EFMP/Special Needs Products
Audio and Video
Heidi J. Bauer, MSW, LCSW, a therapist specializing in working with service members and their families, presents an overview of her four simple drills to help reverse the symptoms of stress. Available as a playaway, these drills can help slow your heart rate, lower your blood pressure and reduce the level of stress hormones in your body. By doing these drills regularly, you can lower your baseline stress level and be better prepared to deal with stress in the future.
Fact Sheets
The "Guide to Healthy Caregiving" fact sheet explains ways caregivers can deal with stress and take proper care of themselves while caring for their loved ones with special needs.
The "Accessibility Through Assistive Technology" fact sheet details the most common of these technologies, like Braille displays, that help individuals with disabilities accomplish activities of daily living more independently, improving their quality of life.
The "Adaptive Equipment" fact sheet addresses the advantages of use and common types of devices that help people with disabilities accomplish activities of daily living with as little restriction as possible.
The "Americans With Disabilities Act" fact sheet summarizes the major provisions of the act, which protects the civil rights of individuals with disabilities: employment, state and local government programs and services, public accommodations and telecommunications.
The "Early Intervention Services" fact sheet explains the types of services for children birth to age 3 with a delay or disability and the criteria for getting them. These services are guaranteed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
The "Employee and Employer Rights and Responsibilities Under the Americans With Disabilities Act" fact sheet explains how employees with disabilities receive the accommodations they are entitled to and how their employers provide them.
The "Equal Opportunity for Individuals With Disabilities" fact sheet explains the purposes of the law establishing equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities and highlights the accommodations, such as job notices being posted in accessible formats.
The "Establishing the Permanent Dependency of an Incapacitated Child" fact sheet outlines how a child incapable of self-support who becomes incapacitated prior to age 21 can remain in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System and receive benefits.
The "Exceptional Family Member Program for All Ages" fact sheet describes what the program is, who it is for, how to enroll in it and how enrollment is mandatory for military families with members who have identified special medical or educational needs.
The "Guardianship and Conservatorship" fact sheet explains these two court-appointed positions, granted after finding an individual incapacitated or unable to make or communicate decisions. The legal process is also outlined.
The "Letter of Intent" fact sheet explains how to write a non-legally binding letter that provides a family's instructions regarding the personal care of a member with a disability, in the event of a caregiver's absence, illness, incapacitation or death.
The "Maintaining Personal Well-Being for Adults Diagnosed With Special Needs" fact sheet outlines actions a person newly diagnosed with a disability can take to cope with the disability and be healthy emotionally and physically.
The "Managing Family Life With Adult-Onset Chronic Disability" fact sheet describes how a family can cope when a member's chronic or recurring illness so greatly affects the person's everyday life that the illness is considered a disability.
The "Medicaid" fact sheet explains how a family member with special needs might qualify for Medicaid coverage and the types of coverage included, such as inpatient/outpatient hospital services.
The "Medicaid Waivers for Families With Special Needs" fact sheet explains how families with special needs might get a waiver to receive Medicaid services beyond what TRICARE covers when the service member separates or retires from the military.
The "Medicare" fact sheet explains Medicare eligibility requirements and coverage. This coverage is designed to help those age 65 or older and those with a disability receive reimbursement for some medical expenses.
The “Part B of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act” fact sheet outlines the six core principles that guide the education of children and young people, ages 3 to 21, who have special needs.
The “Planning for the Transition to Adulthood” fact sheet helps families of students with special needs prepare for life after secondary school. The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act requires that children who have an individualized education program begin the transition process by age 16.
The “Preparing for Guardianship” fact sheet provides information about planning for future oversight of medical, educational and financial issues of children with special needs who will be unable to make decisions about these matters themselves.
The “Preparing for Your Move” fact sheet offers suggestions for parents of children with special needs to consider before, during and after a move to a new duty station. Planning ahead helps ensure a smooth transition of special education and early intervention services.
The “Preparing to Succeed at Positive Advocacy” fact sheet outlines approaches — including seeking assistance, mastering terminology and practicing self-care — that advocates of loved ones with special needs can use to boost effectiveness.
The “Public Benefits Resources: Medicaid and Medicare” fact sheet outlines provisions and eligibility for the Medicaid and Medicare programs and provides additional information through tools, guides and answers to frequently-asked questions.
The “Public Benefits Resources: Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance” fact sheet provides overviews of these benefits. It outlines who is eligible to receive them and how they can apply.
The “Resolving Concerns With a Child’s Special Education Services” fact sheet outlines the steps parents and guardians can take if they disagree with their children’s school on any issue involving the special education program.
The “Section 504: Eligibility and Employment Provisions” fact sheet provides an overview of the national law. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects individuals with special needs from discrimination in areas such as job recruitment, admission to educational institutions and treatment for medical issues.
The “Special Education” fact sheet outlines the steps involved in determining children’s eligibility for special education and related services, developing an individualized education program, and conducting annual and triennial reviews.
The “Special-Needs Trusts for Long-Term Financial Planning” fact sheet explains the importance of special-needs trusts, which provide for children who have special needs without jeopardizing access to current or future state or federal benefits. The fact sheet outlines how and when to establish these trusts — and where families can turn for additional assistance.
The “Standardizing the Exceptional Family Member Program” fact sheet details Department of Defense efforts to standardize the three components of the Exceptional Family Member Program — identification/enrollment, assignment coordination and family support — across the military services.
The “Support Services for Adults With Special Needs” fact sheet provides an overview of community-based programs and services, including social and vocational services and mental health, substance abuse and behavioral services. The Department of Defense also offers a complete network of quality-of-life support programs and services.
The “Survivor Benefit Plan and Special Needs” fact sheet provides information for those who may want to elect payments for a child with a disability. The fact sheet outlines the plan, who is eligible and how it works in relation to other benefits.
The "Education Directory for Children With Special Needs" fact sheet highlights the benefits of the directory, which provides listings of local and national resources for early intervention and special education services for children with special needs, birth to age 21.
The “Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards” fact sheet outlines the standards that ensure that buildings and facilities designed, built, altered or leased with federal funds are safe, accessible and usable by people of all ages and abilities. The fact sheet provides examples of mandatory modifications.
The “Vocational Rehabilitation and Other Rehabilitation” fact sheet provides an overview of programs that assist individuals with disabilities with employment opportunities and job placement. The fact sheet provides examples of services, eligibility and application information, and additional resources.
Posters
These standardized posters promote the Exceptional Family Member Program across the military services. Each poster bears the program logo and either the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines seal plus that service's color as the poster's background.
These standardized posters promote the Exceptional Family Member Program across the military services. Each poster bears the program logo and either the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines seal plus that service's color as the poster's background.
These standardized posters promote the Exceptional Family Member Program across the military services. Each poster bears the program logo and either the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines seal plus that service's color as the poster's background.
These standardized posters promote the Exceptional Family Member Program across the military services. Each poster bears the program logo and either the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines seal plus that service's color as the poster's background.
Resources Guides
The Exceptional Family Member Program supports military families with special medical and educational needs. This information paper explains the program basics, from identification and enrollment of a family member with special needs, to assignment coordination and family support.
The military medical departments provide early intervention and related services in OCONUS locations where a Department of Defense school is responsible for educational services. This directory helps medical and educational assignment coordinators identify those military communities in OCONUS locations with pre-established programs or services for children with special needs. The directory does not identify pre-established programs or services for special medical needs.
The Department of Defense, in close collaboration with the military services, created the installation Exceptional Family Member Program Family Support Reference Guide. The guide's objective is to provide Exceptional Family Member Program family support staff a clear understanding of the program's services that provide assistance to military families with special needs.
This guide provides instructions for individuals serving the Exceptional Family Member Program to navigate the enrollment, family member travel screening and family support processes for the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force.
The Department of Defense Guide for Adults with Special Needs provides information and resources to address a wide range of topics regarding adults with special needs. Some sections of this guide are relevant to adult children with a disability while other information may be more appropriate to adults diagnosed with a medical condition. This guide is also intended for use by caregivers.
Toolkits
You play a critical role in distributing timely, accurate and relevant information to service members and their families. The majority of today’s service members and their families do not live on a military base, and civilian support agencies and programs are more involved than ever in supporting military families. Families in every stage of military life rely on you for services and support, including everything from counseling to child care. As you work with service members and their families, we hope you will use the information in this toolkit to help us share important information about Department of Defense family support policy.
Military leaders play a critical role in providing timely, accurate and relevant information to service members, their families and survivors. The Family Readiness System assists you in preventing, identifying and addressing family readiness challenges within your force. This toolkit was developed to help you share important information about family readiness policy with the ultimate goal of helping you maintain a mission-ready force and optimize military family readiness.
The Special Care Organization Record for Adults is an organizing tool for families with an adult member with special health care needs. It is intended to help track and organize information in one central location and to make it easier for someone to care for your family member when you are unable to do so.
The Special Care Organization Record for Adults is an organizing tool for families with an adult member with special health care needs. It is intended to help track and organize information in one central location and to make it easier for someone to care for your family member when you are unable to do so.
The Special Care Organizational Record for Children with Special Health Care Needs is specifically designed as an organizing tool for parents with children with special health care needs. It is intended to help track and organize your child’s information to make it easier for someone to care for your child in your absence.
The Special Care Organizational Record for Elderly Family Members is an organizing tool for families with an elderly member with special health care needs. It is intended to help track and organize information in one central location and to make it easier for someone to care for your family member when you are unable to do so.
The Department of Defense Special Needs Parent Tool Kit has comprehensive information and tools that are geared toward helping military families with children with special needs navigate the maze of medical and special education services, community support, benefits and entitlements.
Find even more helpful resources and information in the
EFMP/Special Needs military life topic area of Military OneSource.