Speech Therapy for Homeschoolers: How to Get Reimbursed with the Unique Abilities Scholarship

If you're homeschooling a child with speech or language challenges, you may be wondering how to afford the professional therapy they need. Fortunately, Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) offers a solution. This scholarship provides financial support for a variety of educational services, including speech and language therapy. Here's how you can use it to cover these crucial services.

What is the Step Up for Students Unique Abilities Scholarship?

The Step Up for Students Unique Abilities Scholarship, also known as FES-UA, was designed to assist families with children who have special needs. This scholarship gives families the flexibility to personalize their child’s education. The funds can be used for various purposes, such as private schooling, specialized therapy, and instructional materials. For homeschooling families, this is a great opportunity to cover out-of-pocket costs for therapies like speech-language services.

Who Qualifies for the Scholarship?

To qualify for the FES-UA scholarship, your child must meet certain criteria. Children must be between the ages of 3 and 22 and have a documented diagnosis of a disability. This can include speech or language impairments, autism spectrum disorder, or other conditions like Down syndrome or cerebral palsy (step up) (fldoe) . If your child fits these criteria, you can apply through Step Up for Students, one of the approved scholarship funding organization.

How Can Speech Therapy Services Be Reimbursed?

One of the unique benefits of this scholarship is that it allows parents to use the funds for speech-language therapy services provided by licensed professionals, like me! You have two options:

1. Use MyScholarShop – A platform connected to Step Up for Students where you can directly pay approved providers without any upfront costs.

2. Reimbursement Option – You can pay for speech therapy services upfront from a licensed provider of your choice and then submit a reimbursement request.

If you opt for reimbursement, it’s important to ensure that your provider is pre-approved or eligible under the program guidelines, so you won’t face issues later in the process.

Steps for Submitting Reimbursement Requests

To get reimbursed for speech therapy, families need to follow these steps:

1. Pay for the therapy services upfront if not using MyScholarShop.

2. Log into your Step Up for Students account.

3. Submit the necessary documents for reimbursement. This may include an invoice from the therapist and proof of payment.

4. Wait for approval—funds are usually reimbursed to your child’s scholarship account within a few weeks.

By understanding the process, families can get the therapy their child needs without the stress of covering all the costs on their own.

How My Services Can Help You

As a licensed speech-language pathologist, I specialize in helping children with a range of speech and language needs. I also support families through the scholarship process by ensuring that my services meet the requirements for reimbursement under the FES-UA program. Whether you're using the reimbursement option or paying directly through MyScholarShop, I’m here to help your child thrive.