disabilities or with chronic illnesses. Also, children with physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional conditions. Military child care programs work with parents and guardians to make reasonable accommodations, which consider the needs of the child and the child care environment. They also consider staffing and training requirements, and the resources available to the program.
MilitaryChildCare.com is a Department of Defense website that can help you find and request military-operated or military-subsidized child care. It can help you find care anywhere in the world. Work directly with your local program to determine reasonable accommodations for your child. You will use a process that includes an Inclusion Action Team. You are a member of the IAT for your child and are included in the decision-making process. Programs welcome the opportunity to discuss your family’s needs throughout your search process. Contact your local program for more information about the IAT. You can also learn about the evaluation process for reasonable accommodations.
If child care is not available on your installation, you may be eligible to receive fee assistance. To find out if you are eligible, contact Child Care Aware of America to learn more about Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood, or MCCYN.
Expanded Hourly Child Care Options are available to families who need hourly, flexible and on-demand child care. Military families have access to a free national database of caregivers through the Department of Defense.
Knowing that your child with special needs has a great start in life is important to you and your family. The Department of Defense offers the Education Directory for Children With Special Needs. This resource gives military families who have children with special needs the tools to make informed assignment decisions and experience easier transitions.
The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education, offers the Parent Center Hub. This is also known as the Center for Parent Information and Resources. They provide collections of links for infants, toddlers and school-age children:
The Department of Defense Advisory Panel on Community Support for Military Families with Special Needs, a non-Federal Advisory Committee Act committee, was established in accordance with Section 582(d) of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2011. Each of the panel’s seven members, representative of all the services, is appointed by their respective service and has a family member enrolled in the EFMP. The panel provides feedback to the Office of Special Needs about the EFMP to help with program and policy development.
If you would like to submit your questions, concerns or suggestions on ways to improve the EFMP for review by the DOD Family Advisory Panel, please use the feedback form.
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