Big News! Odyssey Releases Reimbursement Policy for Utah Fits All Families

As mentioned in our last post, we understand the challenges that both current and prospective scholarship families are facing during the program management transition. The shift from ACE to Odyssey in administering Utah Fits All has created difficulties for families and providers. We hope our efforts have helped you stay informed and empowered to focus on your family’s educational goals and planning as best you can under the circumstances.

Our team has been actively advocating for commonsense policies that uphold your educational choices while remaining aligned with the law. We’re proud of the role we’ve played in protecting and advocating for you during this transition. UEFA is also grateful that Odyssey has been willing to be collaborative and to hear and listen to our feedback. We have pushed hard to ensure the law was understood and adhered to, especially on reimbursements.

Today Odyssey released their long awaited policies on reimbursement. The communication covers reimbursements for the remaining 2024-2025 scholarship year as well as direction for how reimbursements will operate moving forward for the new school year. We’re here to help you unpack it!

Keep in mind that both the marketplace and reimbursements launch on August 21.

Overview of Odyssey’s Marketplace and Reimbursement Approach

Odyssey Marketplace

If you’ve been tracking this journey closely, Odyssey’s marketplace is their focus and replacement for the ACE limited marketplace and the qualifying Direct Pay Providers managed in the ClassWallet system. The Odyssey marketplace will be far more robust. It is also curated. Unlike ClassWallet, items that appear in the marketplace are approved expenses.

• Odyssey’s marketplace is able to house thousands of unique vendors, ranging from big box retailers, like Amazon, to local service providers.
• Odyssey pre-approves eligible vendors and offerings before loading offerings into the marketplace. This ensures that all purchases are compliant with state law.
• Since items are pre-approved, once you purchase an item in the marketplace, it goes directly to fulfillment, without delay or need for secondary review. 

Reimbursements

• The Odyssey platform will also support reimbursements.
• Odyssey will utilize the utmost discretion in determining whether reimbursements meet an educational purpose.
• There will be no preapproved reimbursements, each reimbursement must be individually submitted and reviewed by Odyssey to include purchases made from an eligible provider.
• The reimbursement portal is accessible via the Odyssey digital wallet and will open on August 21st, the same date as the Marketplace launch.
• Two reimbursement policies below. 
  • The first policy is for all reimbursements made from the program transition, January 1, 2025, to the marketplace opening on August 21st. 
  • The second policy will cover the 2025-2026 school year, starting from August 21st onwards, in tandem with marketplace launch.

➡️ Reimbursement Policy for the Remainder of 2024-2025 School Year Funds (Ending August 20, 2025)

• Parents may submit a reimbursement for a purchase made during the program transition, from January 1, 2025 through August 20, 2025. 
• Any pending reimbursements at the time of the transition under the previous program provider must be submitted via a new reimbursement request through the Odyssey platform, once available. 
• Reimbursements will only be approved if the purchase is for an educational good or service, and if the student submitting the reimbursement has a remaining year one balance that covers the cost of the reimbursement requested.
• Proof must be submitted to justify why the purchase made constitutes an educational expense. 
• All reimbursements for purchases made during this period of transition must be submitted by September 30, 2025 in order to be considered eligible for payment. 
• When the reimbursement portal goes live you’ll need:
  • Vendor’s name
  • Description of purchase
  • Date of purchase
  • Requested reimbursement amount
  • Image of receipt, which includes:
    • Price
    • Name of the vendor
    • Date of purchase
    • Itemized cost of the item or service provided
  • Explanation outlining the educational nature of the purchase
  • Consent that this purchase was not already reimbursed by the previous provider.

➡️ Reimbursement Policy for the 2025-2026 School Year Funds - Beginning August 21, 2025

Starting August 21, 2025 if an educational product or service isn’t on the Odyssey Marketplace, you’ll be asked to submit that reimbursement request under one of the following 5 categories. 

Items or services not explicitly included in the below categories will be available for purchase either directly in the Odyssey marketplace or via reimbursement through the “other” expenses category.

1. Ride Fees for a Fee-For-Service Transportation Provider
   • Ride fees or fares for a fee-for-service transportation provider to transport students to and from a qualifying provider, not to exceed $750 in a given school year.
2. Assessment Test Fees
   • Test fees for assessments are reimbursable. 
3. Internet Fees
   • Fees associated with internet service to be used in the education of a student. Service period must occur during the time covered by the scholarship. 
4. Fees for Extracurricular Activities or Enrichment Classes
   • Extracurricular activities or enrichment classes must be for an educational purpose. Examples of an educational purpose include admission fees to go to a museum, zoo, aquarium, or park. It could also include participation in a sports program, or participation in an educational day camp.
5. Other Educational Expenses
   • Any product or service may be submitted under this category that is not categorized above and is subject to review by Odyssey.
   • Please note that the “other” category will maintain the highest scrutiny.

For each of these, you’ll need to keep track of when it was purchased, used, the amount paid, and an image of the itemized receipt (with vendor name and date of purchase visible). These asks aren’t exhaustive and each type of expense has a unique ask, so refer to the lists Odyssey published here for their full ask.

You’ll also need to outline the educational nature of the purchase as well as the vendor’s address for “other educational expenses.” We strongly recommend referring to these lists when making a purchase requiring reimbursement starting August 21st, so you can collect and note this information while it’s fresh on your mind. 

Utah Education Fits All is Here to Advocate, Support, Inform, & Empower!

We know the past few months have felt very much like hurry-up-and-wait — wait for new rules, new directions, and new requirements. We want to leave you with this:

✅ We are here to ensure that the implementation of this program is aligned to the law  — Utah Code 53F-6-402

✅ We are constantly advocating to make Utah Fits All the best program it can be for Utah families seeking the freedom and access to choose the best fit for their child’s education. Supporting all of you is our #1 priority!

✅ We welcome your thoughts and questions. We don’t always have the answers you need, but it empowers us to advocate well for you and plan informative materials that enrich our community. Reach out here.