If your child’s IEP lists speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or another related service and the school cannot find a provider, you may hear the term “RSA.” It stands for Related Services Authorization. NYC Public Schools describes an RSA as an authorization that lets a family seek a qualified independent provider for a specified related service at DOE expense. It is part of a provider-arrangement process, not a replacement for the IEP itself.
When does an RSA come into the picture?
For students in NYC public schools in grades K–12, NYC Public Schools says it first looks for a DOE therapist at the school, then a contracted agency provider. If neither is available, the school or Committee on Special Education may issue an RSA. The process for preschool students is different: the CPSE arranges preschool services. Families in other school settings should confirm the applicable process with their school or CSE.
An RSA relates to a particular service. Do not assume that an authorization for speech also covers OT, or that it changes the number or format of sessions in the IEP. Read the authorization alongside the current IEP and ask the issuing office to explain any difference.
What can you do with the authorization?
The RSA allows you to look for an eligible independent provider. NYC Public Schools provides provider lists and an online search tool organized by service and borough. The school or CSE that issued the authorization can help if you cannot find someone. Ask whether the provider you are considering can accept the authorization and what paperwork is needed before services begin. Do not assume that paying a private provider yourself will automatically be reimbursed.
Keep copies of the RSA, dates you contacted providers, responses you received, and any barriers you encountered. If a provider is available but the time, travel, or format makes the service impossible for your child, tell the school or CSE specifically what is not working. A voucher is useful only if the child can actually receive the service.
What if no provider accepts the RSA?
Do not let the search disappear into a series of phone calls no one can reconstruct. Make a short list of the providers you contacted, the date, and why each could not take the case. Then send the list to the school or CSE and ask for help with another provider option. NYC Public Schools directs families who still cannot find a provider to the school Parent Coordinator or the CSE that issued the voucher; it also lists a Related Services contact. Ask for a date when the issuing office will follow up. Keep recording the IEP sessions that remain unprovided while the search continues.
Questions to ask when an RSA is offered
Confirm the service, frequency, session length, setting, start and end dates, and whom to contact for help finding a provider. Ask how attendance and delivery will be recorded. If your child has already missed weeks of a service, ask how that earlier period will be reviewed separately. Getting an RSA for future sessions does not, by itself, answer whether the prior gap affected your child.
If you have not received an RSA and the school says no provider is available, ask what it has done so far and what the next step is in its provider process. Put the request in writing. A short, factual message is enough: “My child’s IEP recommends occupational therapy twice weekly. Please confirm the current provider arrangement or when the school or CSE will issue an RSA if one is appropriate.” Use the exact details in your child’s IEP.
RSA is not the same as an IESP or a P4
NYC Public Schools uses different terms for different services and school settings. Its related-services guidance distinguishes RSAs from P4 authorizations used for SETSS. An IESP is a different services plan for certain parentally placed private-school or home-schooled students. If a form or authorization refers to a program you do not recognize, ask the issuing office to explain it before acting.
If your child has an existing NYC IEP and a mandated related service remains unprovided despite efforts to arrange a provider, NYC IEP Advocacy can review the timeline during a free 15-minute screening. Bring the IEP, authorization, school messages, and provider-search notes. This article is general information, not legal advice. NYC IEP Advocacy is not a law firm.
