{"id":55358,"date":"2020-02-06T03:40:45","date_gmt":"2020-02-06T03:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/02\/06\/lawmakers-vow-to-fix-dod-special-needs-program-for-military-families\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:42:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:42:33","slug":"lawmakers-vow-to-fix-dod-special-needs-program-for-military-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2020\/02\/06\/lawmakers-vow-to-fix-dod-special-needs-program-for-military-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers vow to fix DoD special needs program for military families"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Military families are fighting their own battles to get the health care and needed school services for their special needs children<\/a> as required by law, they told lawmakers \u2014 with spotty assistance from defense and service officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Navy wife Michelle Norman told lawmakers Wednesday that she and her husband have paid more than $220,000 in legal expenses in their fight with Virginia Beach City Public Schools to get the services for their daughter in school, who was born prematurely and diagnosed with a number of disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issues with special needs families transcend all ranks of military and are at duty stations around the world, said Norman, whose husband Capt. Cassidy Norman is commanding officer of the command and control ship USS Mount Whitney. She testified before the House Armed Services Committee\u2019s military personnel subcommittee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow can an enlisted family even begin to fight?\u201d she said, noting that spouses of special needs children are too burdened, too scared, and too broke to get the help they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norman said she initially approached her installation\u2019s Exceptional Family Member Program coordinator, the school liaison officer and legal office, and was told they couldn\u2019t help her or be her advocate. \u201cWhen you know a school is breaking the law, how do you hold them accountable?\u201d she asked. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, school officials must provide the special needs education and needed services for a child\u2019s academic achievement goals. But states have some flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems with inconsistency and lack of advocacy have plagued military special needs families for decades. Advocates testified about families issues ranging from difficulty in getting their health care providers and support system in place after a permanent change of station move; being transferred to locations without adequate medical and educational resources to meet their needs, and perceptions surrounding EFMP, and the whether it could negatively affect a service member\u2019s career. While EFMP is effective at some installations, it varies widely. The DoD Military Family Readiness Council <\/a>has discussed the issue for years, and recommended improvements and standardization in the EFMP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The services also use different mechanisms to determine assignments for service members with EFMP family members. Some families are choosing to stay in one location when the service member is transferred, others are home-schooling their children because of the difficulties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, there are more than 103,000 service members with more than 139,000 family members in the EFMP programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEFMP is falling short of serving families as intended,\u201d said Karen Ruedisueli, director of health affairs for the Military Officers Association of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An official with the Government Accountability Office testified that DoD has made limited progress in fixing problems the GAO identified nearly two years ago. DoD still can\u2019t assess the EFMP services required by law, said Jackie Nowicki, director of K-12 Education for the GAO. Until DoD is able to assess the EFMP performance, they won\u2019t be able to ensure special needs military families receive adequate, consistent, reliable support, no matter where they are stationed, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., chairwoman of the subcommittee, said she found the GAO report to be \u201cstinging.\u201d Lawmakers put DoD and service officials on notice that they expect changes to be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not good enough for you to come here and make happy talk about how you want to be helpful and how grateful you are for the courage of these parents to come forward and speak about their experiences,\u201d Speier told the officials who testified following the spouses and advocates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to be hawks on this,\u201d said Speier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The officials will be expected to return to give progress reports to the subcommittee every three months, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Miss., ranking member on the committee, said \u201cit\u2019s shocking\u201d that public school systems are denying care to these families against federal law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speier also expressed concern about families\u2019 comments that some school systems believe they can delay providing the services, because if they wait long enough, the military families will move out of the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to fix this issue,\u201d said Speier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She made note of the dozens of military families who had come to the hearing, many of whom had to be turned away due to lack of space. Speiers said she\u2019ll start by holding town hall meetings so that all the families who came to the hearing will have a chance to express their views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe services violate both law and DoD policy when they fail to ensure family members receive the medical and administrative support required under EFMP,\u201d Speier said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there\u2019s one service that appears to be doing right by their special needs families \u2014 the Marine Corps, according to some family advocates. Lawmakers told DoD they need to look at the Marine Corps model, and not \u201creinvent the wheel.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the other services, the Marine Corps has special needs attorneys who help families with these legal issues; and they have requirements that Exceptional Family Member Program personnel contact their special needs families at least quarterly. They also have more EFMP personnel per capita for the families \u2014 107 full time positions for 11,000 EFMP Marine Corps families, compared with, for example, the Army, which has 119 positions for 54,000 families, Speier said. Yet, the Marine Corps is the smallest service branch.<\/p>\n\n\n\t