Support you can get in the United States

Some of what your family needs is already paid for by the government. Most parents are never told. Here is what exists, who it is for, and the first step.

Almost everything here works the same way: the right is federal, so it is the same wherever you live, but the office that provides it is your state or your school district. That is why so much of what follows ends with asking someone local. The federal law is what you can hold them to.

We have only checked federal programmes so far. Every state runs its own as well, and those can be worth more than the federal ones — we have not looked at them yet.

One federal benefit is missing from this page, and we would rather say so than leave you to notice: Supplemental Security Income, usually called SSI, is the main federal monthly payment for a disabled child. The Social Security Administration’s pages would not load for us, so we have not been able to check who qualifies or what it pays, and we will not print a figure we have not read ourselves. It is still worth asking about.

We do not run any of these programmes and we cannot get you a place on one. Who qualifies and what is available does change, so each one below shows when we last checked it and links to the official page.

Getting recognised

We have not been able to check this one yet. In many countries there is a single disability certificate you apply for, and we could not confirm whether the United States has a federal equivalent for a child. The Social Security Administration is the place that would answer it, and its pages would not load for us. We will not write this up from memory. When we can read the pages ourselves, it goes here.

Getting therapy and early support

Early intervention under IDEA Part C

Also called IDEA Part C

What it gives you: Early intervention for a baby or toddler with a disability, or a suspected one — things like speech and language help, occupational therapy, or training for you as a family. What your child gets is written down in a plan covering your child and your family together, usually called by its initials, an IFSP. The guidance says that first plan meeting must be held within 45 days of your child being referred.
Who it is for: Any infant or toddler from birth to age three with a disability, or suspected of having one, who may need early intervention. This is a right under federal law across the whole country — but each state runs its own programme, so there is no federal office you would call directly.
What it costs: The federal guidance we read does not say whether this costs anything. We are not going to guess at it, and your state programme is the place to ask.
How to start: This is not something you apply for the way you would a benefit. A doctor, a childcare provider or another professional is meant to refer your child within seven days of spotting a possible delay, and states are required to let families know the service exists. The guidance is written for states and providers rather than for you, so it does not set out how a parent refers their own child. The most direct step is to raise what you have noticed with your child’s pediatrician and ask about a Part C referral, or to contact your state’s early intervention programme yourself.
Who runs it: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Read the official page

Checked 11 September 2026.

Money and equipment

Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services waiver

Also called 1915(c) waiver

What it gives you: A waiver is federal permission for your state’s Medicaid programme to pay for long-term care and support in your own home or community instead of in an institution. What that covers depends on what your state has set up.
Who it is for: The federal page names autism as one of the conditions a state waiver can be targeted at, alongside epilepsy, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and HIV/AIDS. Who actually qualifies is set by each state, not federally: your child would need to be assessed as needing a level of care that would meet your state’s requirements for being served in an institution. States also choose the maximum number of people a waiver serves, and can add their own criteria, so the same child can qualify in one state and not in another.
What it costs: This federal page does not state a cost. A waiver is run and funded jointly with your state’s own Medicaid programme, so that question sits with your state, which this federal pass did not check.
How to start: This page is written for states rather than for families, and does not set out how a parent applies. The starting point is your own state’s Medicaid agency — ask specifically about home and community-based services waivers, because a state can run several of them with different rules.
Who runs it: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), under Section 1915(c) of the Social Security Act

Read the official page

Checked 11 September 2026.

School

Special education evaluation for a school-age child

Also called IDEA Part B child find

What it gives you: A formal evaluation by your child’s public school district, to work out whether your child needs special education and related services. This is the step that has to happen before your child can get an IEP, and once you have given consent the guidance says it must be done within 60 days, unless your state has set its own timeframe.
Who it is for: Any school-age child the school knows, or has reason to believe, may have a disability and may need special education. You can start this yourself — the guidance says only a child’s parent or the child’s school district, called the LEA or local educational agency, can request an initial evaluation.
What it costs: The guidance we read does not put a price on the evaluation itself. What it does say is that special education and related services under this law are defined as being provided at public expense and without charge. If a school asks you to pay for an evaluation it is carrying out, that is worth questioning.
How to start: Ask your child’s school for an initial special education evaluation, in writing, so there is a dated record of when you asked. The 60-day clock starts when you give your consent, not when you first raise it.
Who runs it: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Read the official page

Checked 11 September 2026.

Individualized Education Program

Also called IEP

What it gives you: A written plan setting out the special education and related services your child’s public school has to provide, built around your child rather than around a standard curriculum.
Who it is for: A child found eligible for special education through an evaluation. You are part of the team that writes it — the guidance says the team includes the parents, at least one of your child’s regular education teachers where your child is or may be in a regular classroom, and at least one special education teacher or provider. A team member can only be excused from a meeting if you agree to it in writing.
What it costs: The guidance we read does not state a cost for the IEP itself. Special education under this law is defined as being provided at no cost to parents.
How to start: You can ask for an IEP team meeting at any time — the guidance is explicit that this is not limited to the yearly review. If the school refuses to reconvene the team, it has to give you that refusal in writing, which is worth having if you decide to challenge it.
Who runs it: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Read the official page

Checked 11 September 2026.

Section 504 plan

Also called 504 plan

What it gives you: A plan of accommodations and services a public school has to provide for a child whose disability substantially limits a major life activity — things like extra time on tests, or a change to an attendance policy. This is a separate route from an IEP, and a child who does not qualify for an IEP can still qualify here.
Who it is for: A child with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, has a record of one, or is regarded as having one. The page is clear that this should be read broadly, and names anxiety disorders and ADHD as conditions that are not individually listed in the regulations but would in many cases meet the test.
What it costs: Free. If your child’s Section 504 team decides a medical assessment is needed, the page says the school must ensure your child gets it at no cost to you — neither the burden nor the cost can be shifted onto a parent.
How to start: Tell the school in writing that you believe your child needs an evaluation. Every school district receiving federal money and employing 15 or more people has to name at least one Section 504 coordinator, so ask to speak to them. You do not need to bring a diagnosis first: the page says plainly that nothing in Section 504 requires a medical diagnosis before a school decides a child has a disability and needs support.
Who runs it: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Read the official page

Checked 11 September 2026.

If you're told no

Disability discrimination complaint to the Department of Education

Also called OCR complaint

What it gives you: A federal investigation into a public school, or anywhere else that receives federal education money, if you believe it discriminated against your child because of their disability — refusing to evaluate them, refusing reasonable changes, or treating them worse than other children.
Who it is for: The page does not set out who may file. It does deal with filing on someone else’s behalf: if you complain about or for another person, you are responsible for getting any written consent from them that is needed. For your own child, that is the situation the form is built around.
What it costs: The page does not mention any fee.
How to start: File within 180 days of the last act of discrimination. You can ask for that deadline to be waived, but you would have to show good cause, so it is worth not waiting. You can file through the electronic complaint form, by email to OCR@ed.gov, by fax to 202-453-6012, or by post to the Office for Civil Rights, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-1100. To check your complaint arrived, the number is 800-421-3481.
Who runs it: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR)

Read the official page

Checked 11 September 2026.

ADA complaint to the Department of Justice

Also called ADA complaint

What it gives you: A way to report a state or local government body — including a public school, or a public hospital — for failing to provide the access the Americans with Disabilities Act requires.
Who it is for: The page covers complaints about a state or local government and its programmes, including public schools, as well as about a private business that serves the public.
What it costs: The page does not mention any fee.
How to start: File online through the Civil Rights Division’s website, or send the ADA Complaint Form — or a letter carrying the same information — to the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20530. The page gives no deadline for filing. It says a review can take up to three months, and if you have heard nothing after that you can call the ADA Information Line on 800-514-0301, or 1-833-610-1264 for TTY, Monday to Friday.
Who runs it: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

Read the official page

Checked 11 September 2026.