Did the U.S. Department of Education reclassify professional degrees affecting speech-language pathology funding in 2024–2025?

1. No source here documents a federal “reclassification” by ED affecting SLP funding

I found no item in the provided set that states the U.S. Department of Education reclassified professional degrees in 2024–2025 in a way that changed funding for speech‑language pathology; the materials instead cover grants, scholarships, advocacy priorities, and state/local agreements — none claim a federal reclassification of professional degrees by ED (available sources do not mention a DOE reclassification).

2. Local/state-level billing agreements can look like “reclassification,” but that’s different from an ED rule

One detailed example in the material is a November 18, 2024 memorandum of agreement between the New York City Department of Education and the United Federation of Teachers that creates a pathway for the DOE to bill Medicaid for speech therapy delivered by certain speech teachers — including Teachers of the Speech and Hearing Handicapped (TSHH) and Teachers of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities (TSSLD) — and requires SLP speech teachers to provide proof of their state SLP license to the DOE ^[1]. That is a local policy/billing arrangement, not a nationwide reclassification by the U.S. Department of Education ^[1].

3. Federal grant activity and scholarships continued in 2024–2025 but are programmatic, not degree reclassification

Multiple entries reference Department of Education grants administered to universities for SLP and deaf education workforce development (e.g., Fontbonne University reporting receipt of U.S. Department of Education grants to fund graduate programs) and many scholarship/grant resources for students ^{[4] [2] [5]}. Those show federal investment in training SLPs, but they are grant programs and scholarships, not regulatory reclassification of degree status ^{[4] [2]}.

4. Professional advocacy and payment concerns were a clear focus in 2024 — ASHA framed them as priorities

The American Speech‑Language‑Hearing Association (ASHA) explicitly lists 2024 advocacy priorities around workforce shortages, payment and coverage problems, and monitoring regulatory changes that could affect licensing, certification, and scope of practice for audiologists and SLPs ^[3]. ASHA’s work involves monitoring and responding to legislative/regulatory moves, but the provided material does not show ASHA reporting a DOE reclassification of degrees in 2024–25 ^[3].

5. Distinguish “reclassification of degrees” from billing/credential verification and accreditation requirements

The sources show several mechanisms that affect how SLP services are paid or who can bill (e.g., Medicaid billing pathways in NYC) and academic accreditation and certification rules that determine eligibility for professional credentials (e.g., ASHA/CAA course and program standards), but these are administrative, licensure, accreditation, or local billing changes — not a federal redefinition of what counts as a professional degree ^{[1] [6]}. Those distinctions matter: accreditation or licensure changes affect clinical eligibility and funding routes, while a national “degree reclassification” would be a separate regulatory action (available sources do not mention the latter).

6. How reporting can be misleading — possible sources of confusion

Stakeholders often conflate (a) local Medicaid billing agreements, (b) state licensure verification requirements, (c) ED or HHS grant programs that direct funds to training, and (d) accreditation standards; any one of these can be described in short headlines as “changes to funding” or “changes to degree recognition.” The New York City DOE–UFT memorandum is an example where local billing practice change increases Medicaid reimbursement potential for speech services, which could be described informally as a funding change even though it is not a federal reclassification of degrees ^[1].

7. Bottom line and what to watch next

Based on these documents, there is clear activity around funding, grants, Medicaid billing, and advocacy for SLPs in 2024–2025, but no evidence here that the U.S. Department of Education reclassified professional degrees to change SLP funding nationally (available sources do not mention a DOE reclassification). If you want confirmation of any specific ED regulatory action, look for an official ED rulemaking notice or Federal Register publication and for ASHA statements responding to such a notice — neither appears in the materials provided (available sources do not mention a DOE reclassification).