Additional Resources

Air Force Leader's Guide for Managing Personnel in Distress -  This guide helps unit leaders (commanders, first sergeants, and supervisors) recognize distress related behaviors, provide support to individuals within the unit, and collaborate with helping agencies to meet the needs of individuals in distress.

Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Special Education website -  This DoDEA website provides service members and their families with a list of things to remember when they are relocating to an OCONUS location and require special education services. On this site, you will also find Parent Rights & Responsibilities, the OCONUS special education directory and points of contact for each district.

Department of Defense Special Needs Parent Tool Kit -  The DoD Special Needs Parent Tool Kit has comprehensive information and tools that are geared toward helping military families with special needs children navigate the maze of medical and special education services, community support and benefits and entitlements.  The Tool Kit is broken down into six colorful modules that can be easily downloaded and printed.  Important facts, records, tools and sample letters have been included.

EDUCATION DIRECTORY FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS - The DoD's new Education Directory for Children with Special Needs provides useful, practical information for families of military dependents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and assignment personnel when considering assignment locations in California, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. The directory provides the following information:

• brief summaries of national and state policies related to ASD, including the latest evidence-based practices for children with ASD
• profiles and contact information for districts that serve military installations in the selected states
• a representative list of effective resources
• suggestions and resources to assist families during the educational transition of their child with ASD

Exceptional Family Support Reference Guide
The DoD, in close collaboration with the Services, has created the installation EFMP Family Support Reference Guide. The Guide's objective is to provide a clear understanding of the EFMP services that
provide assistance to military families with special needs.

Exceptional Family Support Reference Guide Binder Cover
This binder cover is to be used in conjunction with the Exceptional Family Support Reference Guide when printed.

Exceptional Family Member Program Mobile Website - The EFMP mobile website helps military families quickly and easily access information about the EFMP and services using a mobile device with an Internet connection. Features include program overview, links to enrollment forms and Service-specific EFMP websites, updated tools and resources, and an EFMP locator application. 

HOMEFRONTConnections Special Needs/EFMP Community - HOMEFRONTConnections is a DoD site that was established to provide a social networking environment for those who are in the military, in a military family or who support the military and their families. HOMEFRONTConnections provides a password protected location to meet online. Within the site, groups can share best practices, post pictures and videos, or just talk about the work they are doing with others who are also supporting our service members and their families. This is also a place where family members can meet each other, or establish family readiness groups on-line. Information is not shared with marketers, nor will commercial groups advertise here. Registration is required.

Marine Corps Leaders Guide for Managing Marines in Distress/EFMP Section  - This website provides guidance and tools to leaders on what to look for, what to do and specific resources for helping Marines who are in distress and includes information for leaders who have Marines who have family members with special needs.

MilitaryHOMEFRONT Troops & Families Special Needs/EFMP Section -  This section of MilitaryHOMEFRONT provides troops and their family members with information about the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), including Service-specific information, medical care, family support and financial and legal issues. You can also find a comprehensive list of general and State resources, FAQs, a Tool Box section, real military family stories and a forum for military families with special needs to connect with each other.

Military OneSource  -  Military OneSource is a Department of Defense sponsored benefit and is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Military OneSource provides dedicated special needs consultation, research, resources and materials intended to enhance current military services available to families with special needs. To contact Military OneSource by phone, call Stateside at 1-800-342-9647. The Military OneSource website lists specific dialing information for other countries.

Relief Societies - Each of the Services has installation-level relief societies that can often assist service members with interest-free loans when they are having financial difficulties.  The following links to the Service-level relief societies provide world-wide contact information for base programs:

Army Emergency Relief
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
Air Force Aid Society

Specialized Training of Military Parents (STOMP) -  STOMP is a Federally funded Parent Training and Information (PTI) Center established to assist military families who have children with special education or health needs. STOMP is a project of Washington PAVE, and is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The staff of the STOMP Project are parents of children who have disabilities and have experience in raising their children in military communities and traveling with their spouses to different locations.

TRICARE -  TRICARE Is the Department of Defense's worldwide health care program for active duty and retired uniformed services members and their families. TRICARE is a regionally-managed health care program that combines the military's direct health care system of hospitals and clinics with a network of civilian health care professionals.

TRICARE Extended Care Health Option - The purpose of the ECHO program is to provide eligible active duty family members with an additional financial resource for an integrated set of services, equipment, and supplies designed to assist in the reduction of the disabling effects of the beneficiary’s qualifying condition.

Visit the MilitaryHOMEFRONT Special Needs Resources section for specific topic resources.