Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)

The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) is a mandatory enrollment program that works with other military and civilian agencies to provide comprehensive and coordinated community support, housing, educational, medical, and personnel services to Families with special needs. Soldiers on active duty enroll in the program when they have a Family member with a physical, emotional, developmental, or intellectual disorder requiring specialized services so their needs can be considered in the military personnel assignment process. The overall goal of EFMP is to help Families accompany the Service member to the right duty locations, not to exclude them.

EFMP has made enhancements to improve the Family experience through greater understanding of the role of each component within EFMP while expanding EFMP Family Support resources include:

EFMP & Me Tool: A new online tool to provide Families direct access to information and resources in each of the three components.
- Offers 24/7 access, at home or on the go, through a digital application
- Provides Family members with a tailored, streamlined and supportive digital experience to locate guidance and information when and where needed
- Gives service providers and military leaders an additional information source to use and to recommend to Families
Improved Communication With Families: EFMP Family Support focuses on sharing information with Families to better support them and help them improve their self-advocacy skills.
- EFMP Family Support Feedback Tool: Provides a mechanism for families to give feedback about their recent experience with installation EFMP Family Support
- New brand and improved messaging — Communicates clearly and effectively that EFMP is evolving to better meet the needs of service providers and Families. Service providers and leaders can get out the message to Families with the helpful tools and resources in the EFMP brand toolkit
- EFMP/SPECIAL NEEDS provides additional tools and information for service providers and leaders who support military Families with special needs.

For more information on the recent enhancements, please visit: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/special-needs/efmp/new-efmp-tools-and-resources/

Enterprise Exceptional Family Member Program (E-EFMP)

There is a new Enterprise Exceptional Family Member Program (E-EFMP) system to make it easier and more convenient for Service members and their Families to navigate the wide and sometimes complex array of resources, benefits, and care available.

Now, through E-EFMP, Soldiers can complete EFMP enrollment, reenrollment, and overseas Family Member Travel Screening (FMTS) if Soldier and family member are co-located. Soldiers and Families that are geographically separated need to contact their nearest Military Treatment Facility to complete Family Member Travel Screening (FMTS).

In April 2023, the system received many new enhancements, including:

EFMP disenrollment capability
Overseas FMTS packets for geographically separated Families (currently these are processed in two systems)
Multiple medical providers will have the ability to complete DDFM 2792 (Family Member Medical Summary) for multiple diagnoses
Families will have access to a digitized DDFM 2792- 1 (Exceptional Family Member Special Education/Early Intervention Summary)
A senior leader dashboard to allow Command and Garrison commanders to view EFMP trends

For more information, please visit: https://www.army.mil/article/264976/new_e_efmp_site_to_help_families_with_military_moves

Benefits Facts

TSGLI

Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance Traumatic Injury Protection (TSGLI) provides a one-time, lump-sum, tax-free payment to Wounded Warriors who qualify.

Benefits Facts

G.I. Bill

The Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) provides up to 36 months of education benefits to eligible Service members and Veterans for programs such as: college, business, technical, or vocational school; apprenticeship / on-the-job training; correspondence courses; remedial, deficiency, and refresher training (in some cases); and flight training. You usually have 10 years to use your MGIB benefits, but the time limit can be fewer or more years depending on the situation.

Benefits Facts

DTAP

The Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program (DoD-TAP) provides information, access to important documents, and training to ensure Service members separating from Active Duty are prepared for their next step in life - whether pursuing additional education, finding a job in the public or private sector, or starting their own business. This redesigned TAP is the result of an interagency collaboration to offer separating Service members and their Spouses better, more easily accessible resources and information to make their transitions more successful.

Benefits Facts

Dual TRICARE and VA

When leaving active duty, Service members may be entitled to or eligible for benefits offered by TRICARE and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), depending on whether the Service member retires or separates.

Benefits Facts

CRDP

Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay is the gradual restoration of the retired pay currently being offset by VA disability pay.

Benefits Facts

ACS

Army Community Service helps Soldiers and Families by providing vital services and information during war and peace.

Benefits Facts

CYS

The Army Child and Youth Services (CYS) provides affordable childcare programs for Army Families. Costs are typically based on Family income. Programs range from daycare facilities to sports and fitness programs.

Benefits Facts

Deployment Support

Mobilization, Deployment and Stability Support Operations' mission is to provide training, information and assistance to Soldiers, Civilians and their Families to maintain individual readiness throughout the entire deployment cycle. Deployment and Mobilization provides guidance, resources and training for all; Soldiers, Civilians and their Families; to include parents, Soldier and Family Readiness Group (SFRG) members, Rear Detachment cadre and ACS/Reserve staff throughout the Army Deployment and Mobilization cycle. Whether supporting deploying units by providing pre-deployment information and material to Soldiers, Civilians and their Families; to providing reintegration and RESET training as they reconstitute their Family unit, the Mobilization and Deployment Team is there to provide support.

Benefits Facts

TSP

Benefits Facts

SCRA

The Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act provides Soldiers important rights that cover issues such as rental agreements, eviction, credit card and mortgage interest rates, and more.

Featured: Reunion

The return home from combat can often leave servicemembers feeling out of place with the most important people in their lives - their families.

"In deployment, Soldiers grow accustomed to a new lifestyle and a new 'family' - those buddies that bond together to defend each other," said Maj. Ken Williams, 14th Military Police Brigade chaplain. "This lifestyle change is prolonged and becomes familiar, i.e., the new normal."

The families also change while the Soldier is deployed.

"The family is a system," Williams said. "When one family member is absent, the whole system changes. All members of the family adapt to a new 'normal' way of life."

When the servicemember returns, the family may feel uncomfortable with each other, and the servicemember may withdraw from the family.