If you have a child with a disability in Texas, this episode could be the most important 20 minutes you spend this month. And that's not just an exaggeration. Texas just launched the TEPA program, the Texas Education Freedom Accounts, and for most families with a child with a disability, the standard account is $10,474. But if your child has a qualifying disability and you take the right steps, that number can go all the way up to $30,000. That's $30,000 for one child in one school year. Today we're going to walk you through exactly who qualifies, what documents you need, what steps you need to take right now, and how to make sure you don't accidentally leave that money on the table by missing a deadline. A fast growing number of parents are starting their homeschooling journey while others have been homeschooling for years. All of these parents are asking one big question, how can I afford to homeschool? We are here to answer that important question once and for all. Hi, I'm Crystal Obby. And I'm Anthony Obby. We've been homeschooling our five kids for 13 years and we funded it. Through our online consulting business that we've been running for over 17 years now, we're combining Crystal's financial coaching expertise with my digital marketing background where I help entrepreneurs launch and sell online. We're here to help fellow homeschooling parents self-fund their homeschool journey and create lifestyle businesses. For financial freedom without a nine to five job, are you ready to start living life on your own terms and make your homeschooling experience a lot more fun? Well then sit back, crank up the volume, and enjoy this episode of Homeschool Money. Hey there. We wanna welcome you to the Homeschool Money Podcast. My name is Anthony Obby and this is Crystal Lobe. This is episode three of our Tifa series. If you haven't heard episode one and two, this is episode three of our TFA series. If you haven't heard episodes one and two, go back and listen. They give you the full program overview and application walkthrough. Today we're going deep on disability funding, so let's start with the most important question. What counts as a qualifying disability under Tifa, because a lot of parents assume their child won't qualify and they're wrong. The program recognizes 14 disability categories, and these are the same categories used by Texas Public Schools for special education eligibility. So if your child has ever been evaluated for special education services, there's a very good chance they fall into one of these. Let's run through them so parents can hear if their child's situation is on the list. Autism, deaf, blindness, deaf or hard of hearing. Emotional disability, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment. And this one is broad. It covers A DHD, asthma, epilepsy, diabetes, Tourette syndrome. Sickle cell anemia, and more specific learning disability, which includes dyslexia and dysgraphia, speech impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment, developmental delay for children, ages three to nine and non categorical early childhood for kids between three and five. Let's pause on a few of those. A DHD, dyslexia, autism, speech delays. These are among the most common diagnosis for school aged children in Texas. If your child has any of these and has been evaluated through the public school system, they may already have documentation that qualifies them. And here's something. Parents in private school or homeschool need to hear. Your child does not have to be currently enrolled in a public school to qualify. If your child has a disability, your local public school district is required. To evaluate them regardless of where they're enrolled. Many families don't know that. The official definition that TA uses is that the child must be eligible to participate in a school district special education program because of their disability and because of that disability, they need special education or related services to benefit from education. That's the standard. It's about educational impact, not just diagnose. Now, here's where it gets really important to understand the difference between two things Tifa does and is priority path two is priority plus additional funding. They are not the same thing. And knowing which one you're going for changes what you need to do right now. Hey, real quick, if you're liking the show, hit follow so you don't miss a single episode and drop a five star rating and a review to let us know that you're loving the content and tell us what topics you'd like us to cover. This will help more people find the show, and please share this episode with a friend, your co-op, or anyone who needs it. They'll be glad you did. Now, back to the show. Priority means your child is placed in tier one of the lottery. The best possible position to be selected. To get this, you need to prove your child has a qualifying disability. You can do that with an IEPA full individual and initial evaluation, an out-of-state IEP. Or the specialty for disability certification form that your child's doctor or therapist signs priority plus additional funding is what unlocks that potential $30,000 amount. This is more specific. To get the higher funding your child must have a Texas IEP. From the 2023 to 24, the 2024 to 25, or the 2025 to 26 school year, that is on file with the Texas Education Agency by the close of applications on March 17th. The amount of additional funding is set by the IEP itself and varies by student. So here's the practical breakdown. If your child has a current Texas IEP on file with TEA, you are in the best possible position. You get tier one priority and you're eligible for the higher funding. If your child has a disability, but no current IEP, you can still get tier one priority using the disability certification form, but you won't get the extra funding unless an IEP gets filed in time. Listen. That distinction is everything, and it means some families need to start moving on this today, not next week. That's a critical deadline, and IEP must be on file with TEA by March 17th, 2026 to qualify for additional funding. There are no exceptions after the application window closed. We know families are in very different situations, so let's walk through the most common ones and tell you exactly what to do. Scenario A, my child is in a Texas public school and already has an IEP, so you're in the best position if that's your situation. Your IEP is likely already in the TEA system, but. And this is important. If your child has had a new or updated IEP since November 1st, 2025, contact your school district now and let them know you're applying for tfa. Newer IEPs may need an extra step to be properly recorded with TEA before the deadline. Don't assume it's already there. Make the call. Scenario B. My child attends a private school and has an IEP. This one requires action. Private school IEPs are not automatically in the TEA system. You need to contact the public school district that covers your home address and ask them to upload your child's IEP into TE's Apex system. Call them this week. When you do tell them specifically that you are applying for Tifa and need the IEP uploaded by March 17th, they know what to do. TEA has provided them with instructions for this exact situation. Also, once that IEP is uploaded. Your child will be assigned a Texas unique student identification number called A UID or S number. You will need that number when you fill out your TFA application. The district can give it to you if for some reason you cannot get it in time. You can enter a temporary code in the application, but getting the real UID. Is the only way to guarantee full verification and the additional funding scenario. C. My child is homeschooled and has a disability, but no, IEP. Okay, you have two options. Option one, reach out to your local public school district now and request a special education evaluation. This process takes time, so the sooner you start the better. If an IEP is completed and loaded into TEA before March 17th, your child could qualify for the higher funding. Option two, use the TFA disability certification form. This is a form created specifically for this program, a qualified professional who has evaluated your child, a pediatrician, a psychologist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, depending on the disability category, can sign this form. It gets your child into tier one priority for the lottery. It will not unlock higher funding, but it dramatically improves your lottery odds. Hey, friend, quick break. If you're ready to fund your homeschool without relying on a nine to five job, you have to check this out. We're giving you instant access to. Our free class is called Get 30,000 a year to Fund Your Homeschool Without a nine to five job. In just 90 minutes, you'll learn how to create consistent income. Afford a world-class education for your kids and get the lifestyle freedom you deserve, that's gonna give you more time to invest into the people that matter the most, your children. This is the system that changed everything for us, and it's changed everything for hundreds of other families too. Go to homeschool money.com to register and watch the free class on demand and get our newsletter full of tips and support. Don't wait. Your freedom starts right now. Scenario D, I think my child has a disability, but they've never been evaluated. First, you're not alone. A lot of parents in this situation have suspected something for years. But haven't navigated the evaluation process. Here's your path. Contact your local public school district and request a full individual and initial evaluation called A-F-I-I-E for special education. This is your legal right, regardless of where your child is currently enrolled. Alternatively, have your child's doctor or licensed specialist evaluate them and complete the TFA disability certification form. Either document can establish priority. The disability certification form and instructions for providers are available@educationfreedom.texas.gov. Go to the toolkit section. Your provider may not know this form exists yet. It was created specifically for Tepa, so bring it to them. You can also email disability form dot tepa@cpatexas.gov if you have questions about the form. Okay, so now let's walk through what the application actually looks like for a child with a disability, because there are a few fields that are specific to this situation and you want to get them right. When you get to the student section of the application, you'll be asked whether your child is eligible to participate in a school district special education program. If the answer is yes, say yes. This opens two additional questions about prioritization and potential funding. You'll be asked whether your child has an IEP. If yes, you'll need three pieces of information. One, your child's Texas unique student identification. Number two, the numerical instructional code for their IEP. This is usually in the section labeled least, restrictive environment, instructional arrangement, or local variation three. The name of the school district that created the IEP. Get these ready before you sit down to apply. If your child does not have an IEP, you'll be routed to the prioritization only path. You'll upload your disability documentation. That's the certification form or FIIE or an out-of-state IEP. This still puts your child in tier one for the lottery, which is the most important outcome you can get from the application itself. One more thing that is easy to miss. Your educational setting selection. Private school versus homeschool still locks in at the close of the application window and for a child with a disability going to a participating accredited private school, the baseline is $10,474 plus the additional funding based on their IEP up to $30,000 total. If you select homeschool, you receive $2,000 for most families with a child who has a disability. Private school is the right selection to maximize funding. We wanna take a moment here because this is something every family with a child who has a disability needs to understand before making this decision. When your child is enrolled in a public school, they're protected by federal law and state special education law. Including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or the idea the law guarantees your child the right to a free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. It comes with procedural safeguards, progress monitoring and legal protection. Private schools are not subject to these same federal and state obligations. When you move your child to a private school using TFA funds, you are making a choice to trade those legal protections for educational freedom and flexibility. That is a real trade off, and it is one that each family has to weigh based on their child's specific needs. For some families, a specialized private school that is designed for children with their child's disability, a dyslexia school and autism focused program, a therapeutic school will provide far better outcomes than the public school option for other families. The public school services and legal protections are the right choice. There is no single right answer. If you want to learn more about your rights under special education law, TE appoints families to the Texas Legal Framework for Child centered Special Education, disability rights IDA EEA manual, and the notice of procedural safeguards from sped texts. Read them. Know your rights before and after you make this decision. Okay, so let's close with your action plan. If you have a child with a disability, here is exactly what to do After you finish this episode, step one, find out if your child already has an IEP on file with TEA. Call your school district or check with your child's current school. If it's a public school, IEP, it's likely already there. If it's a private school, IEP, call the district that covers your home address and ask them to upload it. Step two. If there is no IEP, decide which path makes sense for your family. Either request a special education evaluation from your local district. Do this immediately. If you want any chance of getting an IEP filed before March 17th, or download the TFA disability certification form and bring it to your child's doctor or therapist, step three, gather your UID, your IEP instructional code and the name of the district that issued the IEP before you sit down to apply. Having these ready makes the application fast and accurate. Step four, select private school in your application. If your child could attend a Tifa participating private school, you can always switch down. Remember, you cannot switch up after March 17th. Step five share this episode. Parents who have children with special needs are in communities that are tight knit and generous with each other. There is a family in your circle who needs to hear this. Send it to them today. The deadline waits for no one. For all official forms, the school finder and program updates, go to education freedom.texas.gov. Be sure to check the show notes for details. We'll see you in episode number four. Where we're going to help you find and choose the right teeth of school for your child. If you like today's episode, make sure you tap the follow button so you never miss a thing, and if it help you share it with a friend or your homeschool group sharing is caring. Do you love free stuff? Like me? Sign up and watch our free games class called Get 30,000 a year to Find Your Homeschooling. With our nine to five job, when you sign up, you'll gain instant access to a class and you'll get our weekly newsletter. For tips and strategies to make your homeschooling journey affordable, go to homeschool money.com and register right now, ready to get your homeschool money. Head over to homeschool money.com to enroll in the full Homeschool Money Makeover course. You'll get the tools, templates, and step by step help to find your first $1,000 fast. And create 30,000 or much more every year. Each module of this program is designed to transform your finances and help you experience financial abundance, so you have the flexibility and lifestyle freedom to homeschool your children with a nine to five job and without sacrificing. And right now we have an amazing limited time offer that gives you huge savings and bonus gifts you're going to love. Go to homeschool may.com to enroll today, and don't forget to give us some love with the five star rating and review. It'll help more people find ourselves. Have a great day. Bye.