Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)

**Not an all inclusive list**

The following Soldiers with EFMs are required to enroll in the EFMP: 1) Active Army 2) U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) Soldiers in the USAR Active Guard Reserve (AGR) Program. Mobilized and deployed Soldiers are not eligible for enrolment in the EFMP. 3) Army National Guard (ARNG) AGR personnel serving under authority of Title 10, United States Code and Title 32, United States Code. Soldiers who are members of the Army Married Couples Program will both enroll in the EFMP when they have a Family member that qualifies. This process will ensure that the assignment manager of each sponsor considers the Family's special needs.

 Enrollment in the EFMP will not detriment advancement or career opportunities of Soldiers. The Soldier is not required to turn down an assignment if Family members cannot accompany him/her - the Soldier has the option of accepting an assignment while the Family is supported in another location. The EFMP is not utilized to limit assignments, but rather to consider the best assignment for individual circumstances. Information contained in an EFMP enrollment is confidential and protected by privacy laws (HIPAA) thus cannot be released to selection boards for promotions or schools nor can it be released to commanders or other individuals without proper consent.

To enroll for a medical condition, the individual's medical provider must complete DD Form 2792, Family Member Medical Summary. If the Soldier has a young child between the ages of birth to three years old who is receiving early intervention services as outlined on a Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP) or a child/young adult who is receiving special education services from school as outlined on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan, the early intervention service provider or school must complete DD Form 2792-1, Special Education/Early Intervention Summary, attaching a copy of the appropriate plan (i.e. IFSP, IEP or 504). Keep in mind that it is possible that an individual can have both a medical and educational enrollment, thus both documents would need to be completed.

Once these forms are complete, they must be submitted to the EFMP office located at Evans Army Community Hospital, 1650 Cochrane Circle, Woods Soldier and Family Care Center, Ivy Clinic (second floor near grand stairwell). Their hours of operation are: Mon -Thurs: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (closed for lunch 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.); Fri: 7:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m; closed all federal holidays. For more information on enrollment procedures, please call 719-526-7805 or email at usarmy.carson.medcom-each.list.efmp@mail.mil.

Once a Family member is enrolled in the EFMP, he/she remains in the program until: 1) the condition that warranted enrollment has been resolved; 2) when the Soldier leaves the Army; or 3) when the Family member is no longer enrolled in DEERS. Documentation is required to disenroll from the EFMP regardless of the circumstances and this documentation must be requested through the either the medical provider for a medical enrollment or the school/early intervention provider for an educational enrollment.

It is the responsibility of the Soldier to ensure that enrollments are updated a minimum of every three years or as changes occur. Because a Soldier can be nominated for an assignment at any time, it is crucial to ensure that enrollment information is up to date at all times.

The same process in place to enroll in the program is in place to disenroll from the program. If there is an existing medical enrollment, the EFM's medical provider completes the DD Form 2792, Family Member Medical Summary, indicating that the condition that warranted enrollment has been resolved (certain medical and mental health diagnoses have exceptions). If there is an existing educational enrollment, the school/early intervention provider completes the DD Form 2792-1, Special Education/Early Intervention Summary, indicating that those services are no longer required. The completed documents are submitted to the EFMP office located at Evans Army Community Hospital, 1650 Cochrane Circle, Woods Soldier and Family Care Center, Ivy Clinic (second floor near grand stairwell). Their hours of operation are: Mon - Thurs: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (closed for lunch 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.); Fri: 7:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m; closed all federal holidays. For more information on disenrollment procedures, please call 719-526-7805 or email at usarmy.carson.medcom-each.list.efmp@mail.mil.

Identification of Exceptional Family Members: Often, Soldiers and their Family members are unsure of what conditions qualify for enrollment in the EFMP. Our team can help you determine if a specific condition qualifies for enrollment into the program, and help get you started with the enrollment process and get you connected with the enrollment office at Evans Army Community Hospital.

Information and Referral: Have a question about how the program works? Need to know how to obtain referrals to specialty medical providers for your Family member? Ever wonder if the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Fair Housing Act applies to your situation? Want to know how to get information on the Respite Care Program? We have the answers! And if we can't immediately answer your question, we will find the answer or an appropriate point of contact for you and ensure we get the information to you in a timely manner.

Assistance Locating Disability Specific Support Groups, Recreational Activities, and Community Support Agencies: Our team can assist you with locating and connecting with available support groups and recreational programs, both on and off the installation. We provide linkage to local resources, state and national organizations, and information regarding agencies that provide specialized services, as well as general community support information.

Advocacy: Sometimes, navigating life with a Family member who has special health needs or concerns and/or special education needs, can be overwhelming and intimidating. An advocate is someone who can educate you about things and help you speak up about what you want and need. An advocate can also talk to other people and other organizations with you, whether it be an Army connected organization (chain of command, housing office, etc.) or an off post organization (your child's school, a support agency, etc.). Our team is ready to assist when an assessment of your needs determines that advocacy is warranted.

Assistance with Relocation/Transition: If you are new to Fort Carson, welcome to "The Best Hometown in The Army - Home of America's Best"! As you in-processed, you might remember completing required EFMP forms. Once our office receives these forms from the in-processing office, you will receive a welcome letter from our office explaining our services and how to reach us. Please do not hesitate to contact us for any assistance you might need or stop by just to say hello! When it comes time for you to leave Fort Carson for a new duty location, your gaining installation will be notified that you are arriving so any supports you may need will be in place upon arrival. Of course, this can only be successful when you follow protocol for out-processing and complete the required EFMP documents at your levy brief or if you notify us personally of any needs you may have during the transition process. We are standing by ready to ease the stress of transition! Please ensure you check in with your gaining installation's Army Community Service (ACS) EFMP Manager for further assistance upon your arrival.

Administrative Support/Assistance with Compassionate Reassignments, Deletion/Deferment of Assignments, and Stabilization Requests: Some circumstances relating to an Exceptional Family Member's health, safety or development may warrant a Soldier's request for a compassionate reassignment, deletion of orders, deferment of a report date, or stabilization at current duty location. Our team is skilled in understanding the qualification criteria for such requests, Department of the Army forms required for these requests, as well as the documentation required to support such requests. We are happy to provide guidance, assistance, and even provide advocacy if required if a Soldier feels his/her circumstances might qualify for one of these actions.

Coordinate Appropriate Placement of Children with Special Needs into CYSS Programs: The Special Needs Accommodation Process (SNAP) Team is a multi-disciplinary team established to explore installation child care and youth supervision options for children and/or youth that have medical diagnoses that reflect life-threatening conditions, functional limitations, or behavioral and/or psychological conditions. The Team, of which the child/ youth's parent/guardian is a valued member, is responsible for determining placement options within Child, Youth and Services (CYS) programs considering the feasibility of CYS program accommodations and availability of services to support child and/or youth needs. The Team meets on a weekly basis to recommend a placement setting that accommodates to the extent possible the child and/or youth's individual needs. This is to ensure that all children/youth are placed in a safe and appropriate environment given their individual needs. The Team cannot discuss placement options for a child/youth if the child/youth's parent/guardian is not present to participate in the meeting. The process begins with registration of the child/youth at CYS and culminates in a SNAP meeting if deemed necessary by the Army Public Health Nurse (APHN).

Systems Navigation: Systems Navigation is a Family and community support component of the EFMP that connects Families with special needs to the systems of care they need, both on and off the installation. The EFMP Systems Navigators are knowledgeable about the systems of care used by Families with special needs. The primary role of a Systems Navigator is to navigate Families through the available systems of care by assessing EFM/Family strengths/needs; developing a plan to reach goals; referring to appropriate agencies/organizations; and providing advocacy while teaching and strengthening self-advocacy skills. EFMP Systems Navigators reach out to Families to offer support services, particularly during transition, and work closely with our EFMP medical counterparts to accept referrals for those Families who have received new and/or complex diagnoses that require multiple support services. Referrals for Systems Navigation services are accepted from a variety of sources and Families can self-refer by contacting the EFMP office.

Respite Care: The EFMP Respite Care Program is community support service that provides a temporary rest period for Family members responsible for regular care of persons with disabilities. Care may be provided in the EFMP respite user's home or other settings such as special needs camps and enrichment programs. It is time limited based on the EFM medical condition and availability of funding. An eligible EFM may qualify for up to 25 hours per month. Eligible Family members must be enrolled in the EFMP and may qualify for EFMP Respite Care if there is documentation of a severe chronic medical condition or significant medical needs. A severe chronic medical condition is defined as a serious medical condition that persists for greater than 6 months and requires the coordinated intervention of multiple primary and specialty care providers for evaluation, treatment and maintenance of health. Severe chronic conditions are often not curable and may carry a poor clinical prognosis. Significant medical needs are defined as one or more medical conditions that require extensive coordination of care by health care providers, ancillary services and/ or durable medical equipment in order to sustain a reasonable level of health. The EFM's medical provider must substantiate the need for EFMP Respite Care. The application process begins at the ACS EFMP office where application forms, as well as documents to be completed by the EFM's medical provider, can be obtained. Following proper completion of those forms, an assessment interview will take place with EFMP staff. The EFM's information will be presented before the EFMP Respite Care Panel, consisting of the EFMP Manager, ACS Director, Garrison Commander (or designee), Family Life Chaplain and EFMP Systems Navigator, who reviews the information provided and documented medical needs, and recommends approval or disapproval of all submissions for respite to the Garrison Commander who is the decision authority.

Special Olympics: Special Olympics improves the lives of people with intellectual disabilities through quality sports training and competition. They provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friends with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Through close collaboration with Special Olympics Southeast Colorado, Fort Carson Special Olympics athletic teams have been established. Special Olympics relies on a volunteer force to serve at all levels in the program and in many capacities including coaches, sports officials and committee members. Whether you are interested in becoming a volunteer with Special Olympics or you have an EFM interested in becoming a Special Olympics athlete, our team can get you connected!

Educational Classes: Interested in becoming a better advocate for your child while navigating the school's special education system? Trying to figure out how to broach the subject of the "birds and bees" with your special needs child? Interested in learning about Social Security Disability Benefits or Colorado Medicaid Waiver programs? Better yet, is there a topic of interest that you'd like to see us host a class/workshop on? From time to time, we offer educational classes, often bringing in subject matter experts to discuss these topics with you and to answer any questions you have. We encourage you to check our Facebook page for upcoming classes and to contact us with any topics you"d like to have presented.

Special Events: As often as possible, our team enjoys interacting with our EFMs and providing special events. Some of those events include our quarterly Sensory Movie Nights and our annual Trick or Treat for EFM children and Photos with Santa for our EFM children with sensory issues.

Myth: “Enrolling in the EFMP will have a negative impact on my career.” 
Truth: Soldiers complying with enrollment instructions have been shown to go further in their careers with the military. Because the specific information contained in an EFMP enrollment is confidential and protected by privacy laws (HIPAA), it cannot be released to any selection boards (i.e. promotions, schools, etc.) nor can it be released to commanders without proper consent. Soldiers with EFMs have attained the rank of General (4-star) and Sergeant Major of the Army.

Myth: “The EFMP is only for the severely disabled or those with strictly medical needs.”
Truth: The Army's definition of "special needs" is very broad. The official definition of an EFM is "a Family member, regardless of age (child or adult), with any physical, emotional, developmental, or intellectual disorder that requires special treatment, therapy, education, training or counseling." To keep it simple, in most situations any Family member who has a diagnosis or receives early intervention or special education services must be enrolled in the EFMP. Examples: Asthma; ADD/ADHD; Depression; Thyroid Conditions; Seizures; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Anxiety Disorder; Cardiac Conditions; Lupus; Arthritis; Migraines; Premature/High Risk Infants; etc.

Myth: “A Soldier who has a Family member enrolled in the EFMP is non-deployable.”
Truth: Enrollment in the EFMP has no impact on the deployment responsibilities of the Soldier. Overseas unaccompanied, unit deployments, and standard deployments must be carried on without interruption. A Family Care Plan is the means to provide for a Family member who requires special care or assistance when the Soldier is performing required military duties. Family Care Plans are governed by AR 600-20, paragraph 5-5.

Myth: “A Soldier enrolled in the EFMP has top priority for on-post housing.”
Truth: Each installation establishes their own policy regarding housing and EFMs. At Fort Carson, priority is only given to those EFMs who require structural modifications (i.e. wheelchair accessibility). Balfour Beatty Communities, Fort Carson's privatized housing contractor, does accept requests for required accommodations/modifications based on documented needs. For more information, please contact Balfour Beatty Communities at 719-579-1606 or http://www.fortcarsonfamilyhousing.com.

Myth: “Every time a doctor/specialist/counselor is seen the enrollment is automatically updated to reflect new information.” 
Truth: The database used to store EFMP information and the database used for electronic health records by medical providers are completely separate, thus do not "talk" and do not have the capability to automatically update. It is the Soldier's responsibility to physically obtain the enrollment documents and have them updated a minimum of every 3 years or as changes occur.

Myth: “The physician enrolls the Family member in the EFMP when he/she enters information into the computer at the medical visit.”
Truth: The Soldier/Family member must physically obtain enrollment documents and provide them to the medical provider and/or school official/early intervention provider for completion and signature. Enrollment does not occur until completed enrollment documents are submitted to the EFMP office at the designated Medical Treatment Facility by the Soldier/Family member.

What is EFMP?
DD Form 2792
DD Form 2792-1
School In and Out Processing Checklist
Transitioning for the EFMP Family
Deployment and the EFMP

Colorado Springs District Websites:

Academy School District 20: www.asd20.org
Calhan School District RJ - 1: /www.calhanschool.org
Cheyenne Mountain School District 12: www.cmsd.k12.co.us
Colorado Springs School District 11: www.d11.org
Falcon School District 49: www.d49.org
Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8: www.ffc8.org
Harrison School District 2: www.hsd2.org
Lewis-Palmer School District 38: www.lewispalmer.org
Manitou Springs School District 14: www.mssd14.org
Peyton School District 23 JT: www.peyton.k12.co.us/district.php
Widefield School District 3: www.wsd3.org

Pueblo (Pueblo County) School District Websites:

Pueblo City School District 60: www.pueblocityschools.us
Pueblo County School District 70:www.district70.org

http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/moving/ - Moving resource
http://www.thearcppr.org/staff/ - where individuals with I/DD voices are heard and abilities are recognized.
https://www.peakparent.org/
http://www.nami.org/
http://www.snrproject.com/Special_Needs/Resources/Military/TriCare+Program+Options – Tricare Medicaid Waiver information
http://www.tre.org/ - The Resource Exchange
http://www.coloradosprings.gov/tr - Therapeutic Recreation Program
www.specialolympicsCO.org – Special Olympics

Physical Address
Woods Soldier Family Care Center (SFCC)
1650 Cochrane Circle, BLDG 7503 Second Floor, Room 2124
Fort Carson, Colorado 80913

Business Hours
Monday-Thursday 7:00 am-4:00 pm (closed for lunch 12:00 pm-12:30 pm)
Friday 7:00 am -12:00 pm
Closed: the last Thursday of every month for training, clinic closes at 12:00 pm
Closed: All federal Holidays and selected Friday Training Holidays (Check for updates on the Evans Army Hospital Facebook page)

Phone Numbers
Main Office:
719-526-7805

Fax:
719-526-8504

Directions The EFMP office is located in the Woods Soldier Family Care Center. Patients should park in the “G” parking lot, enter the East entrance (farthest from the mountains) and take stairs or elevator to the 2nd floor. Clinic entrance is on the same side of the hallway as the Pediatric Clinic.

Overview The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) is a mandatory program under Army Regulation 608-75. Information gathered as part of an EFMP summary is used to determine whether the special medical and educational needs of the Exceptional Family member(s) (EFM):

• Can be accommodated at the next duty assignment location or
• May qualify them for additional EFMP resources through Army Community Service.
• All information is accorded strict confidentiality

o Release of information regarding EFMs is in accordance with Army Regulation 340-21.
o This information is not available to promotion boards or school selection boards.

There are two types of EFMP enrollment: Medical and/or Educational: Medical
Enroll any family member who requires medical care above the level of normally provided by a Primary Care Manager in an outpatient clinic setting and requires specialty care or follow-up support more than once a year. This includes:

• Serious or chronic medical problems, physical disabilities, and mental health disorders. Examples: high-risk newborns, a diagnosis of cancer within the last 5 years, sickle cell diseases, insulin-dependent diabetes.
• Behavioral Health Conditions (such as bi-polar, conduct, depression, anxiety, or thought/personality disorders).
• Autism Spectrum Disorders and Significant Developmental Delays.
• Asthma (or other respiratory-related diagnosis with chronic recurring wheezing).
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
• Requires adaptive equipment, assistive technology devices and/or environmental/architectural considerations.

Educational
Enroll any family member with:
Special educational needs and eligible for Early Intervention Services (EIS) or Special Education or if they meet one of the following criteria:
• Has or requires an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) under age 3, Or
• Has or requires a 504 Plan or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) over age 3.

Evans Army Community Hospital EFMP
• Processes EFMP enrollment, periodic update or termination of enrollment.
• Verifies to Assignments manager the availability of special needs accommodation with the catchment area of the Service Member’s next CONUS or OCONUS assignment.
• Assists HR Reassignments with Family Member Overseas Screenings prior to overseas deployment.
• Verifies that an EFM qualifies for Priority Housing to Base Housing, who determines appropriate action to assist an EFM.