Travis Air Force Base’s EFMP Families Got More Resources Before Pilot Ended

A pilot program at Travis Air Force Base used customized digital roadmaps to connect Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) families with dozens of vetted local resources, achieving what officials described as the first full compliance with federal mandates at any installation.

The approach ran for roughly four years under multiple contracts before the final agreement ended Nov. 29, 2024, cutting off the proactive support. The contract, and its ultimate expiration, highlighted an underlying system in dire need of standardization and overhaul for military families.

Air Force spouse Jessica Hulter, who has navigated EFMP since 2007 and worked with the Travis effort, said the pilot showed how giving families accurate, self-directed information changes transitions.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to see how connecting families to services and allowing them to navigate, in a self-directed way, can make a really fast transition that helps the impact on families,” Hulter told Military.com.

What Families Received

Standard EFMP processes often leave families with limited provider lists and little advance visibility into wait times or availability.

The Travis pilot delivered personalized “CareMaps,” or tailored lists of local resources across medical, therapy, education, family support, nutrition and recreation categories.

One example in program materials showed a family moving from four standard resources to 83 through the CareMap.

Hulter described the practical differences during PCS moves: Families could see ahead of time which neurologists, GI specialists or ABA providers near Travis were accepting patients—and roughly how long waits might be.

Specialty clinics that only operate twice a year became easier to plan around because the maps surfaced options and timelines before families arrived.

The maps also showed where services did not exist. Hulter called this information equally valuable.

“Negative data is real, too,” she said.

Being able to clearly see what services are not offered provides valuable insight that families need in order to make career choices.

How the Travis Pilot Stood Out

Hulter and CareStarter staff said the difference came from vetted, location-specific options delivered before families received travel recommendations.

Normal EFMP processes sometimes assign families to locations that cannot support their needs, eroding trust. The pilot supplied accurate, validated information caseworkers could use and families could act on immediately.

CareStarter described the effort as making Travis the first base in military history to fully comply with the federal EFMP mandate through this level of customized coordination. The before-and-after maps of the local provider network showed a clear expansion of connected options once the system was in place.

Currently, there is no single focal point—such as a program office—for EFMP for the entire military. As a result, individual services are responsible for administering the program for their respective families. While this has lead to innovative solutions, such as the Travis pilot, it has also led to hurdles and stove piping across the military.

Hulter also pointed to this deeper structural problem: the lack of a single, unified EFMP program office at the department level.

Without a central office that has both oversight authority and the ability to sustain successful programs, she said there is little accountability for whether mandates are actually being met beyond initial assertions of standardization.

When the Travis pilot proved effective, the installation-level contract could not simply be picked up and expanded because no higher-level program office existed with the funding mechanisms or mandate to do so.

“There is no opportunity for successful programs to expand because there is no single EFMP office,” she said. This absence, she argued, is why promising pilots often remain time-limited rather than becoming permanent improvements across the force.

After the final contract closed in late 2024, the information-sharing agreement ended.

CareStarter could no longer reach out or update resources for Travis families. Hulter said the proactive layer disappeared, returning families to the previous pattern of repeated calls and uncertainty.

The company has since been acquired by Professional Contract Services Inc. (PCSI) and now operates as part of its PCSIx innovation unit. Staff are using that structure to explore multi-installation approaches rather than single-base pilots, which they found inefficient for scaling.

What the Pilot Revealed About Challenges

Hulter said many EFMP frustrations stem from systems built for the wider force that do not fit families’ complex, ongoing needs.

Recent improvements have focused heavily on medical and therapy access, but community integration, recreation, and family mental health supports often remain gaps.

These community services are just integral to stay alive and stay sane.

She described the emotional weight many parents carry, such as years of feeling “incompetent and behind the curve,” noting that even dedicated case managers can feel frustrated by caseload volume and limited tools.

The Travis experience showed that the problem is usually not individual failure but a lack of the right information systems, she added.

“Parents are the most skilled and sharpest people we see,” Hulter said. “They didn’t ask for this, but they got really good at it.”

Readiness and Retention

Hulter tied the practical support directly to force readiness. When families have accurate information and workable local options, service members can focus on the mission instead of crisis navigation at home.

“It just takes giving them simple services and accurate information,” she said.

The benefit to the fighting force is something we miss too often. We should do everything we possibly can to retain their service.

The Travis pilot demonstrated one way to deliver that support at scale for a period of time.

Military.com previously reported on possible solutions to streamline EFMP across the services.

Whether similar customized navigation becomes standard across installations will depend on contract structures, program-office ownership, and decisions about making proactive resource coordination a sustained priority rather than a time-limited pilot.