Army families with members who have additional educational or medical needs would like increased support and responsiveness, according to a new DoD Exceptional Family Member Program survey.

“We sought to have a survey that really provided us specific data on the families enrolled in the program,” Tomeshia Barnes, associate director of DoD’s Office of Special Needs, said in a DoD news release. “We really wanted to hear from our families, their perspectives on their experiences with the program and other services to meet their needs.”

Under the Exceptional Family Member Program, dependents of service members with special educational or medical needs can enroll and receive specialized support and services. There are over 40,000 Army families enrolled in the program, according to an Army news release.

The DoD survey, conducted between November 2022 and March 2023, reached 100,000 service members with a dependent enrolled in the program. The survey covered various topics, including satisfaction, eligibility, family support services and retention.

Though just over four-tenths of active-duty service members reported that their family member’s care was met to a “large extent,” about one-fifth of Army respondents said their family member’s needs were “not at all” met, according to the survey.

Some soldiers also reported difficulty enrolling their dependents in the program. Soldiers were more likely to report that enrollment took between four months and over a year, with about one-fifth of Army respondents reporting that enrollment took between four to six months.

Families reported difficulty in continuity of care throughout the moving process and at their new duty station. As a result, 60% of Army respondents said that program support did “not at all” make their relocation smoother.

To provide more streamlined support, the Army launched a new digital platform in 2022 and created a central office for the Army Exceptional Family Member Program in March.

 “We are listening and working to take necessary steps that continue to improve the Army Exceptional Family Member Program to best serve our Army community,” Agnes Schaefer, assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs, said in an Army news release. “There is more work to be done, but we are excited to share this important step with the force.”

Read the full report here.