NATIONWIDE — In a bipartisan effort to help military families with special needs, U.S. Representatives Elaine Luria of Virginia and Joe Wilson of South Carolina, introduced the Representation for Exceptional Military Families Act.
The bill will create an advisory council that is representative of the diversities in the military family disability community. The council’s job would be to make routine recommendations to the services independent of the yearly National Defense Authorization Act.
The legislation stems from the Exceptional Military Families Program (EFMP) which is a mandatory enrollment program for all active duty service members with a family member who has special needs. The program eases transitions like permanent changes of duty station and ensures the exceptional family member access to medical and special education needs.
“Our exceptional military families face unique challenges, and we must ensure there is year-round support for their needs,” Congresswoman Luria said. “Creating this advisory council allows the armed services to hear from experts, the disability community, and military families with lived-experience on the best ways to provide high-quality and consistent support.”
Each branch that falls under the Department of Defense has their own EFMP program. To learn more about each, click on the corresponding link:
