Moving to a new duty station is a hallmark of military life, but for families enrolled in the Department of Defense's Exceptional Family Member Program (also known as “EFMP”), which supports service members with dependents who have medical, educational, or developmental needs, the process can feel overwhelmingly complicated. As someone who has navigated these challenges firsthand, I know it's often far harder than it needs to be. Simple changes by the War Department and policy makers could make a big difference in easing the burden, improving the quality of life, and boosting retention rates among service members.
Timing is Everything
The core problem stems from timing. Many essential services for children or spouses with special needs can't begin until the family has a physical address at the new location. This includes therapies like Applied Behavior Analysis for autism, occupational therapy to build daily living skills, or speech therapy for communication challenges. These aren't quick fixes; they often involve long waitlists and evaluations that can stretch for months.
Education adds another layer of difficulty. Enrolling a child in a school that can accommodate an Individualized Education Program (also known as an “IEP”), a customized plan for students with disabilities, requires knowing if the local district has the right resources. Without advance information, families might end up in a neighborhood where the nearest suitable school is an hour away, as happened during my most recent move. I had been homeschooling my child for two years due to the pandemic, but waiting six months for an appropriate placement was still disruptive. While school systems fall outside the Defense Department's direct control, the ripple effects limit housing choices and force tough decisions, like becoming a "geo-bachelor" (living apart from family) or accepting suboptimal assignments to stay near support networks.
How to Fix it
These hurdles aren't just inconvenient; they strain relationships, finances, and careers. Service members may hesitate to take promotions or overseas tours if it means uprooting critical care. Fortunately, practical solutions exist that the military could implement to smooth transitions.
- First, the military's health care system, TRICARE, should allow referrals for specialized services to be initiated before the move. Once orders are in hand, families could secure approvals remotely, reducing downtime upon arrival. The status quo means that nothing with the process can even start until the family has physically moved to the new duty station. This creates significant delays in beginning services.
- Second, assigning a primary care manager (also referred to as a “PCM”), a key point of contact for medical needs, should happen prior to reporting to the new base. This would enable continuity of care without starting from scratch. As with the first item, this is currently a major constraint that delays services being initiated upon moving. Once orders are received, EFMP families should be allowed assignment to a new PCM at the receiving duty station. This could allow EFMP families to get a head start without having to deal with the significant delays associated with awaiting PCM assignment when moving.
- Third, for ongoing treatments, initial referrals could shift to telehealth options, building on virtual care advancements made in recent years. This would let providers at the current duty station connect families with counterparts at the new one seamlessly. This solution augments the first two and could allow for PCM meetings with EFMP families via available telehealth options. Utilizing this functionality would help to potentially cut months of waiting time for services.
- Finally, the EFMP could maintain up-to-date lists of therapy providers that accept TRICARE and have openings for new patients. Currently, families often discover dead ends after arrival, wasting precious time. Resources like the EFMP website could host these directories, perhaps integrated with tools from Military OneSource.
Implementing these changes wouldn't require overhauling the entire system. Some, like telehealth expansions, align with existing policies and could be piloted quickly. The payoff? Happier, healthier families who feel supported, leading to higher reenlistment rates and a stronger force overall. As the military competes for talent in a tight job market, prioritizing these improvements isn't just compassionate - it's strategic.
Additional information about the Exceptional Family can be found on the Military.com EFMP portal.
