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.

"Sailors 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," said Lt. Cmdr. Brent Dennis, EFMP program manager. "The overall goal of EFMP is to help families accompany the service member to the right duty locations; not to exclude them."

EFMP offers many benefits to help address the challenges that can come with having a family member with special medical or educational needs. Families can receive assistance with managing appointments, answering questions and navigating confusing medical and educational systems. The program provides access to respite care to provide families with an opportunity to rest and reenergize. Enrollment in EFPM also allows service members to focus on their military mission by assuring them that their families are getting the care they need.

"Once you enroll in the EFMP, trained personnel review the availability of resources in projected assignment locations to ensure that wherever you go, your family member's needs are met," Dennis said.

The exceptional family module is available online at the Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System website at http://navyfamily.navy.mil.

For more information, contact the Navy Personnel Command (NPC) Customer Service Center at 1-866-U-ASK-NPC, or visit the NPC website at http://www.npc.navy.mil.

For more news from Navy Personnel Command, visit http://www.navy.mil/.