The Defense Department’s Office of Special Needs supports military family members of all ages with medical and educational needs. OSN develops policy and provides oversight for the Exceptional Family Member Program and the provision of special education services offered through the DOD. OSN collaborates with the military services to ensure families have access to the resources, services and support they need to thrive within the military community.

The Exceptional Family Member Program, or EFMP, is a mandatory enrollment program that provides comprehensive, coordinated support and services to military families with special needs. It’s comprised of three components:

• Identification and Enrollment: This is the point of entry into EFMP. When a family member is identified as having special medical or educational needs, medical services will coordinate the documentation of those needs and the service member’s enrollment in EFMP.
• Assignment Coordination: With the family member’s special medical or educational needs documented, EFMP assignment staff and military personnel departments work together to coordinate assignments to locations that have the resources to address those needs. 
• Family Support: Family Support providers help families navigate the identification and enrollment and assignment coordination processes. They provide individualized support to families and help them become their own best advocate by providing information and referrals on services, education outreach, a warm handoff to EFMP at their next location and more.

Find Your Local EFMP Office

The Department of Defense Education Activity is the federal agency that runs pre-K through 12 schools on behalf of the Defense Department. DoDEA operates 161 accredited schools in nine districts located in 11 foreign countries, seven U.S. states, Guam and Puerto Rico. It serves approximately 67,000 children of active-duty military and DOD civilian families.

DoDEA provides special education and related services to its students ages 3 through 21, inclusive. Students with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment based on the student’s individual needs.

DOD’s Educational and Development Intervention Services works to maximize the potential of children who are identified or at risk for delays and provides strategies to assist in their development and independence. EDIS is responsible for providing early intervention services to children from birth to age 3 on military installations supported by DOD schools.

When a service member is deployed or temporarily assigned somewhere, they can be away from their family for an extended amount of time. During the deployment the spouse may be
solely responsible for managing the child’s medical and educational needs, finding child care or respite care, and navigating unexpected medical, educational or financial issues.

Military life can be very rewarding, but it can include many changes and transitions and the uncertainties that can go along with them. That’s why your expertise and knowledge of information such as state special education policy and local school resources can make all the difference for a military family seeking support.

Military OneSource provides information and resources to help service members and their families thrive.

The Military OneSource website contains robust online information and resources vetted by the Defense Department. It connects service members, their families, survivors and the entire military community with programs, services and products developed for military life.

Refer the families you support to these resources, where they’ll find a wealth of information and benefits to help them advocate for their family member.

Thank you for supporting our military families. To find more resources, go to the Military OneSource Special Needs Topic Center. You can also stay up to date by subscribing to the Exceptional Advocate eNewsletter.