Bill > SB898

This bill requires the Maryland Department of Health to provide reimbursement for applied behavior analysis (ABA) services, which are therapies designed to improve socially significant behaviors, when provided by behavior technicians to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) under the Maryland Medical Assistance Program, also known as Medicaid. A behavior technician is defined as someone who delivers ABA services under the supervision of a licensed psychologist or a certified behavior analyst (either a Board Certified Behavior Analyst or a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral). Importantly, the bill generally prohibits the Department from requiring these behavior technicians to have a specific certification from a credentialing entity recognized by the Department as a condition for reimbursement, although there is an exception allowing the Department to require certification within 150 days of an individual starting to provide these services and to maintain it thereafter. The bill also clarifies that these changes will apply only to services provided on or after the effective date of October 1, 2026, and includes a provision that would automatically repeal the Act if federal authorities deem it inconsistent with federal law by June 30, 2027.