Update + EFMP July Dinner Table Conversation
Surprises are coming soon...plus all things EFMP
Anyone who knows me knows that I hate talking about me. I’m okay with attention, but I’m really good at the redirect….someone asks me about me and I find a way to talk about YOU, the military-connected community. I LOVE talking about what I have learned about YOU.
Some of you know that I have been working on a project that has forced me out of my comfort zone. While it talks about YOU, it forces me to talk about me. Which is icky. So as I approach talking more about me in the coming days/months I want you all to know that I do so under duress, but telling YOUR stories means more to me than my discomfort.
Keep an eye out for posts here and on my socials to keep up-to-date on this super exciting, yet scary project. But let’s get back to talking about YOU!
July Military Dinner Table Conversation
The Exceptional Family Member Program has been called a canary in the coal mine for the military community as families within this program utilize many of the services the DoD offers families, including TRICARE, respite care, child care, mental health services and more.
During this Conversation, I would like to hone in on the following themes so we can better understand what EFMP families are going through when it comes to: PCSing.
Are you being sent to locations that can support you and your family’s needs? Are you choosing to geobach when it doesn’t? What is the PCS process like for EFMP families?
Register to Chat EFMP
Date: July 17, 2025
Guest: Austin Carrigg
Founder and CEO of Exceptional Families of the Military (EFM)
Session 1: 12 Noon EST
Session 2: 8 pm EST
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Register and share with others in the community!
All about Austin
Austin is a nationally recognized advocate, storyteller, and the founder of Exceptional Families of the Military (EFM), a nonprofit supporting the 146,000 families enrolled in the Department of Defense’s Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP). As an active-duty Army spouse of over 22 years and mother to three children with disabilities, Austin brings firsthand experience to her work advancing policy, support services, and systemic change for military connected families.
Austin founded Exceptional Families of the Military (EFM) to address the systemic challenges families face when navigating military life with exceptional needs. In 2020, her daughter, Melanie, suffered a catastrophic stroke following a PCS to a location where there was no access to the care her daughter needed. That event became a defining moment in her mission to prevent other families from enduring similar hardships. It drove her to push EFM to where it is today as the leading national voice for EFMP families across all service branches. EFM provides a unique wraparound system of support that begins with listening—collecting insights through peer-to-peer groups and 1:1 direct support—and then identifying themes that inform its annual survey. These stories and data points are transformed into actionable recommendations that drive change within the Department of Defense and on Capitol Hill.
Austin has testified before Congress, co-authored academic research, and advised national coalitions. She is a founding board member of Little Lobbyists and a trusted voice in military family policy. Her work centers on the lived experiences of caregivers and families, using storytelling to influence legislation, shape public understanding, and build stronger, more inclusive communities.