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The Marine Corps is taking one more step to give families associated with the Exceptional Family Member Program the steady and seamless continuing care their children need by updating the policy of continuation on location.
According to Marine Corps Administrative Message 348/09, EFMP families face challenges with maintaining continuity of medical care and educational services that can often be disrupted by permanent change of station assignments.
EFMP assists and advocates for families with special needs children in the military, said Titus Burns, the Combat Center's Marine Corps Community Services EFMP manager. Any child who requires special education or has complex medical issues, to include mental health, can be considered for enrollment in EFMP.
"We are here for our Marine Corps families and families from all service branches," he said.
Enrollment in EFMP is not a factor in the sponsor's deployment obligations; they are still required to deploy. The program is based on family readiness and allowing the deployed service member to know their family will be cared for in the best way possible while they are overseas, he said.
The MARADMIN is an advance notice of changes to Marine Corps Order 1754.4A. The policy states that Headquarters Marine Corps Personal and Family Readiness Division will recommend a continuation on location for a Marine and their family when care for the exceptional family member would be seriously disrupted by the Marine's permanent reassignment.
To be considered, the Marine must have permanent change of station orders in hand, Burns said.
If the gaining command is unable to provide the needed level of educational and medical care, the current command will try to keep the EFMP Marine and his family at the same duty station if a valid billet exists that will not hinder the Marines progression in the Corps, Burns said.
If no billet is available at the current duty station, the Marine must agree to an in-country assignment for a minimum of 24 months in order to fill a billet vacancy that promotes career progression, while his family stays in their current location.
"Headquarters Marine Corps estimates that only two percent of EFMP families will fall into this option," he said.
If an EFMP family stationed in Twentynine Palms is medically and educationally taken care of here, and the Marine receives orders and the family qualifies, they might send the Marine to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Burns said. They try to keep the family in the same geographical area if they can not stay on the same installation.
However, not every EFMP family qualifies for continuation of location, Burns said. "Each family will be looked at individually and they need to talk with their case worker to see if they qualify to send a request to Headquarters Marine Corps."
| Date Taken: | 06.19.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 06.19.2009 12:51 |
| Story ID: | 35353 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 392 |
| Downloads: | 320 |
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