Soldiers who have family members with special needs can turn to a program operated by Army Community Service to get help and support to ensure their loved one receives the care they need.
To support families with special needs, the Army created the Exceptional Family Member Program in the early 1980s. The EFMP is a comprehensive, coordinated multi-agency program that provides community support, housing, medical, educational and personnel services to Army families with an exceptional family member, according to the U.S. Army Medical Department EFMP website. According to the website, 16 percent of Army families have members with special needs, including spouses, children or dependent parents who require special medical or educational services.
Robin Wright, EFMP coordinator for ACS on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, said Soldiers initiate enrollment in the program by contacting their nearest Army Medical Treatment Facility EFMP case coordinator.
"Participants in the EFMP are enrolled permanently in the program, unless medical or special education needs warrant case closure or the Soldier is separated from the Army," she said.
Soldiers are responsible for updating their EFMP paperwork every three years or if there are changes in the exceptional family member's condition, Wright said.
An exceptional family member is a spouse, child or dependent parent with any physical, emotional, developmental or intellectual disorder that requires special treatment, therapy, training or counseling.
Wright said the JBM-HH program serves some 1,250 exceptional family members in the National Capital Region.
"We offer classes on supplemental social security income, social security disability insurance and extended health care options," to name a few, she said.
Wright added that the ACS EFMP has developed strong partnerships with the Exceptional Family Member Program on the Henderson Hall portion of the joint base.
"Many of our trainings and workshops are done together," she said. "We also collaborate with Fort Belvoir on a number of events, workshops and training. Our trainings and workshops are open to all military families, regardless of branch of service.
"We are a source of information and referral on the installation and in the community," she said.
For more information on the ACS EFMP, visit Building 201 on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base or call 703-696-8467/3510.
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