Montana Funding Guide: ESA, Medicaid Waivers, and Homeschool Funding
Facts checked September 18, 2026 · 6-minute read · by the Brainrich Kids team
Montana's only education account is a small special needs program that a district court struck down in December 2025. It ran under a stay through June 30, 2026, and the appeal is still pending. Its handbook also lists playground equipment as unallowable. The Medicaid waiver is the lane worth a family's time.
The quick answer for Montana: Montana's Special Needs Equal Opportunity ESA was ruled invalid on December 9, 2025, operated under a stay through June 30, 2026, and is on appeal at the Montana Supreme Court. Whether it is funding accounts for 2026-27 is something to confirm with the Office of Public Instruction. Its handbook lists "Playground & Lawn equipment" as unallowable, so a play gym is excluded. For a child with a developmental disability, the 0208 Comprehensive Waiver includes "Specialized Medical Equipment & Supplies" and "Individual Goods and Services," with a waiting list.
Please read this first: program rules, amounts, and waitlists change every year, sometimes mid-year, and no vendor can promise that a program will approve a purchase. Every row below was checked against the linked source on September 18, 2026. Before you spend a dollar, confirm the current rules with the program itself.
Jump to: Montana facts table · Can this fund a Brainrich gym? · Next steps · FAQ · The full guides · Sources
Montana funding facts at a glance
Three kinds of public money can reach a family in Montana: an education account or scholarship, a Medicaid waiver for a child with a developmental disability, and any homeschool-specific tax benefit. Here is what each official source says.
| Question | What the official source says (Montana) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ESA or scholarship program | Montana Special Needs Equal Opportunity Education Savings Account (HB 393, 2023). Struck down by a district court on December 9, 2025, kept running by a stay through June 30, 2026, and on appeal at the Montana Supreme Court. 2026-27 status: confirm with the program. | Montana OPI |
| Who runs it | Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI). | Montana OPI |
| Amount per student | 2025-26: $5,453.85 to $8,584.79 per student, set by district and grade band. No 2026-27 table is posted. It reimburses receipts and does not deposit money up front. | OPI FY26 amounts |
| Who qualifies | A child with a disability under IDEA, ages 5 to 19, who was counted in a Montana public school the prior year (or is entering kindergarten or in a listed program). | Montana OPI |
| Can homeschoolers use it? | Only for children leaving public school. The handbook says parents must unenroll the student and register them as a homeschool student, and the prior public school year is required, so families who already homeschool do not qualify. | OPI parent handbook |
| Curriculum | Allowed: curriculum materials, textbooks, software, and other instructional materials. Consumable supplies are limited to $50 a year. | OPI parent handbook |
| Therapies and therapy equipment | Therapy services from a licensed or certified provider are allowed (occupational, behavioral, physical, speech, audiology). "Medical Equipment / Services" are unallowable. | OPI parent handbook |
| PE and play equipment | Excluded. The unallowable list names "Playground & Lawn equipment" and "Large trampolines." | OPI parent handbook |
| How purchases work | Reimbursement only, through an OPI online form with receipts. No ClassWallet or Odyssey marketplace. | Montana OPI |
| Medicaid waiver for children | 0208 Comprehensive Waiver, DPHHS Developmental Disabilities Program. It is Montana's only developmental disability waiver and serves children and adults. | Montana DPHHS |
| Equipment category to ask for | "Specialized Medical Equipment & Supplies" and "Individual Goods and Services." A 2013 DPHHS definition says Individual Goods and Services above $2,000 a year needs regional manager approval. Whether that threshold is current, and any equipment cap: confirm with the program. | DPHHS service definition |
| Waiver waitlist | Yes. DPHHS says there is a waiting list because of limited slots and funding, with selection generally by time on the list. Current count and wait time: confirm with the program. | Montana DPHHS |
| Katie Beckett or TEFRA option | Confirm with the program. We could not verify this on an official source on September 18, 2026. | Ask the program |
| Other homeschool funding | None for homeschoolers. Montana's Student Scholarship Organization tax credit funds scholarships to private education providers. | Montana Dept. of Revenue |
A row that reads "Confirm with the program" means we could not verify that fact on an official source, so we left it open instead of guessing.
Can this fund a Brainrich gym in Montana?
A Brainrich gym is a steel indoor climbing frame: ladders, monkey bars, rings, a rope, and a swing point, for ages 3 and up with a parent in the same room. Programs do not approve brands. They approve categories, one purchase at a time. Here is how each lane looks today.
Excluded by the program
Special Needs ESA
The OPI handbook lists "Playground & Lawn equipment" and large trampolines as unallowable, and the program's future is in front of the Montana Supreme Court. Do not plan a gym purchase around this program.
Case by case
0208 Comprehensive Waiver
Ask your case manager about "Specialized Medical Equipment & Supplies" and "Individual Goods and Services." The Individual Goods and Services definition includes recreational activities tied to a habilitative goal in the plan of care. Approval is decided case by case in your child's individual service plan, usually with an OT or PT recommendation attached, and most waivers pay only after regular Medicaid or private insurance has said no. No state approves play equipment automatically. Expect a waiting list, so apply early.
Needs a Letter of Medical Necessity
HSA and FSA dollars (the same in every state)
HSA and FSA rules are federal, so Montana families follow the same path as everyone else: with a qualifying diagnosis and a Letter of Medical Necessity, a play gym may be eligible. Your plan administrator makes the final call. Start with is a play gym HSA/FSA eligible? and the Letter of Medical Necessity template.
What Brainrich does, and does not do. We never promise that a program will approve a purchase. That decision belongs to the program. Applications, service plans, and therapist letters are the family's and their professional's work.
The one document we provide is an itemized invoice or quote. Email info@brainrichkids.com with (1) your full name, (2) your address, and (3) the model and color. We send back the invoice with shipping, applicable taxes, and the full total, ready for a case worker or a program portal.
🧩 A budget does not have to cover the whole build
Every Brainrich gym is modular. A Model T3 that fits this year's budget becomes a Spider V3 the day you add the Monkey Bars, and each add-on is its own purchase with its own invoice. Families fund the frame from one budget cycle and the expansion from a later one, out of pocket, or as a gift. That means matching real purchases to real budget cycles. It never means splitting a single purchase to slip under a review threshold, which programs treat as a red flag.
Next steps for Montana families
1. If your child has a developmental disability, apply to the DPHHS Developmental Disabilities Program now. Placement on the 0208 waiting list follows eligibility, and selection generally goes by time on the list.
2. If you were counting on the special needs ESA, call OPI to confirm whether accounts are being funded for 2026-27 before you spend anything. Playground equipment is unallowable either way.
3. When a case worker, support broker, or program portal asks for pricing, request an itemized invoice from us: email info@brainrichkids.com with your full name, your address, and the model and color. We reply with shipping, applicable taxes, and the full total.
Frequently asked questions: Montana
Does Montana have an ESA (education savings account)? Montana has one small program, the Special Needs Equal Opportunity ESA for students with IDEA disabilities. A district court struck it down on December 9, 2025. A stay let it run through June 30, 2026, and the state's appeal is pending at the Montana Supreme Court. Confirm the 2026-27 status with the Office of Public Instruction.
Can Montana homeschoolers use the special needs ESA? Only children leaving public school. Parents must unenroll the student and register them as a homeschool student, and the child must have been counted in a public school the year before, so families who already homeschool do not qualify.
Can the Montana ESA pay for a play gym or PE equipment? No. The OPI parent handbook lists "Playground & Lawn equipment" and large trampolines as unallowable, and it reimburses therapy only as a service from a licensed provider.
Which Montana Medicaid waiver can fund sensory or adaptive equipment? The 0208 Comprehensive Waiver includes "Specialized Medical Equipment & Supplies" and "Individual Goods and Services." DPHHS confirms a waiting list. Approval of any item is decided case by case in the plan of care.
Does Brainrich work with Montana funding programs? We provide the itemized invoice or quote that Montana programs and case workers ask for: email info@brainrichkids.com with your full name, your address, and the model and color, and we send it back with shipping, applicable taxes, and the full total. We do not prepare applications or service plans, and we never promise that a program will approve a purchase. That decision belongs to the program.
📚 The full funding guides
Can You Buy PE and Play Equipment With ESA Funds? · State Disability Waiver Programs: All 50 States · Homeschool Grants and Funding, State by State · Is a Play Gym HSA/FSA Eligible? · Letter of Medical Necessity Template · Financial Assistance: every door in one place · Funding guides for other states
Sources
All sources checked September 18, 2026. Montana OPI. Education Savings Account. · Montana OPI. ESA Parent Handbook. · Montana OPI. ESA student amounts, FY26. · Montana Free Press. Judge blocks education savings accounts (secondary). · Montana Free Press. Stay through June 30, 2026 (secondary). · Montana DPHHS. 0208 Comprehensive Waiver services. · Montana DPHHS. Individual Goods and Services definition. · Montana Department of Revenue. Student Scholarship Organization credit.