Office of Special Needs Department of Defense Policies

Military programs are governed by federal law, Department of Defense policy and additional policies specific to the branches of service. Below are the Department of Defense policies that govern the Exceptional Family Member Program.

DoD Directive 1020.1, “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs and Activities Assisted or Conducted by the Department of Defense,” Mar. 31, 1982 certified as current Nov. 21, 2003
This directive prohibits discrimination based on disability in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance disbursed by the DOD and in programs and activities conducted by the DOD.

DoD Instruction 1000.13, “Identification Cards for Members of the Uniformed Services, Their Dependents and Other Eligible Individuals,” Jan 23, 2014
This instruction establishes policy, responsibilities and procedures for issuing ID cards to members of the uniformed services. Children who become incapacitated prior to the age of 21 (or between 21 and 23 if enrolled as a full-time student) and are incapable of self-support, remain entitled to benefits and privileges authorized by the uniformed services if medical sufficiency is met and the sponsor is providing more than 50 percent of their support.

DoD Instruction 1342.22, “Military Family Readiness,” August 5, 2021
This instruction establishes policy, assigns responsibilities and prescribes procedures and requirements for supporting military family readiness, or MFR, through a system that maximizes access to a network of programs and services, the Military Family Readiness System.

DoD Instruction 1315.19 “The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP),” April 19, 2017 This instruction assigns responsibilities and prescribes procedures for meeting the needs of family members with special medical and educational needs, including authorizing family member travel at government expense for active-duty service members who are assigned overseas and who have family members with special needs. The instruction also includes guidance for processing for an overseas assignment civilian employees who have family members with special needs.

DoD Instruction 1342.12, “Provision of Early Intervention and Special Education Services to Eligible DoD Dependents,” June 17, 2015
The instruction and accompanying manual establish policy for the provision of early intervention and special education services for eligible children with disabilities, birth through 21.

DoD Manual 1342.12, “Implementation of Early Intervention and Special Education Services to Eligible DoD Dependents,” June 17, 2015
The instruction and accompanying manual establish policy for the implementation of early intervention and special education services for eligible children with disabilities, birth through 21.

DoD Instruction 6060.02, “Child Development Programs (CDPs),” Aug. 5, 2014
The instruction updates established policy, assigns responsibilities and prescribes procedures for providing care to minor children (birth through age 12 years) of individuals who are eligible for care in DOD child development programs.

DoD Instruction 6060.04, “Youth Services (YS) Policy,” Dec. 4, 2019
The issuance establishes policy, assigns responsibilities and provides direction for the establishment and maintenance of DOD youth services.