Washington Funding Guide: ESA, Medicaid Waivers, and Homeschool Funding
Facts checked September 21, 2026 · 6-minute read · by the Brainrich Kids team
Washington has no education savings account and no income tax to credit against. For a child with a developmental disability living at home, the Individual and Family Services Waiver gives a yearly allocation of $1,560 to $4,680 by assessed level, spendable on services including specialized equipment and assistive technology.
The quick answer for Washington: Washington has no ESA, voucher, or tax credit; a 2026 ESA bill for foster youth never left committee. For a child with a developmental disability, the DDA Individual and Family Services (IFS) Waiver gives an annual allocation of $1,560, $2,340, $3,120, or $4,680 by assessed level, usable for "Assistive Technology," "Specialized Equipment and Supplies," and "Environmental Adaptations" among other services. The Basic Plus Waiver allows $6,192 a year in aggregate services. There is no formal waitlist, but funding opens from a service request list as capacity allows. A play gym is possible inside a small allocation.
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: Washington facts table · Can this fund a Brainrich gym? · Next steps · FAQ · The full guides · Sources
Washington funding facts at a glance
Three kinds of public money can reach a family in Washington: 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 (Washington) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ESA or scholarship program | No ESA, voucher, or tax credit. HB 2719 (2026), an ESA for foster care students, had a first reading on February 3, 2026 and stayed in the House Education Committee. | Washington Legislature, HB 2719 |
| Who runs it | Not applicable. DDA waivers are run by the DSHS Developmental Disabilities Administration. | Washington DSHS DDA |
| Amount per student | Not applicable. Washington has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| Who qualifies | Not applicable. Washington has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| Can homeschoolers use it? | No program to use. Washington has no income tax, so there is no credit or deduction, and home-based instruction is self-funded. | Washington Legislature |
| Curriculum | Not applicable. Washington has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| Therapies and therapy equipment | Not applicable. Washington has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| PE and play equipment | Not applicable. Washington has no family-directed education account. | Ask the program |
| How purchases work | None. | Ask the program |
| Medicaid waiver for children | DSHS Developmental Disabilities Administration waivers: Individual and Family Services (IFS, all ages living with family), Basic Plus, Core, and Children's Intensive In-home Behavioral Support (CIIBS). Apply through a DDA Service and Information Request. | Washington DSHS DDA |
| Equipment category to ask for | IFS: "Assistive Technology," "Specialized Equipment and Supplies," "Environmental Adaptations," and "Therapeutic Adaptations," inside an annual allocation of $1,560 (Level 1), $2,340, $3,120, or $4,680 (Level 4). Basic Plus: the same categories inside $6,192 a year in aggregate services plus up to $6,000 emergency assistance. | WAC 388-845-0230 |
| Waiver waitlist | No formal waitlist. Eligible clients without funded services sit on the No Paid Services caseload and receive offers from the Service Request List as capacity opens. Current count: confirm with the program. | DDA caseload report |
| Katie Beckett or TEFRA option | No TEFRA. A 2020 Health Care Authority report recommended against adding one; DDA-eligible children reach Medicaid through the DDA waivers. Later changes: confirm with the program. | Washington HCA report |
| 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 Washington?
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
Washington education funding
No account, scholarship, or credit reaches a home-based instruction family.
Case by case
IFS and Basic Plus Waivers
The IFS allocation is the family's yearly budget across all IFS services, from $1,560 to $4,680 by assessed level, so specialized equipment competes with respite and therapies for the same dollars. A Model T3 fits inside a Level 4 allocation; larger frames do not. 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. Ask your DDA case manager how the allocation and any environmental adaptation limits apply.
Needs a Letter of Medical Necessity
HSA and FSA dollars (the same in every state)
HSA and FSA rules are federal, so Washington 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 Washington families
1. If your child has a developmental disability, submit a DDA Service and Information Request to establish eligibility and get on the paid-services or service request list.
2. Ask your case manager which waiver (IFS, Basic Plus, or CIIBS) fits your child and what the current allocation level is.
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: Washington
Does Washington have an ESA (education savings account)? No. Washington has no ESA, voucher, or tax credit. A 2026 bill to create ESAs for foster care students (HB 2719) never left committee, and there is no state income tax.
What funding can Washington homeschoolers use? No state education program applies. Families of children with developmental disabilities can use the DDA waivers, plus HSA and FSA dollars with a Letter of Medical Necessity.
Can a Washington DDA waiver pay for a play gym? Possibly, inside a small allocation. The IFS Waiver's yearly allocation is $1,560 to $4,680 by assessed level and covers Specialized Equipment and Supplies among other services, so a smaller frame could fit at the higher levels. Approval depends on the person-centered service plan.
Which Washington Medicaid waiver can fund sensory or adaptive equipment? The DDA Individual and Family Services Waiver lists Assistive Technology, Specialized Equipment and Supplies, and Environmental Adaptations, with annual allocations of $1,560 to $4,680. The Basic Plus Waiver allows $6,192 a year in aggregate services. Washington has no TEFRA option.
Does Brainrich work with Washington funding programs? We provide the itemized invoice or quote that Washington 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. WAC 388-845-0230. IFS waiver allocation levels. · Washington DSHS DDA. Individual and Family Services Waiver. · Washington DSHS DDA. Eligibility and Services Guide. · Washington State Register 25-21. WAC 388-845-0210 Basic Plus limits. · Washington Legislature. HB 2719 (2026) bill summary. · Washington HCA. TEFRA and Katie Beckett waivers report, October 15, 2020. · Washington DSHS DDA. 2021 caseload and cost report.