SunshineClaimBuddy helps Florida scholarship families prepare receipts, proof of payment, pre-authorization letters, and Step Up For Students portal details before a claim goes on hold for missing documentation.
Independent tool · Not affiliated with SUFS or Step Up For Students
Use the app before you submit so common Step Up For Students reimbursement and EMA portal issues are easier to catch and fix.
Start with a plain-language map of the receipts, proof of payment, invoices, category details, and portal fields families usually need.
Run a pre-submit check before opening EMA so your receipt, invoice, proof of payment, and student details line up.
Check whether your FES-UA paid receipt or paid-in-full invoice shows the complete date, amount, itemized cost, and paid status the current handbook requires.
Review the missing-document and wrong-category issues that most often slow families down after submission.
Check whether invoices, receipts, and service records show the fields described in the current program handbook for the selected category.
Draft a student-specific educational-benefit explanation for items or services that may need pre-authorization.
Extract text on your device, detect sensitive numbers locally, and permanently redact personal information before AI review.
Official references: Step Up proof-of-payment FAQ and Step Up purchasing guides. SunshineClaimBuddy is independent and does not guarantee approval.
I'm a Florida dad with a son who has Down syndrome. For years, I watched reimbursement requests get delayed or denied over small document details — a missing license number, a mismatched date, or a category that did not fit. I believed AI could help flag some of these issues before submission. I also got tired of digging through photos, emails, and paper piles just to find every receipt for one request. So I built SunshineClaimBuddy to help families like mine prepare a clearer packet.
See how it works →Sound familiar?
"Your claim is On Hold for missing documentation."
Digging through the online handbook to figure out why it was denied.
Waiting weeks for a response only to find a simple fix was needed.
Scanning a receipt on your phone but worried about SSNs or bank numbers visible in the background.
Writing a pre-authorization letter from scratch, unsure of the right category or what policy to cite.
Real screens from the app — no mock-ups.
Claims at a glance
See every claim's status and approval likelihood in one place.
AI compliance review
Possible document and rule issues flagged for your review before you submit.
Submission workspace
A prominent shortcut takes you to every prepared portal field for one-tap copying.
SunshineClaimBuddy reviews document details together and flags possible gaps for you to verify before opening the portal.
Scan → AI compliance review → suggested category & draft justification → approval likelihood score → choose phone or desktop submission. On your phone, Step Up opens only in the normal browser; for desktop, email the fields and separate upload files to yourself.
See the full walkthrough →AI compares extracted document text with bundled FES-UA or FES-EO reference guidance and flags possible issues such as prohibited items, frequency limits, and provider requirements. Always verify current official rules.
Some service categories require provider credentials, license details, or other supporting evidence. The app flags likely missing details for you to compare with the selected category's current requirements.
Get a suggested 3-level portal category path (L1 → L2 → L3) with a confidence rating and plain-English reasoning, then verify it in EMA.
Sensitive patterns such as credit card numbers, SSNs, and bank accounts are flagged locally for your review. You choose what to permanently redact in-app before AI analysis.
AI scores every claim High / Medium / Low with key reasons — "Amount matches POP ✓, Pre-authorization may be required ⚠".
Open a supported public product or service page and tap one button. AI reads the available page content, identifies likely item details, suggests a portal category, and drafts authorization text for you to review.
See how it works →Got a denial? AI drafts appeal language using your item details and relevant reference material for you to verify, edit, and use in the one-time EMA appeal workflow.
Buying something that may need pre-approval from Step Up? SunshineClaimBuddy reads available public page content and drafts a request for you to verify and edit.
Type a product name or paste a URL into the built-in browser, then open a supported public product or service page with enough visible detail for review.
Navigate from the search results to the actual item page. Once you're there, tap "Pre-Auth This Item" — that's it. No copying, no forms.
Gemini AI reads available content from the public page, extracts likely item details, and suggests an FES-UA or FES-EO portal category path (L1 → L2 → L3) for you to verify.
You receive a short eligibility summary and draft authorization text using the scholarship, item, price, and relevant reference material. Review it against the current official rules, edit as needed, and copy when ready.
Open Step Up in your device's normal browser and return to the app's highlighted Portal Fields shortcut to copy each prepared field, or email the English details and separate upload files to yourself for desktop submission. SunshineClaimBuddy never asks for, reads, or stores your Step Up credentials or portal session.
Pre-Auth List
Item details and a category suggestion organized for your review.
AI Details
Likely item details, suggested category, and eligibility summary for your review.
Authorization Draft
AI-written draft to verify and edit before copying into EMA.
SunshineClaimBuddy guides the preparation workflow from scanning a receipt to copying prepared fields, while you verify the packet and control the final submission in EMA.
Snap a photo with the in-app scanner, or share directly from Photos, email, or any file app. Receipts, invoices, and proof-of-payment screenshots are all automatically ingested — no manual data entry.
On-device ML extracts text — no images sent to the cloud. Then local PII scanning flags credit card numbers, SSNs, and bank accounts before a single byte is transmitted. One tap permanently redacts anything sensitive.
The AI reviews extracted text from your receipt, invoice, and proof documents together using bundled FES reference guidance. It flags possible prohibited items, missing credentials, date or amount mismatches, and frequency-limit concerns for you to verify before submitting.
The AI suggests a 3-level category path (L1 → L2 → L3) with a confidence rating and reasoning. It also drafts a justification paragraph for you to verify and edit before copying into the portal.
Every claim receives a High, Medium, or Low estimate with specific callouts. Use it to review possible issues; it is not an approval guarantee.
Open Step Up in your normal browser and return to the highlighted Portal Fields shortcut, or email the English portal details and separate upload files to yourself for a desktop submission. SunshineClaimBuddy cannot access the portal page, cookies, credentials, or session. You control every sign-in, upload, and submission.
Claims at a Glance
Every claim's status and approval likelihood in one list.
AI Compliance Review
Issues flagged before you open the portal.
Workspace: Portal Fields
A highlighted button jumps directly to the prepared fields so they are easy to find and copy.
Workspace: Upload Files
Friendly-named files are prepared for phone upload, email attachments, or an extracted desktop ZIP.
Free for core features, with AI-powered compliance for power users.
$0
$5.99/mo
or $59.99/year
Free
Text extraction runs entirely on-device using local machine learning — no photos are ever uploaded to a cloud server for reading. PII scanning (credit card numbers, SSNs, bank accounts) also runs locally before anything is sent anywhere.
Independent Tool. SunshineClaimBuddy is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected in any way to Step Up For Students, the Florida Department of Education, or any government agency. AI outputs are informational only and do not constitute legal or financial advice. Claim approval decisions are made solely by SUFS.
Scan or share your receipt, invoice, and proof-of-payment into the app. On-device OCR extracts the text locally — no receipt images are sent to any server for OCR. A local PII scan flags sensitive patterns so you can review or permanently redact them. With your consent, AI analyzes extracted text from the claim and flags possible compliance issues, missing details, date mismatches, and category concerns using bundled reference guidance. You get a 3-level portal category suggestion with reasoning, a draft justification, and an approval-likelihood estimate. The Submit workspace prepares friendly-named upload files and shows a highlighted shortcut to every copyable portal field. You can open Step Up only in your normal browser or send an email/ZIP package to a computer.
Open the Pre-Auth tab, type a product name or paste a URL into the built-in browser, and navigate to a supported public product or service page. Tap "Pre-Auth This Item" and the AI reads available page content, extracts likely item details, suggests an FES-UA or FES-EO portal category, and drafts authorization text. Verify the category and draft against the current official rules before copying it into EMA.
SunshineClaimBuddy supports workflows for both the FES-UA (Unique Abilities) and FES-EO (Educational Options) scholarship programs using bundled reference guidance. Always verify current eligibility and documentation rules in the official program handbook.
No. Step Up and EMA account pages open only in your device's normal browser. The app cannot access your credentials, portal pages, cookies, or session. It prepares upload files and copyable fields, while every sign-in, upload, review, and submission remains under your control.
Yes. Email a submission package to yourself with the English portal fields and each upload file attached separately, or export an unencrypted ZIP. The app warns before handing personal or financial information to your chosen email or storage provider. Extract the ZIP and upload the individual files — never the ZIP itself. Creating or emailing a package does not mean the claim was submitted.
When you select a ready claim or pre-authorization, the app prepares friendly-named copies and checks each file against the 4 MB portal limit. On Android, choose a dedicated folder the first time; later preparations can reuse it, and the app replaces only files it created. On iPhone, use one bulk “Save Upload Files to Files” action before opening Step Up. If preparation is incomplete, the Step Up button warns you and offers Retry or Continue Without Prepared Files. Email and ZIP export remain available even if Android folder access is declined.
At the top of every active Submit workspace, a highlighted card shows how many portal fields are ready. Tap “View Portal Fields” to jump directly to the complete copyable list below the phone and desktop options.
The AI compares extracted document text with bundled FES reference guidance and can flag possible issues, but it can miss facts or interpret them incorrectly. Program rules also change. Always cross-check the current official online handbook before submitting; bundled reference material may not reflect the latest revision.
Yes. OCR runs entirely on-device — no receipt images are uploaded for text extraction. Student profile data (name, EMA ID) is stored in your device's secure storage. AI analysis sends only extracted text (not images) through an encrypted proxy server. See our Privacy Policy for details.
Free features include document scanning and storage. The subscription unlocks AI-powered compliance review, category suggestions, approval-likelihood estimates, and appeal drafting. Current listed pricing is $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year; the App Store or Google Play checkout price controls if it differs.
SunshineClaimBuddy is available now on both the App Store and Google Play.
SunshineClaimBuddy is now available on both the App Store and Google Play.
Choose your store and install on your phone today.