PCS Move

EFMP — Exceptional Family Member Program

DoDI 1315.19

Mandatory DoD program to ensure assignments support your family's medical and educational needs.

Self-screen — does your family qualify for EFMP enrollment?

Check any that apply to any family member (spouse, child, qualifying parent in your household). One criterion typically triggers enrollment review. Final determination is by the EFMP medical coordinator at your MTF.

No criteria selected — EFMP enrollment likely not required. Re-screen any time a family member's diagnosis or care needs change.

What EFMP is

The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) is a mandatory DoD program governed by DoDI 1315.19 that does two things:

  1. Identifies and enrolls family members (spouse, child, or qualifying parent) with special medical, educational, or behavioral health needs.
  2. Coordinates assignments so the active-duty sponsor's next PCS lands at a location with adequate medical / educational resources to support the family member.

EFMP is not a benefits-restriction program, and enrollment does not affect your pay. What it does do is put a coordination step in front of every PCS, not just overseas ones: EFMP staff verify that the projected location can provide the medical and educational services your family member's documented needs require. That applies to CONUS assignments too (DoDI 1315.19, Section 6). If the staff do not recommend travel because the services are not available at the gaining installation, the assignment can be changed or cancelled, and you have 14 business days from the assignment notification to request a second review.

The 3 parts of EFMP

1. Medical EFMP (MEDCOM / your MTF). The clinical side:

  • EFMP medical coordinator at your MTF screens family
  • Documents the family member's needs on DD Form 2792 (medical summary) and DD Form 2792-1 (early intervention / special education summary)
  • Updates the forms every 3 years, or whenever the family member's needs change (DoDI 1315.19) — not annually
  • Those forms are what assignment staff use to check the gaining location

2. Personnel EFMP (HRC / AFPC / CMC / etc.). The assignment side:

  • Personnel command reviews EFMP enrollment record at any PCS
  • For OCONUS PCS: confirms target installation has adequate medical/educational resources
  • May restrict to specific bases, modify assignment, or require family to remain CONUS while sponsor PCSes OCONUS unaccompanied

3. EFMP-Family Support (EFMP-FS) — installation Family Center. The support side:

  • Information and referral for special-needs services
  • Respite care, typically provided in the family member's home. It is a program benefit, not an entitlement, and hours are set by the DoD level-of-need (LoN) rubrics: LoN 3 gets 20 hours a month, LoN 4 gets 32 hours. LoN 1 and 2 do not qualify. Hours do not roll over month to month, and it does not cover sibling care (DoDI 1315.19, par. 8.2).
  • Support groups for parents and siblings of EFM children
  • School liaison to help navigate IEP and IFSP transitions across PCS
  • Connection to outside resources (Autism Speaks, Easter Seals, state special-needs programs)

Service-specific implementations

Every service runs EFMP under the same DoD instruction (DoDI 1315.19), and the forms are the same everywhere (DD 2792 / 2792-1). What differs is which office you walk into:

  • Army: EFMP coordinator at the MTF; Army Community Service (ACS) runs family support.
  • Navy / Marine Corps: Fleet & Family Support Center (FFSC) and Marine Corps Community Services run family support.
  • Air Force / Space Force: Special Needs Coordinator at the MTF handles enrollment and screening; the Airman & Family Readiness Center runs family support.
  • Coast Guard: Special Needs Program at the Work-Life office.

Each service publishes its own implementing regulation. We are not printing those regulation numbers here because we could not confirm the current editions against an official source, and a stale regulation number sends you to the wrong document — ask your installation EFMP office for the one your service is using now.

When enrollment is required (and when it isn't)

Required when ANY family member has:

  • A condition requiring specialty medical care beyond what a PCM provides
  • An Individualized Education Program (IEP) or an early-intervention plan (IFSP)
  • A mental/behavioral health diagnosis requiring ongoing medication or therapy
  • Use of durable medical equipment
  • A developmental disability diagnosed before age 18
  • Any condition that would limit assignment to certain locations

NOT required (typically) for:

  • Routine well-child check-ups with no chronic findings
  • Occasional asthma without specialist or daily medication
  • Glasses/contacts only
  • Allergies without epi-pen or specialist
  • Short-term mental health treatment (one course of counseling, no medication)

When in doubt, ask the EFMP medical coordinator. They have authority to determine whether enrollment is needed, and over-enrolling families "just in case" is not standard practice.

Common myths debunked

  • "EFMP will hurt my career." Enrollment is a medical and assignment-coordination process, not a personnel action, and it has no effect on your pay. DoDI 1315.19 directs that assignment coordination be “responsive to the career development of active duty Service members,” and where a family is stabilized in place, the instruction conditions it on not adversely affecting the member's career development or the mission. What enrollment does change is where you can be sent: an assignment can be redirected if the gaining location cannot provide the required services. If you want to know how your service handles enrollment information in promotion or selection processes, ask your service's EFMP office — we will not guess at that.
  • "I can opt out of EFMP." False. Per regulation, enrollment is mandatory when criteria are met. Failure to disclose a known qualifying condition can result in administrative action (Article 92 in extreme cases, or counseling/LOR).
  • "EFMP will keep me CONUS forever." False. Many EFMP families PCS OCONUS successfully. The system matches you to OCONUS locations with appropriate resources; you may not get every OCONUS choice but you can get approved assignments.
  • "EFMP enrollment cancels my OCONUS assignment." Partially false. If you receive an OCONUS assignment before completing EFMP screening, the assignment is pulled for review — the new assignment may be modified, but you're not penalized for the prior issue.
  • "EFMP is only for kids with autism." False. EFMP covers any chronic condition. Spouses with cancer, MS, lupus, etc. trigger enrollment. Parents you have legal responsibility for (rare but possible) can also trigger.

EFMP + PCS — the assignment screening process

  1. Receive assignment notice (or RFO). Notify your EFMP coordinator right away. This applies to CONUS assignments as well as overseas ones — the coordination step runs either way.
  2. EFMP staff research the gaining location. They look at whether the services your family member needs are actually available there: military treatment facility and TRICARE provider availability, the TRICARE access-to-care standards, the distance to care, and provider wait times (DoDI 1315.19, Section 6).
  3. Outcome possibilities:
    • Assignment approved as-is (most common)
    • Assignment modified to an alternate OCONUS location with better resources
    • Concurrent travel for family is delayed (sponsor goes alone, family follows later)
    • Assignment cancelled / changed to CONUS
    • Family stays at current location (sponsor unaccompanied tour)
  4. Appeals: You can request reconsideration. Provide additional medical documentation or evidence that the target location does have resources. The decision is made by the personnel command, not the medical side.

Timeline: Start EFMP enrollment AT LEAST 6 months before any anticipated OCONUS PCS. Late starts force rushed screenings that can delay or cancel assignments.

Practical EFMP advantages

  • Respite care in your home — 20 hours a month at level of need 3, 32 hours at LoN 4, per the DoD LoN rubrics. It is a program benefit rather than an entitlement, hours do not roll over, and sibling care is not included.
  • Assignment coordination — before you move, staff check that the gaining location can actually deliver the care your family member needs, using TRICARE access-to-care standards, distance to care, and provider wait times
  • School liaison helps transfer an IEP or IFSP across PCSes, addresses gaps in transition
  • Non-clinical case management and a warm hand-off to the EFMP staff at your next installation
  • State Medicaid waivers — EFMP-FS can help apply (varies by state; military pay is excluded from Medicaid income in many states)
  • SBP for incapacitated child — adult disabled child can be SBP beneficiary indefinitely (10 USC § 1447(11))
  • Hire Heroes USA and other transition orgs offer EFMP-aware civilian transition support

FAQ

EFMP — frequently asked questions

What is the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)?
EFMP is a mandatory DoD program under DoDI 1315.19 that (1) identifies family members with special medical, educational, or behavioral needs, and (2) coordinates assignments so the active-duty sponsor PCSes to locations with adequate medical and educational resources for the family. That coordination applies to CONUS assignments as well as overseas ones. Each service implements the same DoD instruction through its own regulation — ask your installation EFMP office which edition is current.
Is EFMP enrollment optional?
No — enrollment is mandatory when a family member meets the criteria per DoDI 1315.19. The sponsor cannot decline. Failure to disclose a known qualifying condition can result in administrative action (counseling, LOR, in extreme cases Article 92). Most enforcement is via assignment-screening discovery, not active investigation.
Does EFMP enrollment hurt my career?
Enrollment is a medical and assignment-coordination process, not a personnel action, and it does not affect your pay. DoDI 1315.19 directs that assignment coordination be responsive to the career development of active-duty service members, and it conditions stabilizing a family in place on not adversely affecting the member's career development or the mission. What it does change is where you can be assigned: an assignment can be redirected or cancelled if the gaining location cannot provide the services your family member needs, and that review applies to CONUS moves too. For how your specific service handles enrollment information in selection processes, ask your service EFMP office.
What conditions trigger EFMP enrollment?
Any chronic condition requiring specialty care beyond a PCM, an IEP or an early-intervention IFSP (a 504 plan by itself is not one of the special-education instruments EFMP screens on, though the underlying condition often qualifies on medical grounds), mental/behavioral health with ongoing treatment, durable medical equipment, developmental disability diagnosed before age 18, daily medication for a chronic condition, or special feeding/dietary management. The EFMP medical coordinator at your MTF makes the final determination.
Will EFMP cancel my OCONUS PCS?
Not usually. Most EFMP families PCS OCONUS successfully — the system matches you to locations with adequate resources. Possible outcomes: assignment approved as-is, modified to an alternate OCONUS location, family follow-on delayed, or (rarely) sponsor goes unaccompanied. Start EFMP enrollment 6+ months before any anticipated OCONUS move.
What practical benefits does EFMP enrollment provide?
Respite care under the DoD level-of-need rubrics — 20 hours a month at LoN 3 and 32 hours at LoN 4, typically in your home, with no rollover and no sibling care (LoN 1 and 2 do not qualify). Assignment coordination that checks TRICARE provider availability, access-to-care standards, distance to care and wait times at the gaining location. School liaison support for IEP and IFSP transitions across a PCS, non-clinical case management, and SBP for an incapacitated adult child (10 USC § 1447(11)). Family Support Center connects you to state Medicaid waivers and outside organizations.
When does enrollment recertify?
Every 3 years, or whenever the family member's needs change (new diagnosis, new specialty involvement, change of medication regimen, IEP review) — DoDI 1315.19. Bring updated medical documentation to the EFMP coordinator. PCSes trigger automatic record transfer.
Are deceased / retired sponsors still in EFMP?
EFMP follows the active-duty sponsor. Upon retirement, EFMP coordination ends, but family medical records transfer to your retirement TRICARE. If a family member with adult disabilities was enrolled, document for SBP purposes — qualified disabled adult children remain SBP beneficiaries indefinitely.

Keep going

Next steps

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Base Guides

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Survivor Benefit

SBP for disabled child remains indefinitely

AI Assistant

Ask EFMP-related questions

DoDI 1315.19 · AR 608-75 · OPNAVINST 1754.2 · MCO 1754.4 · AFI 36-2110 · CIM M1741.1

Results are estimates. Always verify with your finance office.