Special Education/EIS

All states and territories must provide early intervention services to children who have, or are at risk for having, developmental delays, from birth to their third birthday.

Most CONUS locations, local school districts or health departments provide these early intervention services. The program is called different names in different areas, but it is often referred to as Part C because that is the section of the law that pertains to early intervention. The Education Directory for Children with Special Needs has a list of resources specific to each state to help you determine who you should contact. Your installation EFMP Family Support provider can also answer your questions.

If you are moving OCONUS or to a CONUS location with a DODEA school (and you live on installation), your child will receive EIS through the Defense Department’s Educational and Developmental Intervention Services, or EDIS, program.

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

All states and territories provide special education and related services to eligible children between the ages of 3 through 21.

When 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. When a child transfers to another state, the receiving school must provide comparable services until an IEP review can determine if a new evaluation or IEP is appropriate.

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

• Education Directory for Children with Special Needs
• EFMP & Me digital tool
• Individualized Education Program & Moving
• Special Needs Parent Toolkit
• Special Needs Resources
• Exceptional Family Member Program videos

Special education services support instructional programs for students with disabilities in the division. It is the goal of special education to ensure that each student with a disability can acquire the knowledge, skills, and competencies consistent with his/her potential to achieve.

The term "disability" includes autism, intellectual disability, hearing impairment and deafness, developmental delay, speech and language impairment, emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, deaf and blindness, multiple disabilities, severe and profound disability, specific learning disability, visual impairment and traumatic brain injury. Children identified as having any of these disabilities may be eligible to receive special education and related services tailored to their needs through and Individualized Education Program (IEP).

The Army’s Exceptional Family Member Program is a mandatory enrollment program for active-duty Soldiers who have dependents with special needs. The term “special needs” refers to any ongoing condition that requires specialized care or treatment that warrants being seen by a specialist or by their primary care provider more than once a year and or for any dependent children with special education needs.  The regulatory requirements for EFMP can be found in AR 608-75.  The primary purpose of the program is assignment coordination to assist the military in ensuring services are available for Family members when a Soldier is transferred to a new duty station. The EFMP program consists of three components: EFMP Medical, the Military Personnel Branch, and EFMP Family Support.  EFMP Medical is responsible for EFMP enrollments, updates, disenrollments, and overseas screening. Once the enrollment has been completed through EFMP Medical, the Military Personnel Branch is able to consider the medical and educational needs of EFMP in the assignment process.  EFMP Family Support is available to assist Soldiers and Families with non-medical community support services to include information & referral, education/outreach, warm handoffs, and developing a family services plan.