Can a Palm Beach County family pay for speech, occupational & physical therapy with scholarship funds?
It depends on the program: Unique Abilities can pay for it; PEP and Private School Scholarship cannot. The cards below give each program's rule.
Speech-language pathology, occupational therapy and physical therapy by an approved provider, online or in person.
PEP does not fund licensed therapies; a student who needs them generally belongs on FES-UA.
Not an authorized category, unless the school bills it as part of its own fee schedule.
Which rules apply to speech, occupational & physical therapy?
- To qualify, a provider has to hold a Florida Department of Health license, an Agency for Persons with Disabilities approval, or Specialized Instructional Services approval.
- A credentialed therapist located out of state may serve the child, and telehealth sessions count.
- If insurance has already paid for a session, the account cannot be billed for it too.
What is not allowed for speech, occupational & physical therapy?
- Medical examinations and devices outside the listed services
- Duplicate billing with insurance
How does speech, occupational & physical therapy work for a Palm Beach County family?
33 Palm Beach County private schools report serving speech or language impairment, and 13 list occupational therapy. A common pattern is a general-education school plus an outside therapist paid from the FES-UA account.
How does a family buy speech, occupational & physical therapy?
Look in MyScholarShop first, because its listings are pre-approved. Next try Find Providers in EMA, which lets the account pay tutors, therapists and instructors directly. If neither fits, pay by card, hold the itemized receipt and file for reimbursement. A purchase the guides do not list as eligible needs pre-authorization before you spend.
What can the funds pay for, and what can they not?
For this category, the table sets allowed purchases next to excluded ones.
| Can pay for | Cannot pay for |
|---|---|
| Unique Abilities: Speech-language pathology, occupational therapy and physical therapy by an approved provider, online or in person. | Medical examinations and devices outside the listed services |
| Duplicate billing with insurance | |
| PEP: PEP does not fund licensed therapies; a student who needs them generally belongs on FES-UA. | |
| Private School Scholarship: Not an authorized category, unless the school bills it as part of its own fee schedule. |
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Sources: Step Up For Students purchasing guides for FES-UA, PEP and FTC/FES-EO (2025-26 editions) and its "Program Handbooks and Purchasing Guides: Summary of Changes" page (last modified October 22, 2026). These are summaries, not legal advice; your scholarship funding organization's current guide controls.