I decided to do a small blog post on command sponsorship which I will get more indepth later in another blog entry. I had to do this one because if your not aware the PCS season is approaching and I have been receiving many emails from spouses who are coming here to Hawaii where I happen to be stationed as well.
The biggest problem many spouses are experiencing is not knowing that you have to be command sponsored to come here. Now let me make this small note…you can come to Hawaii without being command sponsored but it will be out of your own pocket.

So what exactly is CS in lamen’s terms?
All it means is that you are authorized to travel and the government will pay for it. The Army uses CS to also make sure you can be treated at the new duty station through the process of an EFMP screening.

This is where the problem tends to evolve in that many spouses and even some soldiers are under the impression that they will automatically appear on the orders and be able to come here and live onpost and unfortunately that is not the case. Here is what will happen should you come to Hawaii without sponsorship according to http://www.usarpac.army.mil/8tsc/replacement.html:

Soldiers with family members must go through an EFMP Exceptional Family Member Program Overseas screening to have their family member’s names put on their PCS assignment orders. Soldier must get with their unit S-1 Personnel Office for assistance. If their family member’s names are not on the PCS orders, the Soldier will lose out on many benefits. Such as:
• Family members will not be authorized to travel to Hawaii at Government expense.
• Soldier will not be reimbursed for airlines tickets if Soldier pays for their Travel.
• Solider will not be able to collect COLA with dependant rate.
• Soldier will not be able to receive full DLA Dislocation Allowance ($1900).
• Soldier will not be able to receive TLA Temporary Lodging Assistance with dependant rate (for Hotel stay).
• HHG Household Goods shipment will be at the Single rate and not at the With Dependant rate.

You also will not be able to apply for housing if you are not on the orders.
The easiest way to start the EFMP process is to contact the closest Military Treatment Facility (MTF) near you and contact there EFMP office. The links below will help you to understand the process alittle more:

http://www.myarmyonesource.com/FamilyProgramsandServices/FamilyPrograms/ExceptionalFamilyMemberProgram/default.aspx

Military Homefront EFMP

Army.Mil EFMP Explanation

https://www.armywife101.com/2010/01/ask-army-wife-101-pcs-question.html

You can also search through the archives of Army Wife 101 I have written several entries about PCS moves and EFMP.

Hooah & Smooches

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46 Comments on Command Sponsorship & EFMP Screenings For Overseas

  1. I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing this. My husband is being stationed in Hawaii & I have not been notified on one single thing that I am supposed to be doing. At least I know where to get started now. Thank you so much.

    • I am so glad you have found some of the information here useful. I really appreciate each and everyone that stop by here. If you ever need anything use my contact info at the top of the site :)

  2. we are being stationed in south korea and im looking for a answer to a question that i have about the emfp i have two kids who are adhd and they are on the emfp program and will it be hard for us to get the command sponsorship because they are in rolled in the program? can you email me and let me know please thanks my email address is roseandrobert0808@yahoo.com

    thanks
    rose

    • Hi Rose,

      In order to go anywhere overseas you need to go through EFMP screening. The sole purpose of the EFMP screenings is to make sure that dependents do not have any medical conditions that cannot be handled at that specific duty station you are going to. From what I know Korea has become a more family oriented duty station, and while ADHD is a condition , it doesn’t seem serious enough for denial of sponsorship, best of luck!

  3. My fiancé is currently stationed in Hawaii, we will be getting married in December and I hope to move out there. Does all of this apply to me as well? Or since he was already stationed there prior to us being married would we have to pay out of pocket anyway?
    We’re not sure what all we need to be doing…
    Thanks,
    Kayla

  4. Hi! I am stationed in Hawaii and would like to know where can I find the information on “dependents names” must be on the orders for Soldier’s PCSing overseas. I have researched all over the internet for an answer, but no luck. Is there anyone out there that can give me a reference (MILPER MSGs, etc.) on where to find this info. Thank you and Aloha!

  5. Yes you will have to pay out of pocket or request flight on a Space-A (available) status. Since your Soldier received order to an overseas assignment prior to your marriage he will incurr some out of pocket expenses to get you to where he is located. I don’t know if this actually applies to Hawaii but you can read more on overeas service in AR 55-46.

  6. My husband and I were married in December and he’s stationed in Hawaii. However he is in afghanistan right now. We are having problems with the EFMP because the paperwork says it has to be done on a military base (i don’t live near one) but the nearest bases are saying a civilian dr can complete it as long as his unit (iin afghanistan) signs off first. They won’t do that. But the military installations close won’t do the appt without it. Any ideas who I can possibly call? It’s me and my 2 kids and all our household stuff and a car we have to take to Hawaii. He was only there a month before deploying so all his stuff is still in storage – w won’t get housing unti he gets back….i’m pulling out my hair being no where near anything military so there’s no one o ask and his unit is slightly out of the country!

  7. Hello, I’m also getting ready to PCS to Alaska with my husband. I am so lost with the efmp process. My husband is already in Alaska and now Im stuck here. This is our first PCS, I just picked up my military ID. Then my husband told me I need an EFMP screening. Could someone explain to me the process??? and can I do this at a naval clinic???

  8. Hello, I’m needing some advice I’m in reno nv and my husband is stationed in schofield barracks. He turned in all the papers thur for the command sponsor they said a couple days to process. All physical are in and processed but what is takin so long? I put I’m my 30 days notice n I need to get this process moving. Help!

  9. my husband is cureently in reclass training and got stationed in hawaii and his training unit has not even given him his orders yet and he is supposed to report the end of june. i live near fort knox but i have no clue where to start. we have no kids and i am in the national gaurd. do i still have to have a efmp screening and how do i do housing and command sponsership..i am so lost..

  10. Hi!
    Thank you for info.. quick question, My fiance came down on orders to PCS to Alaska. We are not married but plan to before he leaves. He has to add me to his orders right? and do I need to get CS to go to Alaska?
    This website is a God-send!

    • Hi Liz glad you like my site…Thanks so much for visiting!
      To answer your question yes he will need to have his orders amended. In order for him to do that you will need to go through the CS process.

      Best of Luck!

  11. My husband is being sent to Camp Casey in South Korea. I did my EFMP screening today and because I have Arthritus in my back, I have to be in the EFMP program. The doctor at the EFMP clinic said I might be denied command sponsorship because of this. Can anyone please let me know if they have had any experiences with being approved or denied command sponsorship because of being enrolled in EFMP?

    • Shannon I was wondering how you went about making the appt for the medical screening. My husband is already at Camp Casey and I am in FL. The nearest base is a Navy base so would I need to contact them or an Army base. Could I have an outside MD do the screening?
      Thanks
      Katy

  12. Help! My husband is stuck in ft sam houston because he hasn’t gotten his orders yet, he is supposed to report to alaska soon but we are waiting and waiting, we sent the efmp paperwork and we have no way of knowing when he can leave! I am losing my mind…

  13. So is my husband who i married after he went to Hawaii, is he supposed to start the efmp? And he will turn it in in hawaii and i wait on…..?????? From what i gather since i have no place close by to do efmp, he should file the 1172 and register me on tricare, i go to civilan doctor and then will forward the forms to hawaii??? I just want to make sure i am doing this correctly!!

  14. My husband had orders back in Sept 2010 to come to Hawaii(we are currently living here together) and STILL waiting on command sponsorship! The units here DO NOT care about little things like that, or at leasts my husbands! I was not on his orders to move here, and we were told that we did NOT need command sponsorship to recieve full benefits, money included. So for the past year we have not been recieveing accurate BAH or COLA. We put in command sponsorship paperwork back in August 2011 and still have yet to hear anything back!

  15. Hi, we’re in Korea right now and about to PCS after 15 days, I just want to know how long is the EFMP process to get done for our baby and to put him to orders of my husband? Do we have enough time?

    Thanks :)

  16. I just received PCS order to Germany (Stuttgart) on a very short notice. My report date is in the 2nd week of April 2012. EFMP for my family was done and submitted to GE yesterday. My wife was indexed with a low-grade asthma. My son was GTG. My concern is how long would it take for GE to complete the EFPM and send it back to my current duty station so I can have them included in my orders. And will the asthma be an issue?

    • Hey, We are looking at a PCS To Stuttgart and I’m wondering how the asthma issue was in getting command sponsorship? Any problems?

  17. I’m confused too. I am going through the EFMP process for my family right now. I have been told that once done, their names will be on my orders.
    My question is do I still need to apply for Command Sponsorship?

      • Hey I’m in AIT and I plan on getting married on family day the day before I graduate and I got stationed in Hawaii idk what all I need to do to be able to get my wife to Hawaii sense she is not on my orders I’m all confused about everything????

  18. I’m a new army wife and my husband has just reported to his duty station in hawaii. I have changed my name on my social security card and drivers liscence and am in the process of enrolling in DEERS. Is there anything I can try and do to get the ball roliing with this command sponsorship stuff or do I need to wait until I’m enrolled in DEERS? My husband made me his Power of Attorney and I’m trying to do all this while I’m on the east coast and I’m so confused. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks

  19. Listen if you are having problems figuring how to enroll and get screened for EFMP for pcs overseas CONTACT EFMP! Should be located inside your main post hospital. If your husband is still with you then he must go to s1 to get a digital copy of da 5888!!! Then you must take that to emfp!! ONLY THEN AND AFTER THEN will the screening papers be sent to your new duty station and processed to get your family/dependents approved and AMMENDED on your orders!!

  20. OK 1st LOVE LOVE LOVE your blogs! As a new Army family I tend to be quite lost! So I generally log on to Army Wife 101 and forward the information to my husband. My husband and I have recently found out our first duty station is going to be Hawaii. While I would love to be excited about the move there are a lot of things I am a bit in the dark about. I know that before we go our one year old and myself have to be CS so I started the process and scheduled an EFMP screening, (closest clinic is 5.3 hours away!) The lady I spoke with was very polite, and said that when I leave the screening, I will have the paperwork in my hands. Our screening is one week before I drive another lovely 10 hours to go see my hubby graduate AIT. HERE IS THE CURVE BALL……Because my husband took Christmas Exodus, he is neg leave, therefore he will have to board a plane the day after AIT graduation. Is it possible to fax a copy of the EFMP to Hawaii to help speed the process? What is it that I can do to make this a smoother situation? I am anxious to know as my little man and myself miss him!

    Thank You so much in advance for your response!

  21. Hi! This will be my husbands and I first pcs and he is on orders to Hawaii (wheeler). We are in the process of getting our EFMP screening/ paper works done. I just wanted to know if me having asthma would stop me from being put on his orders/command sponsorship?

  22. For the EFMP form can I get it done by any Military Treatment Facility or does it have to be from the EFMP office and the people in Alaska keep calling it a physical is it just the EFMP sheet or an actual physical or both because the places I called, before I had the sheets I told them it was a physical but not quit sure.

  23. My husband is stationed in Alaska at Ft. Richardson. We got married after he got his orders. We just started the command sponsorship process. I was wondering typically how long the process is. I read online that for Alaska it could take up to 6 mos. I am so hoping that is false information and not the case. We were hoping sooner. This is his first PCS and i’m new to military rules, regulations, and experiences. HELP

  24. Hi,

    My husband’s next station is Hawaii. He is currently in Italy on an unaccompanied tour, and will be leaving here at the end of September. He has not yet received his orders to Hawaii. The MPD in Italy said that they cannot command sponsor me because I wasn’t command sponsored to Italy (Of course I wasn’t because we didn’t even know each other 2 years ago when he arrived in Italy). The lady helping us in MPD in Italy contacted Family travel in Hawaii said that they said he could apply for CS once he gets there. My question is if we have all the necessary paperwork and forms filled out can they CS me before he gets there? Can he send them the paperwork. He is not scheduled to report until late november.

  25. I married my husband when he was on leave after AIT, 2 weeks later he went on to Hawaii, we’re both aware that I need to be command sponsored. However the physical screening confuses me. I’ve read and heard that if you don’t get it done at the Medical center on Oahu it can make the process months longer. I feel like I’m whining, but I miss my husband so much, him being home briefly made me remember how much I like him, now I can’t stand to be away.

    With command sponsorship I won’t have to pay for a plane ticket and temporary lodging will be less costly, and it’s probably worth it. So I’m trying to stay patient. I’m in DEERS already, so generally how long should the Command process take?

    I also wondered if I WERE to go early, would they update our BAH immediately, or would I have to wait for Command sponsorship for that as well?

    Thanks so much =]

  26. good morning army wife 101
    I have a question I had the efmp screaming at me and my son qualified for the services my husband is due to go to Korea what are the odds of denial due to the fact that my son was seen a behavior specialist but have since been discharged ?

  27. Hey! My husband is currently in Germany, and I am waiting on me and my 2 kids to get command sponsership. How long does it usually take? He said he is just waiting on the orders to get approved. Everything is done we are just waiting now of course. But how long after that does it take for us to be able to go over there?

  28. Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Many thanks, However I am experiencing problems
    with your RSS. I don’t know why I am unable to join it.
    Is there anybody else getting identical RSS problems?
    Anyone that knows the answer can you kindly respond? Thanks!!

  29. My husband is prior service, he rejoined the Army at Fort Jackson, SC. His contract says Italy, but everything the personal says he was to go to Germany. So Jackson sent him to Italy, with in 2 days of his in processing they realized he was sent to the wrong country. So they gave him a sheet of paper and a train ticket to go to Grafenwoehr, Germany. He is there now. I do not have the dependent orders that will get all of our stuff put in storage and pack and ship our household goods over to Germany. My husband did get a form 4001 and that was to establish our housing.
    When the rear detachment Sgt sent that to me so I can go and get my stuff ready to ship overseas it was denied by Fort Jackson Transportation because I didn’t have dependent orders in hand I had his old orders for Italy still.
    I have jumped thru so many hoops to just get some orders, my question is now what do I do?
    I am prior service and married to the military a few times, never had this issue before. Where should I go from here.
    I also have a job waiting for me in Vilseck at the clinic. So I need to get overseas.
    Any suggestions or POC at this point.
    He is assigned to 1/91 C Troop in Grafenwoehr, Germany. It is so frustrating.

    Anja Moriftt

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