North Dakota Funding Guide: ESA, Medicaid Waivers, and Homeschool Funding
Facts checked September 21, 2026 · 6-minute read · by the Brainrich Kids team
North Dakota came close to an education savings account in 2025 and ended the session without one. For a child with autism or a developmental disability, the state's waivers name assistive technology and equipment, without published dollar limits, and the Children with Disabilities Medicaid buy-in stands in for Katie Beckett.
The quick answer for North Dakota: North Dakota has no ESA: HB 1540 was vetoed on April 24, 2025 and SB 2400 failed in the House the same day. The state did elect into the 2027 federal scholarship tax credit, which funds scholarship organizations rather than family accounts. For a child with autism, the Autism Spectrum Disorder Birth through Twenty Waiver lists "Assistive Technology" and "Equipment & Supplies," with 400 slots a year. The Traditional IID/DD Waiver lists "Equipment and Supplies." Equipment dollar limits are not published, so 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: North Dakota facts table · Can this fund a Brainrich gym? · Next steps · FAQ · The full guides · Sources
North Dakota funding facts at a glance
Three kinds of public money can reach a family in North Dakota: 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 (North Dakota) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ESA or scholarship program | No ESA. HB 1540 (2025) passed both chambers, was vetoed on April 24, 2025, and failed. SB 2400 (universal ESA with $500 for homeschoolers) failed in the House 14 to 78. North Dakota is on the IRS list of states electing into the 2027 federal scholarship tax credit. | ND Legislature, HB 1540 |
| Who runs it | Not applicable. Medicaid waivers are run by North Dakota Health and Human Services. | ND HHS |
| Amount per student | Not applicable. North Dakota has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| Who qualifies | Not applicable. North Dakota has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| Can homeschoolers use it? | No program to use. HB 1540 would have excluded homeschoolers by its own title, and SB 2400, which included them, failed. No homeschool tax credit or deduction on official sources. The next opportunity is the 2027 session. | ND Legislature, SB 2400 |
| Curriculum | Not applicable. North Dakota has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| Therapies and therapy equipment | Not applicable. North Dakota has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| PE and play equipment | Not applicable. North Dakota has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| How purchases work | None. | Ask the program |
| Medicaid waiver for children | Medicaid Autism Spectrum Disorder Birth through Twenty Waiver (400 slots a year, 345 active at a time, since the 2025 amendment) and the Traditional IID/DD HCBS Waiver (no age limit). A Medically Fragile Children's Waiver also exists. | ND HHS |
| Equipment category to ask for | Autism waiver: "Assistive Technology" (items that help a child do daily tasks, with a care plan goal, a professional's letter, and a trial) and "Equipment & Supplies" (adaptive devices not obtainable through Medicaid). IID/DD waiver: "Equipment and Supplies." Dollar limits: confirm with the program. | ND HHS |
| Waiver waitlist | The autism waiver is slot-limited (345 active). No official waitlist count is published. Confirm with the program. | ND HHS notice |
| Katie Beckett or TEFRA option | No TEFRA. Instead, the Children with Disabilities Medicaid buy-in covers disabled children under 19 with no asset test, using its own income table (effective April 1, 2026). | ND Medicaid manual |
| 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 North Dakota?
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
North Dakota education funding
Both 2025 ESA bills died, one by veto and one on the House floor. The federal scholarship tax credit the state opted into funds scholarship organizations for 2027, not family-directed accounts.
Case by case
Autism Birth through Twenty Waiver and IID/DD Waiver
The autism waiver's "Assistive Technology" category requires the care plan to state the need and goal, a professional's letter of recommendation, and a trial of the item, and it must not be obtainable through regular Medicaid. No dollar limit is published, so the documentation carries the request. 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota families
1. If your child has an autism diagnosis, contact the Children's Waiver Administrator (dhsautism@nd.gov, 701-328-4630) about the Birth through Twenty Waiver. Slots are limited to 345 active at a time.
2. If family income blocks Medicaid, ask about the Children with Disabilities Medicaid buy-in for children under 19, which has no asset test.
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: North Dakota
Does North Dakota have an ESA (education savings account)? No. HB 1540 was vetoed on April 24, 2025 and SB 2400 failed in the House 14 to 78. North Dakota did elect into the 2027 federal scholarship tax credit, which funds scholarship organizations rather than family accounts.
What funding can North Dakota homeschoolers use? No state program applies, and there is no homeschool tax credit or deduction. Families of children with disabilities can look at the Medicaid waivers and the Children with Disabilities buy-in, plus HSA and FSA dollars with a Letter of Medical Necessity.
Can a North Dakota Medicaid waiver pay for a play gym? It is decided case by case. The Autism Spectrum Disorder Birth through Twenty Waiver lists "Assistive Technology" and "Equipment & Supplies," with a care plan need, a professional's recommendation, and a trial of the item. No dollar limit is published.
Which North Dakota Medicaid waiver can fund sensory or adaptive equipment? The Autism Spectrum Disorder Birth through Twenty Waiver (400 slots a year, 345 active) and the Traditional IID/DD Waiver, which lists "Equipment and Supplies." North Dakota has no TEFRA option; the Children with Disabilities Medicaid buy-in covers children under 19.
Does Brainrich work with North Dakota funding programs? We provide the itemized invoice or quote that North Dakota 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. North Dakota Legislature. HB 1540 (2025) bill overview. · North Dakota Legislature. SB 2400 (2025) bill overview. · ND HHS. Autism services and the Birth through Twenty Waiver. · ND HHS. Public notice, Autism Spectrum Disorder Waiver amendments, 2025. · ND HHS. Traditional IID/DD Waiver renewal training, 2024. · ND Medicaid policy manual. Children with Disabilities coverage. · ND Medicaid policy manual. Children with Disabilities income levels, April 1, 2026. · IRS. Federal Scholarship Tax Credit participating states.