Therapy Cost Funding Guidelines

The ARK Foundation recognizes that therapy services play an essential role in the overall well-being and development of children with rare, chronic, or complex medical needs. Our goal is to help families access necessary therapeutic services that support both the affected child and their immediate family members as they navigate ongoing medical and emotional challenges.

Funding may be provided for medically prescribed and clinically indicated therapies delivered by licensed professionals in their respective fields. Eligible therapies include, but are not limited to:

• Physical Therapy (PT) – to improve strength, mobility, and motor function

• Occupational Therapy (OT) – to promote independence in daily activities and adaptive skill development

• Speech and Language Therapy (SLP) – to support speech, language, and feeding/swallowing functions

• Vision Therapy – prescribed for visual tracking or perceptual issues related to medical conditions

• Mental Health Therapies – for emotional support and adjustment to chronic or rare illness

Recognizing that chronic and rare medical conditions affect the entire household, Mental Health Treatment provided by licensed professionals may also be approved for immediate family members (caregivers and siblings living in the same household as the affected child at least 50% of the time.)

Therapies classified as experimental or investigational are not eligible for funding.
An experimental therapy is defined as any treatment that has not been proven effective through recognized scientific research, is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its intended use, or is not widely accepted as standard practice by the relevant medical community or governing professional bodies. 

Examples include unapproved stem cell interventions, hyperbaric oxygen therapy for non-FDA-approved indications, or unregulated alternative treatments.

The ARK Foundation provides assistance only for copayments and deductible amounts associated with medically prescribed therapies that are not fully covered by insurance. Funding is not available for therapies outside of a licensed provider’s care or for services that fall outside standard insurance reimbursement structures.

• Payments are preferably sent directly to the provider to ensure timely processing and accountability.
• Therapy funding may be provided for a period of up to one year per approved request.
• Due to the ongoing nature of therapeutic needs, each family may receive therapy cost support once per lifetime through The ARK Foundation.

• Weekly physical and occupational therapy following a complex surgery
• Speech-language therapy for a child with a tracheostomy or developmental delay
• Vision therapy prescribed after neurological injury
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy or play therapy to support coping and resilience for affected siblings or caregivers