Kentucky Funding Guide: ESA, Medicaid Waivers, and Homeschool Funding
Facts checked September 21, 2026 · 6-minute read · by the Brainrich Kids team
Kentucky has no education savings account. Its 2022 program was struck down and voters rejected Amendment 2 in 2024, so public money cannot go to non-public education. The Michelle P. Waiver's current service list has a Goods and Services category rather than an equipment one, and the waiting lists are long.
The quick answer for Kentucky: Kentucky has no ESA. The state elected into the 2027 federal scholarship tax credit by veto override in March 2026, which funds scholarship organizations. For a child with I/DD, the Michelle P. Waiver (no minimum age, $63,000 annual limit) lists "Goods & Services" for purchases that reduce the need for personal care or enhance independence, and the Supports for Community Living Waiver lists "Specialized Medical Equipment & Supplies." As of September 2, 2025, 9,686 people were waiting for Michelle P. and 3,742 for SCL. A play gym is case by case.
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: Kentucky facts table · Can this fund a Brainrich gym? · Next steps · FAQ · The full guides · Sources
Kentucky funding facts at a glance
Three kinds of public money can reach a family in Kentucky: 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 (Kentucky) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ESA or scholarship program | No ESA. The 2022 Education Opportunity Account law was struck down, and Amendment 2 failed in November 2024. HB 1 (2026) elected Kentucky into the federal scholarship tax credit; it was vetoed on March 13, 2026 and the veto was overridden on March 16 and 17 (Acts Chapter 4). | Kentucky Legislature, HB 1 |
| Who runs it | Not applicable. Waivers are run by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Medicaid Services. | Kentucky CHFS |
| Amount per student | Not applicable. Kentucky has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| Who qualifies | Not applicable. Kentucky has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| Can homeschoolers use it? | No program to use. Whether Kentucky scholarship-granting organizations under the federal credit will fund homeschool expenses is not addressed in HB 1 as summarized. No homeschool tax credit or deduction on official sources. | Kentucky Legislature, HB 1 |
| Curriculum | Not applicable. Kentucky has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| Therapies and therapy equipment | Not applicable. Kentucky has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| PE and play equipment | Not applicable. Kentucky has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| How purchases work | None. | Ask the program |
| Medicaid waiver for children | Michelle P. Waiver (I/DD, no minimum age, waiting list by application date), Supports for Community Living (SCL) Waiver, Home and Community Based Waiver, and the new CHILD waiver for children under 21 (2026). Model II covers ventilator-dependent children. | Kentucky CHFS |
| Equipment category to ask for | Michelle P.: "Goods & Services" (purchases that reduce the need for personal care or enhance independence); it no longer lists Specialized Medical Equipment. SCL: "Specialized Medical Equipment & Supplies" plus Goods and Services. Michelle P. annual limit $63,000, participant-directed budget $40,000. Category dollar caps: confirm with the program. | CHFS services by waiver |
| Waiver waitlist | As of September 2, 2025: Michelle P. 9,686 waiting (average 1,274 days), SCL 3,742 (average 2,830 days), HCB 5,360; 16,373 unduplicated across all waivers. New slots for SFY26: 500 Michelle P., 250 SCL, 500 HCB. | CHFS waiver update |
| Katie Beckett or TEFRA option | Confirm with the program. We could not verify this on an official source on September 21, 2026. | Ask the program |
| 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 Kentucky?
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
Kentucky education funding
No account or credit reaches a homeschool family. The federal scholarship tax credit the state joined funds scholarship organizations from 2027.
Case by case
Michelle P. Waiver and SCL Waiver
On Michelle P., ask about "Goods & Services," defined as purchases that reduce the need for personal care or enhance independence. On SCL, ask about "Specialized Medical Equipment & Supplies." No dollar cap for either category is published. 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. Michelle P. lists by application date, so apply now.
Needs a Letter of Medical Necessity
HSA and FSA dollars (the same in every state)
HSA and FSA rules are federal, so Kentucky 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 Kentucky families
1. If your child has an I/DD diagnosis, apply for the Michelle P. Waiver now. The waiting list runs by application date, and the average wait was over three years as of September 2025.
2. Ask whether the new CHILD waiver (under 21) fits your child's needs; note it has no equipment category.
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: Kentucky
Does Kentucky have an ESA (education savings account)? No. Kentucky's 2022 program was struck down and Amendment 2 failed in November 2024, so public funds cannot go to non-public education. In March 2026 the legislature overrode a veto to join the 2027 federal scholarship tax credit, which funds scholarship organizations.
What funding can Kentucky homeschoolers use? No state education program applies, and there is no homeschool tax credit. Families of children with disabilities can use the Michelle P. or SCL waivers, plus HSA and FSA dollars with a Letter of Medical Necessity.
Can a Kentucky waiver pay for a play gym? Case by case. The Michelle P. Waiver's Goods and Services category covers purchases that reduce the need for personal care or enhance independence, and the SCL Waiver lists Specialized Medical Equipment and Supplies. No dollar cap for either is published.
Which Kentucky Medicaid waiver can fund sensory or adaptive equipment? The Michelle P. Waiver (Goods and Services) and the Supports for Community Living Waiver (Specialized Medical Equipment and Supplies). As of September 2, 2025, 9,686 people were waiting for Michelle P. and 3,742 for SCL. Kentucky has no TEFRA option on official sources.
Does Brainrich work with Kentucky funding programs? We provide the itemized invoice or quote that Kentucky 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. Kentucky CHFS. HCBS services by waiver. · Kentucky CHFS. Michelle P. Waiver. · Kentucky CHFS. SCL Waiver. · Kentucky CHFS. CHILD waiver. · 907 KAR 1:835. Michelle P. Waiver limits, effective July 30, 2025. · Kentucky CHFS. Waiver update to the legislature, September 17, 2025. · Kentucky Legislature. HB 1 (2026) history.