I think it is approved at the session, but all the requests have to be in. Normally requests are approved, people are not kept with their old coaches by force or anything. If Zhenya wants to leave Eteri, she can leave, even if the Fed spends the entire time till then trying to dissuade her. And there are no bans on being coached abroad, dancers have done it. Sinitsina/Katsalapov and Ilyinykh/Zhiganshin both trained in the States, at first with their own/sponsor's money. Then SK got financing from the Fed (and considering how that turned out I can see the Fed being wary of throwing more money that way). IZ simply came back due to a lack of results. I don't think they can refuse to finance Zhenya at all if she is a member of Team Russia, she should get what every other team member gets. But they are well within their rights to refuse to pay Orser's fees.