Fort Leonard Wood  Exceptional Family Member Program

The IDEA requires that all states and territories provide special education and related services to eligible children between the ages of 3 through 21. Each local school district has a special education director, and each school should have an individualized education program, or IEP, team or school-based committee that supports students with special education needs.

The IDEA requires that if a child transfers to a different district in the same state, the new school must provide a free, appropriate public education, including comparable services, until the previously held IEP is adopted or a new one is developed and implemented. If a child transfers to another state, the receiving district must provide comparable services until the receiving district completes an evaluation and creates a new IEP, if appropriate.

If you are moving and your child receives special education and related services, you should hand-carry all pertinent school and medical documents, including the IEP and current evaluation reports. Hand-carrying these documents ensures that they are not lost and allows the new school district to begin the process as soon as you move.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, requires all states and territories to provide early intervention services to children from birth through 3 years of age who have, or are at risk for having, developmental delays. 

Local school districts or health departments often provide these early intervention services. The program is called different names in different areas, but it is often referred to as Part C because it is the section of the law that pertains to early intervention. The national Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center provides a list of State Part C coordinators and funded programs on their website. 

When moving, you should hand-carry copies of your child's individual family service plan, or IFSP, and the most current evaluation reports to your new home to ensure they are not lost.

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education, offers the Parent Center Hub – also known as the Center for Parent Information and Resources – which has collections of links to serve families and adults with special needs from birth through age 26. They assist families in getting appropriate education and services for their children, work to improve education services for all children, train and inform parents and professionals, resolve problems between families and schools or other agencies and connect those with disabilities to community resources. Find your local parenting center and more by visiting their website.

You can also try these resources from Military OneSource:

• EFMP & Me digital tool
• Special Needs Parent Toolkit download
• Special needs resources 
• Education Directory for Children with Special Needs
• Exceptional Family Member Program videos 

The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) is a Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of the Army (DA) mandated program that requires enrollment to assist, through selective assignment and reassignment, the individual who has a family member(s) with special needs obtain and maintain availability and continuity of care for those needs. An Exceptional Family Member is a family member (child or adult) with any physical, emotional, developmental, or intellectual disability that requires on-going or special medical treatment, therapy, education, training, or counseling.

At Fort Leonard Wood, the EFMP is committed to helping improve the quality of life and the readiness of service members and their families. By coordinating EFMP needs, Army Community Service seeks to ensure that families receive appropriate services to meet special physical, emotional and/or educational needs. The Army Community Service EFMP offers information and referrals to guide families to appropriate services and resources.

The FLW EFMP offers the following services:

1. Information and Referral (services in local area and next duty station).
2. Advocacy for medical and school issues.
3. Respite Care.
4. Education and Support Groups.
5. Relocation Assistance. The General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital (GLWACH) EFMP is responsible for enrollment, updating records, conducting medical overseas screenings for family members and confirming available services before assignment to FLW.