Update 8/25/23: New Info on the Reimbursement Cards for Step Up!

Much to my dismay I went ahead and set up Zelle with the intention of being able to transfer funds from my US Bank Focus reimbursement card to my personal checking. It says in the FAQs about the card that we can do this via Zelle, PayPal or Venmo.

This is not true! Zelle would not allow the US Bank card to be entered in their system as it is a "refillable" card. So there is no way to draw funds from that card to transfer to my bank account.

I can't help but think these reimbursement cards from banks are a scam and another way for banks to hold OUR money hostage. Now when I want to access MY money, I have to withdraw cash and try to get close to the balance left (ATMS have $20 bill increments) or use it for purchases and again, have to get close to the balance. That's wrong! I should be able to draw out the exact amount I want to use at my discretion.

I emailed and Facebook messaged Step Up this: I wasn't sure how to message about concerns or complaints so I am doing that here. Maybe this message can be passed on to whomever would need to hear it when it comes to the reimbursement cards.

I find it very frustrating that I cannot access my money from the debit card in a way where I can just transfer it to my financial institution back into my account. I have to withdraw cash then deposit but, unfortunately, it has to be in increments of $20. That means there will most likely always be a balance on the card. And if I try to use it as a debit to pay for items, I have to try to come close to the balance that is left on the card which I find absurd.

I am hoping for the future you would find a more suitable method for us parents to access our already spent money. My preference is to put it back into my account from where it came from, especially since it takes more than 60 days to even receive the reimbursement onto the card.

I even tried setting up Zelle and Venmo (which I did NOT want another app to have to use with my information) and neither of those accept ways to transfer to my bank. I called US Bank and they told me I cannot transfer to my back with this card in any way.

It seems as if we are being denied FULL access to OUR already spent money.

I received a reply via Facebook Messenger regarding the reimbursement card issues: "We do apologize and understand, and have heard the concerns from our families. I found out today that this week, we'll be sending out an email to families regarding our work on alternatives to the reimbursement card." HOPEFULLY this means they will revert back to a direct deposit into our accounts or some other way for us to access OUR money 100% and not have to play games with a reimbursement card.

I chatted with Step Up today and they said the funds should appear on the reimbursement card 10-14 business days after the reimbursement is approved.

I still haven't had any funds from my approved reimbursements added to the card. Has anyone from PEP actually received their reimbursement funds yet?

I've actually seen some posts on Facebook just today about people starting to get funds on their cards. I haven't personally verified that they were actually PEP (and not UA) but... it's the first I've seen of that so far. So hopefully they're starting to process funds to people's cards, now!

Hi, Courtney! You're not missing anything---they haven't released the features inside EMA yet. We've been told the reimbursement requests and pre-authorization requests will be able to be submitted directly through EMA, but those features likely won't appear until funds have been distributed.

In order to qualify as a Part-Tim Tutor for PEP expenses, they would need to meet at least one of the criteria shown in the Purchasing Guide. You can find the full list of those on pages 12-13 of the Purchasing Guide.

To answer the second part (about Tutors)... the requirements for someone to get approved as a part-time Tutor do require that they have certification or one of the other listed credentials (listed in the Purchasing Guide). For this reason, many co-ops most likely wouldn't be able to qualify their instructors as Tutors. However, there is an entire different category called Home Education Instructional Program, and under that category, individual instructors do not need to meet the Tutor requirements, because the program itself is qualified. Programs that would fit under this would be things like Class Source of Tampa, HEED, TEACH, HEAT, etc. If you'd like to use a co-op that doesn't fall under that category, you're still welcome to do so. It just might not be covered by PEP funds.

Thank you so much for this response! I thought that I had read something similar on this page, but could not find it. It seems as though they are really going to allow us to freedom to choose what we buy, which is great!!!

Wondering if you can make any clarification for me on the information on class is not being allowed for reimbursement that have live interactive instruction. I have looked into some programs that I was hoping my kids might be able to use once they begin pre-algebra, but they are taught live. Am I reading it correctly that this is not allowed (to receive payment for?)?

You're welcome!