Family Empowerment Scholarship Florida: FES-UA Eligibility, Funding, and How to Apply

What FES-UA Provides

The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities is an Education Savings Account under Section 1002.394, Florida Statutes, for students with qualifying disabilities. It covers a broader range of expenses than the PEP scholarship — including clinical therapies, assistive technology, and sensory equipment — and awards higher funding based on the student's support needs.

FES-UA is administered by Step Up For Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation. Parents choose one SFO, apply through its portal, and receive quarterly disbursements into a managed account.

Who Qualifies

The student must be a Florida resident, be age three by December 31 of the application year or be eligible to enroll in a Florida public school, and be younger than 22 on or before September 1 of the application year. The student must have an Individualized Education Plan or a qualifying diagnosis. Pre-K students do not need prior public school attendance.

The diagnosis must be documented by a Florida-licensed physician or a physician licensed in another U.S. state or territory; a Florida-licensed physician assistant legally authorized to sign or certify on behalf of a Florida-licensed physician; a Florida-licensed autonomous Advanced Practice Registered Nurse; or a Florida-licensed psychologist.

Qualifying diagnoses include:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Down Syndrome
• Intellectual Disability
• Cerebral Palsy
• Specific Learning Disabilities (dyslexia, dyscalculia, developmental aphasia)
• Speech or Language Impairments
• Emotional or Behavioral Disabilities
• Visual Impairment (including blindness)
• Hearing Impairment (including deafness)
• ADHD (through Emotional or Behavioral Disability classification)
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Anaphylaxis
• Prader-Willi Syndrome, Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, Spina Bifida
• High-Risk (ages three through five; a student who turns six on or before September 1 of the upcoming school year must establish eligibility under another qualifying diagnosis)

How Much Funding You Get

FES-UA awards are calculated from exceptional student education cost factors (matrix levels 251 through 255) based on the student's support needs.

Support Levels 1–3 (Cost Factors 251–253): The base tier for students qualifying through medical diagnosis without a district matrix evaluation. Awards range from $9,600 to $10,500 depending on grade band and county. In Miami-Dade, a K–3 student receives approximately $10,909. In Monroe County, the same student receives about $14,381.

Support Level 4 (Cost Factor 254): In Step Up's 2026–27 county funding sample, awards range from $21,461 in Alachua County to $25,701 in Monroe County.

Support Level 5 (Cost Factor 255): In the same 2026–27 county funding sample, awards range from $34,511 in Alachua County to $39,091 in Monroe County.

The difference between levels can be substantial — a Level 5 student in Monroe County receives over $39,000 annually, while a Level 1–3 student in Alachua County receives about $10,484.

What FES-UA Covers That PEP Doesn't

The key advantage of FES-UA over PEP is its therapy and technology coverage:

• Clinical therapies: ABA therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy — all prohibited under PEP
• Technology: Laptops, tablets, and digital devices, subject to the applicable two-calendar-year purchase-frequency rule — also prohibited under PEP
• Sensory materials and adaptive equipment
• Florida Prepaid 529 and ABLE Account contributions
• Annual home education evaluation fees from a certified teacher

Both programs cover curriculum, workbooks, tutoring, testing fees, and field trips. But if your child needs therapy funded through their scholarship, FES-UA is the only path.

FES-UA Lets You Keep Homeschool Status

Unlike PEP, FES-UA recipients directing instruction at home can maintain their traditional home education registration under Section 1002.41. You keep your Notice of Intent with the county, continue your portfolio, and use FES-UA funds to pay for therapies, curriculum, and technology. Your evaluation fees are even covered by the scholarship.

This dual-status option is significant for families who value the independence of traditional homeschooling and want funding for therapies and specialized instruction without changing their legal classification.

How to Apply

For 2026–27, FES-UA renewal applications were due April 30, while new applications could be submitted through November 15; renewal students had to accept or decline by May 31 and new students by December 15. Check the current program schedule for later school years.

Beginning in 2025–26, the FES-UA scholarship cap increases annually by 5% of Florida's exceptional student education full-time-equivalent membership. If the number of scholarships funded exceeds 95% of available scholarships in a school year, the cap increases by another 1% of that membership in the following year. Students with a current IEP who received VPK specialized instructional services in the prior school year, dependents of active-duty military members, children of law enforcement officers, foster children, adopted children, and students who attended a Florida public school or the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in the prior school year are excluded from the cap.

The application requires Florida residency documentation, the child's birth certificate, Social Security numbers, and — critically — a copy of the district IEP or the FES-UA Medical Diagnosis Form signed by a qualifying medical professional.

Our Florida FES-UA & PEP Scholarship Parent Guide includes the full application walkthrough, a side-by-side expense comparison, and the receipt-formatting checklist that prevents your first reimbursement from landing on hold.

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