Preparing for Your Move

For military families with special needs, planning ahead helps ensure a smooth transition of services for medical and/or educational needs.

The Exceptional Family Member Program is here to help. Visit or call your local installation's EFMP family support office. You can also request transition assistance in the form of a warm hand off from the losing family support office to the gaining family support office at your new duty station.

You can also contact Military OneSource at 800-342-9647 and ask for a referral to a special needs consultant.

Here are some other helpful moving resources:

• EFMP & Me is a digital tool designed to give military families with special needs easy-to-use access to resources anytime, anywhere. Use it to help plan the transfer of support services to make your transition as easy as possible.
• Tune in to the DOD Special Needs Program podcast series to hear subject matter experts discuss tips and resources about PCSing with EFMP and other topics such as EFMP enrollment, special education, finances, safety considerations and more.
• The Preparing for your Move factsheet offers suggestions for military families with special needs to consider before, during and after a move.
• The Plan My Move online tool helps break moving down into clear, manageable tasks. Create checklists that are unique to your family’s needs.
• EFMP online learning slideshows and videos offer important information to help you get the right care for your family. Subjects include: identifying eligibility for early-intervention services, organizing medical and school records, establishing a relationship with a teacher, smart moving strategies and more.
• Advance Enrollment is a temporary waiver in 24 states which will allow your military child to pre-enroll for school before you arrive at your PCS destination.
• The Education Directory for Children with Special Needs helps you find resources that can help you make smart assignment decisions and easier transitions.
• The OCONUS Special Needs Directory provides support information about overseas communities.
• Special Care Organizational Records, or SCORs, are downloadable tools that help caregivers organize, track and update information about special needs. This is a great way to organize and hand carry all those important medical or educational records. Four different SCORs are available: Children, Young Adults, Adults, and Elder Care.

Take advantage of the variety of resources available to help make your special needs move as easy as possible.