FES-UA Therapy Funding Florida: ABA, Speech, and OT Covered by Scholarship

What FES-UA Covers for Therapy

The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities covers clinical therapies that PEP does not. This is one of the primary reasons families with children with qualifying disabilities choose FES-UA over PEP — the therapy funding alone can be worth thousands of dollars per year.

Covered therapies include:

• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) — the most common therapy funded through FES-UA for students with autism, often the single largest expense category
• Speech-Language Therapy — for students with speech delays, language disorders, or communication challenges
• Occupational Therapy (OT) — for fine motor skills, sensory processing, and daily living skills
• Physical Therapy (PT) — for gross motor development and orthopedic needs

Therapy providers must meet the program's applicable provider and credentialing requirements and be approved through the SFO portal. Under Section 1002.394, specialized services may be provided by an Agency for Persons with Disabilities-approved provider, a health care practitioner, a provider approved by the Department of Education under Section 1002.66, or a hospital in Florida. Out-of-state services are limited to credentialed providers whose services are delivered virtually.

Direct Pay vs. Reimbursement for Therapy

Most established therapy providers — ABA centers, speech clinics, occupational therapy practices — are set up for direct pay through the EMA portal's marketplace. With direct pay, the therapy center bills the SFO directly and the payment comes out of the student's ESA account. No out-of-pocket cost for the parent, no reimbursement wait.

This is the preferred route for ongoing therapy, especially for ABA, which often runs 10 to 40 hours per week. Floating those costs on a personal credit card and waiting 30 to 60 days for reimbursement during peak processing periods isn't sustainable.

If your therapy provider isn't registered for direct pay, you can pay out of pocket and submit a reimbursement claim. The receipt must include the provider's name, the student's full legal name, the service dates, a description of the service, and the amount paid. Prepaid recurring therapy sessions can be submitted up to four months in advance, as long as the invoice specifies the service timeframe.

How Funding Levels Affect Therapy Access

FES-UA funding is tiered by matrix support level. The difference matters for therapy-heavy families:

• Levels 1–3 ($9,600–$10,500/year): Covers a moderate therapy schedule. A family spending $200/week on ABA therapy uses roughly $10,400/year — consuming nearly the entire award at the base tier
• Level 4 ($21,461–$25,701 in the 2026–27 county sample): Sufficient for intensive therapy plus curriculum and other expenses
• Level 5 ($34,511–$39,091 in the 2026–27 county sample): Designed for students with the most intensive support needs, covering comprehensive therapy programs

If your child qualifies at Levels 1–3 through a medical diagnosis but has intensive therapy needs, requesting a district matrix evaluation to determine whether a higher support level applies could substantially increase your annual funding.

PEP Cannot Fund Therapy

This distinction trips up families who hear about "homeschool scholarships" funding therapy. PEP — the Personalized Education Program — strictly prohibits clinical therapy expenses. ABA, speech, OT, and PT are all ineligible under PEP's spending categories.

If your child needs scholarship-funded therapy, the only path is FES-UA. The child must have a qualifying diagnosis under Section 1002.394(2): autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disabilities (dyslexia, dyscalculia), speech impairments, emotional or behavioral disabilities, and others on the statutory list.

A child with ADHD may qualify under the emotional or behavioral disability category. A child with dyslexia qualifies under specific learning disabilities. 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 APRN; or a Florida-licensed psychologist.

Finding Registered Therapy Providers

Start in the SFO portal's marketplace or vendor directory. Both Step Up For Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation maintain lists of registered providers. Therapy centers that specifically advertise "Step Up approved" or "FES-UA accepted" have completed the SFO's provider approval and registration process.

If your preferred therapist isn't registered, they can apply through the SFO to become a direct-pay vendor. The approval and registration process takes time, so start early — especially if you need therapy services to begin at the start of the school year.

Our Florida FES-UA & PEP Scholarship Parent Guide includes a therapy provider checklist, direct-pay setup walkthrough, and the complete spending category comparison between FES-UA and PEP.

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