Virginia Funding Guide: ESA, Medicaid Waivers, and Homeschool Funding
Facts checked September 21, 2026 · 6-minute read · by the Brainrich Kids team
Virginia has no education savings account; three 2026 bills to create one or a homeschool tax credit failed, and the scholarship tax credit pays nonpublic school tuition. The developmental disability waivers cap assistive technology at $5,000 a year and exclude items for recreation or leisure.
The quick answer for Virginia: Virginia has no ESA. The 2026 bills (HB 1204, SB 733, SB 732) failed, and the Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credit funds nonpublic school tuition. For a child with a developmental disability, the Family and Individual Supports and Community Living Waivers list "Assistive technology," capped at $5,000 per calendar year with no carryover, and the regulation bars approval "for purposes of... recreation or leisure activities." As of November 25, 2025, 14,258 people were on the waitlist, 2,727 of them Priority One. A play gym is unlikely under the recreation exclusion.
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: Virginia facts table · Can this fund a Brainrich gym? · Next steps · FAQ · The full guides · Sources
Virginia funding facts at a glance
Three kinds of public money can reach a family in Virginia: 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 (Virginia) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ESA or scholarship program | No ESA. The 2026 General Assembly bills to fund families in nonpublic settings (HB 1204, SB 733) and a homeschool tax credit (SB 732) failed. The Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credit funds "school-related tuition and instructional fees and materials" at nonpublic schools. | Va. Code 58.1-439.25 |
| Who runs it | Not applicable. DD Waivers are run by DBHDS and DMAS through local Community Services Boards. | Virginia DMAS |
| Amount per student | Not applicable. Virginia has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| Who qualifies | Not applicable. Virginia has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| Can homeschoolers use it? | No program to use. The scholarship tax credit statute covers nonpublic school expenses and does not mention home instruction. No homeschool tax credit or deduction exists. | Va. Code 58.1-439.25 |
| Curriculum | Not applicable. Virginia has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| Therapies and therapy equipment | Not applicable. Virginia has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| PE and play equipment | Not applicable. Virginia has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| How purchases work | None. | Ask the program |
| Medicaid waiver for children | DD Waivers run by DBHDS: Family and Individual Supports (FIS) and Community Living (CL) serve children and adults; Building Independence is adults only. Apply through the local Community Services Board. The CCC Plus Waiver (DMAS) serves people needing a nursing facility level of care, all ages, with no waiting list. | Virginia DMAS |
| Equipment category to ask for | "Assistive technology service": specialized medical equipment and supplies not covered by the State Plan, $5,000 per calendar year, no carryover; cannot be approved for "recreation or leisure activities" or when available to children under EPSDT. "Environmental modifications service": a separate $5,000 per calendar year. | 12VAC30-122-270 |
| Waiver waitlist | As of November 25, 2025: 14,258 on the DD Waiver waitlist, 2,727 of them Priority One; 19,924 people held slots; 1,720 new slots each in FY2025 and FY2026. Priority One slots are assigned by urgency, not date. | DBHDS fact sheet, Jan 2026 |
| Katie Beckett or TEFRA option | No TEFRA. For waiver enrollees, DMAS applies income and resource rules as if the person were in a medical institution, which is how parental income is disregarded for a child on a waiver. Confirm the DD-waiver-specific rule with your CSB. | DMAS transmittal |
| 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 Virginia?
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
Virginia education funding
Three 2026 bills failed, and the existing tax credit funds nonpublic school tuition. Nothing reaches a homeschool family's equipment budget.
Case by case
FIS and CL Waivers
Assistive technology is capped at $5,000 per calendar year, unspent funds do not carry over, and the regulation says the service cannot be approved for recreation or leisure activities or when a child can get the item through EPSDT. A request has to be framed around function, and a smaller frame fits the cap. 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. The waitlist is large and Priority One slots go by urgency, so apply through your Community Services Board now.
Needs a Letter of Medical Necessity
HSA and FSA dollars (the same in every state)
HSA and FSA rules are federal, so Virginia 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 Virginia families
1. If your child has a developmental disability, apply for a DD Waiver slot through your local Community Services Board and ask which priority level applies.
2. For a child with complex medical needs, ask about the CCC Plus Waiver, which DBHDS says has no waiting list and also lists assistive technology at $5,000 a year.
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: Virginia
Does Virginia have an ESA (education savings account)? No. The 2026 bills to create one (HB 1204, SB 733) and a homeschool tax credit (SB 732) all failed. The Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credit funds nonpublic school tuition.
What funding can Virginia homeschoolers use? No state education program applies, and there is no homeschool tax credit. Families of children with disabilities can use the DD Waivers or the CCC Plus Waiver, plus HSA and FSA dollars with a Letter of Medical Necessity.
Can a Virginia DD Waiver pay for a play gym? It is unlikely. Assistive technology is capped at $5,000 per calendar year, and the regulation bars approval for recreation or leisure activities or when EPSDT could cover the item. Approval depends on the individual support plan.
Which Virginia Medicaid waiver can fund sensory or adaptive equipment? The Family and Individual Supports and Community Living Waivers list Assistive Technology ($5,000 per calendar year) and Environmental Modifications ($5,000 per calendar year, separately). As of November 25, 2025, 14,258 people were on the DD Waiver waitlist, 2,727 of them Priority One.
Does Brainrich work with Virginia funding programs? We provide the itemized invoice or quote that Virginia 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. 12VAC30-122-270. Assistive technology service. · 12VAC30-122-370. Environmental modifications service. · Virginia DBHDS. Developmental Disability Waivers fact sheet, January 2026. · Virginia DMAS. Developmental Disability Waivers. · Virginia DMAS. CCC Plus Waiver. · Virginia DMAS. CCC Plus SFY2026 rate sheet. · Va. Code 58.1-439.25. Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credits definitions.