Nevada Funding Guide: ESA, Medicaid Waivers, and Homeschool Funding
Facts checked September 21, 2026 · 6-minute read · by the Brainrich Kids team
Nevada passed an education savings account in 2015, never funded it, and repealed it in 2019. Its Opportunity Scholarship pays private schools directly. For a child with an intellectual or developmental disability, the ID Waiver added an Individual Directed Goods and Services category in 2025 that names assistive devices, but new enrollment funding is frozen.
The quick answer for Nevada: Nevada has no ESA: the 2015 program was eliminated by SB 551 in 2019, and a 2025 revival died. The Opportunity Scholarship (up to $10,367 for 2026-27, 300% of poverty) is paid directly to a private school. Nevada opted into the 2027 federal scholarship tax credit. For a child with I/DD, the ID Waiver added "Individual Directed Goods and Services" on January 1, 2025, covering "assistive technological devices, controls, appliances" and home adaptations, but the state received no new funding to add people for 2026-27. Katie Beckett exists. A play gym is case by case, once enrolled.
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 21, 2026. Before you spend a dollar, confirm the current rules with the program itself.
Jump to: Nevada facts table · Can this fund a Brainrich gym? · Next steps · FAQ · The full guides · Sources
Nevada funding facts at a glance
Three kinds of public money can reach a family in Nevada: 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 (Nevada) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ESA or scholarship program | No ESA. The 2015 Education Savings Account was eliminated by SB 551 (2019). The Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship (Opportunity Scholarship) pays private school tuition, fees, and transportation directly to the school. Nevada opted into the 2027 federal scholarship tax credit in January 2026 (news coverage of the governor's release). | Nevada Legislature, SB 551 |
| Who runs it | Opportunity Scholarship: scholarship grant organizations under the Nevada Department of Education. ID Waiver: Aging and Disability Services Division regional centers. | Nevada Dept. of Education |
| Amount per student | Opportunity Scholarship maximum per student for 2026-27: $10,367, subject to available funding. | Nevada Dept. of Education |
| Who qualifies | Opportunity Scholarship: household income up to 300% of the federal poverty guidelines and attendance at a participating private school. | NRS 388D |
| Can homeschoolers use it? | No program to use. Opportunity Scholarship grants "must be paid directly to the school," and there is no homeschool credit. | NRS 388D.270 |
| Curriculum | Not applicable. Nevada has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| Therapies and therapy equipment | Not applicable. Nevada has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| PE and play equipment | Not applicable. Nevada has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| How purchases work | None. | Ask the program |
| Medicaid waiver for children | HCBS Waiver for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID Waiver), ages 0 and up, ICF/IID level of care, run by the Aging and Disability Services Division regional centers under Medicaid Services Manual Chapter 2100. | Nevada MSM Chapter 2100 |
| Equipment category to ask for | "Individual Directed Goods and Services" (added January 1, 2025): equipment or supplies that address a need in the person-centered plan, including "assistive technological devices, controls, appliances, or other items that enable a participant to increase their ability to perform ADL," home adaptations, and athletic or gym memberships; payer of last resort, pre-approved by the regional center. Dollar cap: confirm with the program. | Nevada MSM Chapter 2100 |
| Waiver waitlist | A statewide waitlist by priority and referral date. The ADSD memo of October 10, 2025 says no additional funding was received to add new people into services for SFY2026-27. Count: confirm with the program. | Nevada ADSD memo |
| Katie Beckett or TEFRA option | Yes: the Katie Beckett Eligibility Option for children under 19 who need a hospital, nursing facility, or ICF/IID level of care, with parental income and resources disregarded (page updated July 29, 2026). | Nevada Medicaid |
| Other homeschool funding | None found on official sources. | Ask the program |
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 Nevada?
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.
No program to use
Nevada education funding
The ESA is repealed, and the scholarship that exists is paid to private schools. Nothing reaches a homeschool family's equipment budget.
Case by case
ID Waiver
Individual Directed Goods and Services now names assistive technological devices, controls, and appliances that increase the ability to perform daily living activities, plus gym memberships and athletic fees, as payer of last resort with regional center pre-approval and no dollar cap found. The catch is access: the state says it received no new funding to add people to services for 2026-27, so the waitlist runs by request date. 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.
Needs a Letter of Medical Necessity
HSA and FSA dollars (the same in every state)
HSA and FSA rules are federal, so Nevada 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 Nevada families
1. If your child has an intellectual or developmental disability, apply to your regional center now; the waitlist is by priority and referral date.
2. If family income blocks Medicaid, apply for the Katie Beckett Eligibility Option (KBKids@nvha.nv.gov).
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: Nevada
Does Nevada have an ESA (education savings account)? No. The 2015 ESA was never funded and was eliminated by SB 551 in 2019. The Opportunity Scholarship, up to $10,367 for 2026-27 at 300% of poverty, is paid directly to a private school.
What funding can Nevada homeschoolers use? No state education program applies, and there is no homeschool tax credit. Families of children with I/DD can use the ID Waiver and Katie Beckett Medicaid, plus HSA and FSA dollars with a Letter of Medical Necessity.
Can the Nevada ID Waiver pay for a play gym? Case by case, once a child is enrolled. Individual Directed Goods and Services, added January 1, 2025, covers assistive technological devices, controls, and appliances that increase daily-living ability, with regional center pre-approval. Nevada received no new funding to add people to services for 2026-27.
Which Nevada Medicaid waiver can fund sensory or adaptive equipment? The HCBS Waiver for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, through the Individual Directed Goods and Services category in Medicaid Services Manual Chapter 2100. Nevada also offers the Katie Beckett Eligibility Option for children under 19.
Does Brainrich work with Nevada funding programs? We provide the itemized invoice or quote that Nevada 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 21, 2026. Nevada Department of Education. Opportunity Scholarship program. · Nevada Revised Statutes 388D. · Nevada Legislature. SB 551 (2019) overview. · Nevada Medicaid. Medicaid Services Manual Chapter 2100, effective April 1, 2025. · Nevada ADSD. Developmental Services memo, October 10, 2025. · Nevada Medicaid. Katie Beckett Eligibility Option.