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Therapy services and Florida PEP.

Parents often ask whether PEP can pay for speech therapy, occupational therapy, or ABA. Step Up’s own pages don’t all say the same thing. Here’s what each one says, where they differ, and what to do before you pay, checked against Step Up’s pages on October 23, 2026.

  • ProgramFlorida PEP, through Step Up for Students
  • Checked

For Florida PEP families whose scholarship is managed by Step Up for Students. AAA Scholarship Foundation publishes its own rules. Independent guide, not affiliated with Step Up; when anything here differs from Step Up’s current pages, Step Up is right. This page isn’t medical advice and doesn’t list, rate, or recommend any provider.

Quick answers.

Does the PEP scholarship cover speech therapy?
Speech-language pathologist services aren’t marked for PEP in the PEP handbook’s Appendix A; that row is marked for FES-UA only. The PEP purchasing guide’s Find Providers sentence does mention therapy, so the pages differ. Ask Step Up or submit a pre-authorization request before you pay.
Does Step Up for Students PEP pay for ABA or occupational therapy?
In the PEP handbook’s Appendix A, applied behavior analysis, occupational therapy, and physical therapy are listed under specialized services and marked for FES-UA, not PEP. Step Up’s Service Categories Chart also marks Specialized Services for FES-UA only.
Which Step Up scholarship lists therapy services?
FES-UA, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities. Appendix A of the PEP handbook marks specialized services, horse therapy, and music and art therapy for FES-UA only.
Can I pay a private therapist and get reimbursed with PEP?
Not in cash to a therapist working on their own. The PEP handbook says reimbursement requests for cash purchases from private sellers not affiliated with a company or institution, and it names private therapists, will be denied.

The short version.

  • The handbook’s chart: speech-language, occupational, physical, ABA, counseling, and vision therapy are listed as specialized services, marked for FES-UA only, not PEP.
  • Step Up’s provider pages agree: Specialized Services, Horse Therapy, and Music and Art Therapy are marked for FES-UA.
  • The purchasing guide has one sentence that mentions therapy among services in Find Providers. So the pages differ.
  • Before you pay, ask Step Up or submit a pre-authorization request. Step Up decides; this page can’t.

What the PEP handbook’s chart shows.

Appendix A of the PEP Family Handbook is a table called Authorized Use of Funds, with a column for each scholarship: FES-UA, FES-EO/FTC, PEP, and New Worlds (NWSA). Under “Specialized services by approved providers or a Florida hospital,” it lists:

Service Marked for
Applied behavior analysis FES-UA
Speech-language pathologist services FES-UA
Occupational therapy services FES-UA
Physical therapy services FES-UA
Listening and spoken language specialist services FES-UA
Psychotherapy or counseling by listed licensed professionals FES-UA
Vision therapy by a licensed Optometrist FES-UA

The same table marks fees for horse therapy and for music and art therapy for FES-UA only. None of these rows has a mark in the PEP column.

Step Up’s provider page and its Service Categories Chart PDF list the same service types, Specialized Services, Horse Therapy, and Music and Art Therapy, for FES-UA only.

Where the pages differ.

The PEP purchasing guide describes the EMA Marketplace this way: “Find Providers allows you to purchase services, such as tutoring and therapy, from pre-approved vendors.”

The PEP handbook describes the same feature without therapy: “Find Providers allows you to purchase services, such as tutoring, from pre-approved vendors.”

We haven’t found a Step Up page that explains the difference, and we don’t take a side. If therapy is what you’re looking for, check with Step Up directly before you spend scholarship money on it. The handbook also notes: “It is important to note that items or services approved in the past may not be approved currently.”

Asking Step Up first.

The purchasing guide says: “Items or services not listed as eligible in this Purchasing Guide require pre-authorization approval before purchasing the item or service.” It also says:

  • “Approvals of pre-authorizations are decided on a case-by-case basis and depend on the needs of the individual student.”
  • “An approved pre-authorization request is not confirmation of the provider’s eligibility or the funding available for the reimbursement.”
  • Pre-authorizations for 2026–27 are accepted until May 28, 2027.

These are the guide’s general rules; it doesn’t say how a therapy request would be decided. For how to submit a request in EMA and what happens after, see PEP pre-authorization.

Paying a therapist yourself.

The PEP handbook says reimbursement requests for cash purchases “from private sellers that are not affiliated with a company or institution,” and it names private therapists, will be denied. Handwritten notes or unofficial documents are also denied.

For what a service provider’s invoice needs to show when you do request reimbursement, see the PEP reimbursement guide. For where Step Up lists providers in EMA, see finding a provider for PEP.

If your child has a diagnosis.

The scholarship whose column lists these services is FES-UA, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities. It has its own eligibility rules and deadlines. For how the two programs compare, see PEP vs FES-UA, and for other items and activities, see what PEP covers.

Know where every request stands.
The Florida PEP Tracker keeps each student’s purchases, statuses, and balance together, checks receipts and invoices before you upload them, and can add the pre-authorization deadline to your calendar.
One payment, no subscription: $49 for one student or $69 for a family. See pricing.

Check a receipt

Sources.

All read on October 23, 2026. We re-check them when new editions are published.

  • PEP Family Handbook (2026–27)

    Step Up for Students web page (last modified September 16, 2026), read October 23, 2026: Appendix A Authorized Use of Funds table (specialized services rows and scholarship columns), the EMA Marketplace and Find Providers description, and cash purchases from private sellers.

    stepupforstudents.org
  • PEP Purchasing Guide

    Step Up for Students web page (last modified October 7, 2026), read October 23, 2026: the Find Providers sentence that mentions therapy, and the pre-authorization rules for items or services not listed.

    stepupforstudents.org
  • Partner with Step Up For Students as a Provider

    Step Up for Students web page, read October 23, 2026: service provider types by program, listing Specialized Services, Horse Therapy, and Music and Art Therapy for FES-UA.

    stepupforstudents.org
  • Eligible Services Per Scholarship Type (Service Categories Chart)

    Step Up for Students PDF, read October 23, 2026: Marketplace service categories marked by scholarship type, including Specialized Services, Horse Therapy, and Music and Art Therapy.

    PDF