FORT LEE, Va. (Sept. 7, 2017) -- One of the most-often asked questions at the Exceptional Family Member Program office is how a family member is tracked as they shift from one base to another. The golden mandate for the EFMP is to be certain the medical and educational needs of a dependent family member is met wherever they are sent by the military.
To accomplish this task, the EFMP at Kenner keeps an enrollment database, called the Pernet System, that maintains an individual file for every family member who is enrolled in the program. This file is begun on the initial enrollment action and is updated at a minimum of every three years to keep the listings current with the family member's condition. This component of the system is vitally important because decisions are based on the information in this file.
Typically, when a service member comes up on orders, the Human Resource contact will research what bases are looking for the skillset associated with this service member. When they have this information, they will meet with the service member and ask him or her which of these destinations would be their preference. If the service member has an enrolled EFMP family member, the HR officer will send what is called a Nominative Inquiry to the Special Needs Advisor at the expected receiving base.
The special needs advisor will review the medical chart, as well as the EFMP chart for the family member, to be certain that all the listed conditions are available at the base. If these requirements are available, then the HR Officer is notified that the transfer is approved and the case can process forward. However, if the special needs advisor finds that the family member has a condition that cannot be met, then the request for transfer is declined and the officer will have to start the process over at the next selected base looking for this service member's skillset.
If the servicemember disagrees with the decision, he or she can file an appeal on the Nominative Inquiry decision only if the supplied information in the original packet is proven to be inaccurate. This occasionally happens because the original packet was written some time ago and the patient has significantly improved or the situation has significantly changed.
If the information is proven to be inaccurate, then the EFMP file will need to be updated to reflect the family member's current status. To accomplish this, the service member completes either the DA FORM 2792, for Medical update, or the DA FORM 2792-1, for educational update. Once the update is processed, another Nominative Inquiry will need to be submitted for reconsideration and the Special Needs Advisor will once again review the case to determine eligibility. Only one appeal is allowed per 12-month block of time, so it is important to be accurate and thorough when these documents are submitted.
If the service member is declined for transfer to another base, the service member will need to contact the specific base that declined the transfer for the specifics for the declination. The results of the Nominative Inquiry are not available for review outside of the office who processed the request, so you will need to contact the Special Needs Advisor at the intended base for further details.
For questions, stop by the EFMP office on the second floor of Kenner Army Health Clinic to help review your specific case and discuss the options.
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