Florida's Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) Explained for Autism Families

Florida's Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, usually called FES-UA or the "Unique Abilities" scholarship, is one of the largest sources of flexible funding for autistic children in the state. It can pay for private school or home education costs, therapy including applied behavior analysis (ABA), devices, curriculum and more. It also comes with real trade-offs, especially around your child's rights in public school. This guide explains who qualifies, what the money can pay for, how much it is, how payments work and what you give up, using the current statute and the 2026-27 family handbook.

What is FES-UA, and what happened to Gardiner and McKay?

FES-UA is part of the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program in section 1002.394, Florida Statutes. Florida's older disability scholarships, the Gardiner Scholarship and the McKay Scholarship, were folded into it. The statute protects students who had either scholarship in 2020-21: they receive the greater of the amount calculated under the current formula or the amount they received in 2020-21.

The scholarship is administered by Step Up For Students, a nonprofit scholarship-funding organization. Families apply, manage funds and submit invoices through Step Up's online account system. Step Up's FES-UA page lists its phone number as 1-877-735-7837.

Does my autistic child qualify?

Under s. 1002.394(3)(b), a student qualifies if all of the following are true:

1. Residency: the student lives in Florida, or is the dependent child of an active-duty service member with permanent change of station orders to Florida (at renewal, a Florida home of record or legal residence also counts).
2. Age or grade: the child is 3 or 4 in the year of application, or is eligible to enroll in kindergarten through grade 12 in a Florida public school. The 2026-27 handbook says a child must be 3 on or before December 31 of the year the application is submitted, and younger than 22 on or before September 1.
3. Disability: the child has a disability listed in the statute. The list starts with "autism spectrum disorder, as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition," and also includes Down syndrome, speech and language impairments, intellectual disability, and many others.
4. IEP or diagnosis: the child either has an IEP, or has received a diagnosis of a disability from a Florida-licensed physician (chapter 458 or 459), a Florida-licensed psychologist (chapter 490), or a physician licensed in another state or US territory.

That last point matters for many autistic children: an IEP is not required. A qualifying diagnosis is enough. Family income does not affect eligibility for FES-UA.

The scholarship ends when the student enrolls full time in a public school, graduates from high school, reaches age 22, does not renew, or is found ineligible.

What can FES-UA pay for?

Section 1002.394(4)(b) lists the authorized uses. They include:

• Specialized services by approved providers or a Florida hospital, selected by the parent. The statute names "applied behavior analysis services," speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and listening and spoken language services.
• Instructional materials, digital devices and assistive technology, plus training and maintenance agreements.
• Curriculum.
• Tuition and fees for an eligible private school, a home education program, eligible postsecondary programs, private tutoring programs, approved virtual programs or Florida Virtual School as a private paying student.
• Fees for standardized tests and assessments.
• Contributions to the Florida Prepaid College Program or the Florida College Savings Program.
• Contracted services or classes from a public school or school district (the student then attends part time, not full time).
• Part-time tutoring, choice navigator services, specialized summer and after-school programs, and transition services from job coaches.
• VPK, school readiness and private-school prekindergarten tuition and fees.
• Services at a PATH International member center (therapeutic horsemanship) and certified music therapists or credentialed art therapists.

The statute also says scholarship money is not taxable income to the student or parent.

Can FES-UA pay for ABA therapy?

Yes, ABA is named in the statute. The provider has to be an "approved provider," which s. 1002.394(2)(a) defines as "a provider approved by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, a health care practitioner as defined in s. 456.001, or a provider approved by the department pursuant to s. 1002.66," or the services can come from a hospital in Florida.

Florida does not issue a state license to behavior analysts (BCBAs hold national certification from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board), so whether a given ABA agency fits one of those routes depends on its own approvals and staff. Step Up decides what it will pay. Before you plan your budget around ABA, ask the provider directly whether its services can be paid through FES-UA, and how.

The 2026-27 handbook sets documentation rules for specialized services. Invoices should be on business letterhead and show the student's name, the service period, the type of service and the provider's license number. Invoices that show only medical billing codes, instead of the type of service, may be delayed. Requests for payment directly to a provider "may only be approved after the service has been rendered." Our companion guide, using FES-UA for ABA, goes through invoices step by step.

One firm rule: a family may not accept any payment, refund or rebate from a provider of services paid by the scholarship. The statute treats that as fraud or abuse, and the account can be closed.

How much is the scholarship?

Step Up describes FES-UA as "worth an average of $10,000 per student." The actual amount depends on your county of residence, your child's grade, and their matrix of services level. Students with a Level 1 to 3 matrix, or with a qualifying diagnosis and no matrix, are funded at the 251 to 253 level. Students with a Level 4 (254) or Level 5 (255) matrix receive much larger amounts.

Amounts are set each year in the state budget, so check Step Up's current chart. All 67 counties are in our guide to FES-UA amounts by county.

Can I raise the amount with a matrix?

If your child has no IEP, or you want an existing one re-evaluated, you can ask the school district for an IEP meeting and evaluation to get or revise a matrix of services. Under s. 1002.394(7)(b), the district must hold the meeting and complete the IEP and matrix within 30 days of your request, "must accept the diagnosis and consider the service plan of the licensed professional providing the diagnosis," and must send the matrix level to you and the Department of Education within 10 calendar days. See FES-UA matrix levels for how levels are set.

When do I apply, and how are funds paid?

• New applications for 2026-27 are accepted from February 1 to November 15, 2026, and families must accept or decline by December 15, 2026. Applications after November 15 may be considered for the next year. See what to do before November 15.
• Renewals run February 1 to April 30 of the prior school year, with confirmation by May 31.
• Priority: renewing students first, then new students "on a first-come, first-served basis." The statute caps the number of funded scholarships (72,615 in 2024-25, rising each year), with some groups exempt from the cap, such as children of military and law enforcement families, foster and adopted children, and students who attended a Florida public school the prior year.
• Payments are quarterly. For new students, the state releases funds no later than September 1, November 1, February 1 and April 1. For renewals, August 1, November 1, February 1 and April 1.
• Account cap: Step Up may not deposit more into a UA account whose balance is above $50,000.
• Spending: the handbook describes three ways to use funds: direct billing by providers listed in Step Up's online marketplace, purchases through its MyScholarShop store, and reimbursement after you pay out of pocket.

What do I give up by taking FES-UA?

This is the part families most often miss. Section 1002.394 says: "When the student receives a scholarship, the district school board is not obligated to provide the student with a free appropriate public education." While on the scholarship, your child has only the rights that apply to students placed in private school by their parents. The district must still develop an IEP or matrix if you ask.

Our guide to FES-UA vs public school walks through these trade-offs in more detail. The decision is yours, and families in very different situations make different choices.

Other rules worth knowing

• Private school attendance: a 2026 law (ch. 2026-59) lets private schools meet the "regular and direct contact with teachers" rule for FES-UA students who attend the school's physical location at least 2 school days a week, with a learning plan covering the rest.
• Older students: FES-UA students aged 17 to 22 without a diploma may enroll in a participating private school's transition-to-work program (s. 1002.394(16)).
• PEP: the Personalized Education Program is a separate option for home-taught students, defined in s. 1002.01(2) and run under the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (s. 1002.395), not under FES-UA. See PEP vs Unique Abilities. The handbook says families must decline UA to switch, and sets deadlines for doing so. Compare them in PEP vs Unique Abilities.
• One scholarship at a time: a student cannot receive another educational scholarship under the same chapter at the same time.

Where does ABA fit with insurance and FES-UA?

Many families use health insurance as the main way to pay for ABA, and look at FES-UA for things insurance does not cover, such as tuition, devices or therapy outside the plan. Whether that mix works depends on your plan and your child's needs. Hope Center offers a free insurance benefits check, and we work with Florida Blue, Aetna, Cigna (Evernorth), UMR, Personify Health and TRICARE East. You can read more on our insurance page.

If you are thinking about using scholarship funds for ABA with any provider, including Hope Center, ask before services start whether that provider meets Step Up's approved-provider rules and can supply the invoices Step Up requires. To talk about ABA for your child, contact us or call 561-337-8865.