JANUARY 29, 2025 – Connecting families from every unit across Fort Liberty, the Army Community Service Exceptional Family Member Program is a testament to the military’s commitment to supporting Soldiers and their families. This comprehensive program is designed to address the unique and often challenging needs of military families who have members with special medical or educational requirements.
The EFMP is a program designed to support military families who have loved ones with special needs including physical, emotional, developmental or intellectual conditions that require special attention and care. Soldiers with family members who have special needs must enroll in the program to ensure access and referral to appropriate support services for the care required.
EFMP has three distinct support faucets: Medical, Assignments and Family Support.
EFMP Medical: EFMP Medical conducts training and outreach within the medical community for the identification of special needs through routine medical care. It enrolls, updates and dis-enrolls Soldiers and registers or removes family members in the Active Army database, responds to assignment coordination questions from Human Resources Command and refers families to ACS for community support services.
Family Support Services: ACS EFMP Family Support staff helps families navigate networks of healthcare providers, ensuring access to necessary care. The Family Support staff also provides easy access to information and resources; and organizes informational workshops as well as recreation events for fun and networking to help families connect with local support systems. EFMP’s professional network throughout the surrounding communities allows for quick referrals and a comprehensive list of recommendations to available local services. Respite Care services also provide caregivers time to rest and recharge while ensuring continued care for their loved ones.
Fort Liberty’s newest ACS EFMP manager on the Family Support side, Casey Clark, a retired Army veteran who has a stepdaughter with cerebral palsy, is intimately familiar with many of the challenges of caring for a child with special needs while meeting the needs of the Army as a dedicated Soldier.
“Our family dynamic is unique,” says Clark. “Father, mother, stepparents, extended family and all 16 grandparents come together in support of our daughter. Everyone helps where they can, and it makes a difference.”
EFMP Family Support seeks to make that level of shared support a reality for every family who has a loved one with special needs. The program makes support services accessible by providing resources, recreation opportunities and respite care to families living far from their support networks.
Assignment Coordination: HRC considers the medical needs of the EFM during the CONUS and OCONUS assignment process, sends inquiries to potential duty stations to verify the availability of required medical services to assign Soldiers to an area where EFM’s medical and education (OCONUS only) needs can be accommodated. Future assignment opportunities are broadened based on the availability of care in each location guaranteeing families access to the support services necessary for their situations.
EFMP helps demonstrate the Army’s dedication to mission readiness as well as to the military families who support the mission. The needs of the whole family are taken into consideration when preparing orders for a military move. The Army will relocate a Soldier to duty locations that can support the needs of everyone in the family, with special consideration to those with special needs.
“The last thing a Soldier needs is to worry about is whether or not they’ll be able to find the right care for their loved ones,” says Clark. “We are here to help bridge that gap and ease that burden on our families so they can focus on everything else it takes to be a resilient military family.”
With the largest EFMP population across any installation, Fort Liberty is proud to be home to nearly 5,000 exceptional family members. Within close vicinity to UNC Chapel Hill and Duke Medical Center, Fort Liberty offers an abundance of medical and support services to families needing special needs resources.
Enrollment in the EFMP involves a series of steps including documentation of the family member’s condition, medical and educational assessments and periodic updates to ensure the family’s needs are met. Families must enroll in the EFMP program to ensure their loved ones receive the appropriate medical and educational support services, family support services, respite care, and assignment coordination. The E-EFMP portal makes it easy to manage your information and is accessible via https://efmp.army.mil/EnterpriseEfmp/. The dedicated EFMP staff are always ready to assist families throughout this process.
“Unique changes are on the horizon for our Family Support Office,” says Clark. “We are piloting new respite care approval and renewal procedures here at Liberty to streamline the process, eliminate redundant steps for the Soldier, and to cut down on overall wait times for enrollment.”
Scheduled to be located on the fully renovated 4th floor the Soldier Support Center, Fort Liberty will be the first installation to co-locate EFMP Family Support and EFMP Medical, essentially providing a consolidated EFMP office to expedite access to services.
EFMP has made a big difference for many families at Fort Liberty. The Rodriguez family, enrolled in EFMP for their son Alex, who has a rare neurological disorder. EFMP staff has helped the family find the right doctors, work with Alex’s school and provide respite care as needed.
“The EFMP staff were our lifeline,” said Mrs. Rodriguez. “We are forever grateful.”
For more information on the EFMP and how you can benefit from the program’s services, visit the official Fort Liberty ACS EFMP page at https://liberty.armymwr.com/programs/acs/exeptional-familymember-program or call 910-643-9642.
Courtesy Story
Fort Liberty Garrison Public Affairs Office