Special Needs – Resources

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.

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:

• Education Directory for Children With Special Needs
• EFMP Online Learning and Videos
• Department of Defense Guide for Adults with Special Needs
• Exceptional Family Member Program for All Ages Fact Sheet
• Special Care Organizational Record for Children with Special Health or Educational Needs 
• Special Care Organizational Record for Adults with Special Needs
• Special Care Organizational Record for Young Adults with Special Needs
• Special Care Organizational Record for Elder Care
• Special Needs Parent Toolkit
• The Exceptional Advocate eNewsletter
• The Department of Defense Directory on Early Intervention, Special Education and Related Services in OCONUS Communities
• Person-Centered Planning

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:

• A needs assessment and local resources and services.
• General information about specialized care, medical equipment resources and medical benefits.
• Early intervention, special education and options after graduation.
• Support for adults, including information on insurance, Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income, Medicare and Medicaid.
• Respite care resources through TRICARE Extended Healthcare Option or community programs, and through each service branch.

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:

• Resources for Early Intervention Services for infants and toddlers. Early intervention services can help children with special needs. Services help children learn many key skills and catch up in their development.
• Resources for school-age children with special needs. Find webinars, articles and other resources for families connecting you with K-12 topics such as free, virtual summer camps and back-to-school planning. Learn more about individualized education plans, classroom accommodations, parent involvement, effective practices and much more.
• States also have Parent Training and Information Centers to help you with special needs, early intervention and school services. They also help with therapy, local policies and Community Parent Resource Centers. An interactive map links you with the centers near you.

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 Special Needs Advisory Panel, please use the feedback form.