This article is intended for Texas parents of children with disabilities.
For purposes of prioritization, the term “children with a disability” includes both children with an individualized education program (IEP) on file with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) at the time the application process closes and children who have submitted a program-approved proof-of-disability form with their application. However, only those children with an IEP on file who are accepted into the program are eligible for the increased funding amount available to children with a disability.
Children with an individualized education program (IEP) from the past three years:
Children may qualify for top priority and additional TEFA funding—up to $30,000 per school year—if they (1) have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) on file with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) within the past three years at the time priority is determined, and (2) are part of a household with total annual income at or below 500% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
To receive top priority and the additional funding, the child must have or have had an IEP on file with TEA for the 2023–2024 school year, 2024–2025 school year, 2026–2027 school year, or the upcoming school year. TEA must return an instructional code from a student's IEP to Odyssey in order for the student to receive funding; a 504 plan does not constitute additional funding or priority for the TEFA program.
To ensure additional funding is received, please confirm that the current public school district that you are zoned for is properly submitting your child's IEP information to TEA as soon as possible. For the best chances of receiving additional special education funding, the IEP must be on file with the Texas Education Agency prior to the application window closing
Please note that during the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
- Numerical instructional code (For more information, please review this article)
- Student’s next annual review date (This is sometimes referred to as the “next annual ARD date” or the “due date”)
- Student's Unique Texas Student Identifier number, if applicable (If the Unique Texas Student ID is unknown, please call your local school district)
- Student's S-number, if applicable
- Student's social security number
- Student's date of birth
Helpful article: What is The S-Number or Texas Unique Child Identification Number?
Children without an individualized education program (IEP) from the past three years, but with a qualifying disability:
Children with a qualifying disability who do not have an IEP on file with TEA from the past three years are not eligible for additional funding. However, if the household income is at or below 500% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), they may still qualify for placement in the top-priority group for children with disabilities from households at or below 500% FPL. To be considered for this group, please submit one of the following during the application process:
- TEFA Disability Certification form completed by their child's practitioner (Download link here),
- Full Individual and Initial Evaluation (FIIE),
- Out-of-state IEP, or
- Expired Texas IEP