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<title>Does the Ohio Autism Scholarship Pay for ABA Therapy? What the $34,000 Actually Covers | Achieving Stars Therapy</title>
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<div class="hero"><div class="hero-inner"><span class="location-badge">Ohio Autism Scholarship</span><h1>Does the Ohio Autism Scholarship Pay for ABA Therapy?</h1><p>The Autism Scholarship is real money and it helps a lot of Ohio families. It's also widely misunderstood as a way to pay for therapy at home, which isn't what it does.</p></div></div>
<div class="quick-info"><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Requires</div><div class="info-value">A current IEP</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Starts At</div><div class="info-value">Age 3</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">FY2026 Maximum</div><div class="info-value">$34,000</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Pays For</div><div class="info-value">A school program</div></div></div>
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<section><p>Mostly no. The Ohio Autism Scholarship pays for an <strong>education program</strong>, not for clinical ABA therapy in your home.</p>
<p>It lets parents take their child out of the school district's special education program and use the money at a participating scholarship provider instead. It's run by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, not by Medicaid.</p></section>
<section><h2>Three rules that catch families out</h2>
<p>Everything starts with an IEP. The scholarship attaches to an individualized education program, or an autism education plan, written by the district where you live. Children become eligible to apply once they turn three.</p>
<p>Then there's a sentence on the state's own page that most families read straight past. Enroll your child with a business provider rather than a school, and you take on responsibility for educating them at home. Those are the Department's terms, not one blogger's reading of them.</p>
<p>As for the money, $34,000 was the ceiling for the autism category across July 2025 to June 2026. Getting the full figure assumes enrolment for the entire school year. Costs above the ceiling land on the family, along with anything the IEP doesn't name.</p>
<div class="highlight-box"><p><strong>Watch the figure you're quoted.</strong> Search this and you'll find $27,000, $29,107, $32,455, and $34,000 across different sites. Only the Department's own award schedule is current, and it's reset every fiscal year.</p></div></section>
<section><h2>Scholarship or Medicaid: which one fits</h2>
<table>
<tr><th></th><th>Autism Scholarship</th><th>Ohio Medicaid ABA</th></tr>
<tr><td>What it pays for</td><td>An education program</td><td>Clinical ABA therapy</td></tr>
<tr><td>What it requires</td><td>A current IEP</td><td>A medical necessity determination</td></tr>
<tr><td>Where services happen</td><td>At a participating provider</td><td>At home and in the community</td></tr>
<tr><td>Ceiling</td><td>$34,000 in FY2026</td><td>No annual dollar cap under 21</td></tr>
<tr><td>Do parents home educate?</td><td>Yes, with a business provider</td><td>No</td></tr>
</table>
<p>They're separate systems, and a family can look into both. For therapy hours in the home, the route is Medicaid or commercial insurance.</p>
<p>Achieving Stars Therapy isn't an Autism Scholarship provider. It bills Ohio Medicaid and most commercial plans for in-home ABA, and verifies coverage before the first session.</p></section>
<section><h2>Frequently Asked Questions</h2>
<div class="faq-item"><h3>Can we use the scholarship and still get ABA at home?</h3><p>The two don't come from the same pot. The scholarship handles the school side. In-home therapy hours run through Medicaid or your insurance, on their own track.</p></div>
<div class="faq-item"><h3>What about the Jon Peterson scholarship?</h3><p>It's a separate Department of Education program for students with disabilities who have an IEP. A student uses one or the other, not both.</p></div>
<div class="faq-item"><h3>So where should we actually start?</h3><p>With a benefits check. Achieving Stars Therapy will tell you which payer covers your child before anyone signs anything. See <a href="/guide/ohio-medicaid-aba-therapy-coverage">how Ohio Medicaid covers ABA</a>, or in-home services in <a href="/location/city/aba-therapy-cincinnati-oh">Cincinnati</a> and across <a href="/location/states/aba-therapy-ohio">Ohio</a>.</p></div>
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<p class="disclaimer">Program rules and the FY2026 award figure come from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Autism Scholarship Program pages and the FY2026 category award schedule, covering July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. Amounts are set each school year. Confirm the current figure with the Department. Not legal or educational advice.</p>
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<h2>Want to Know What Your Insurance Covers Instead?</h2>
<p>Free benefits check. BCBA-led, in-home, flexible day and evening scheduling.</p>
<a href="https://www.achievingstarstherapy.com/contact" class="cta-button">Check Your Coverage</a>
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<div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Call</div><div class="cta-item-value"><a href="tel:8336663115">(833) 666-3115</a></div></div>
<div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Email</div><div class="cta-item-value"><a href="mailto:info@achievingstarstherapy.com">info@achievingstarstherapy.com</a></div></div>
<div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Ages</div><div class="cta-item-value">18 months to 15 years</div></div>
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