Public Policy and Practice

Note: Like some other professions, practitioners of behavior analysis are certified by a nationally accredited credentialing body, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), which functions much like a licensure board. Contact the BACB (info@bacb.com) for more information.

Professional liability insurance for BCBAs and BCaBAs. The BACB and the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) have identified an insurance company that will provide insurance specifically for BCBAs and BCaBAs. For more information and a link to that company's website, see the Professional Liability Insurance page on the APBA website.

News Updates

• March 15, 2013. DOI Commissioner DOI Commissioner's Message on Emergency Regulations
• March 15, 2013. DOI Alert A consumer alert from DOI
• March 12, 2013. CalABA Webinar "the Art of Negotiating with Health Insurance Companies"
• March 1, 2013. CalABA Response to proposed Department of Insurance Emergency Regulations
• Oct. 23, 2012. Free Webinar! Health Insurance 105: Putting It All Together
• Sept. 10, 2012. BACB Guidelines - Health Plan Coverage of ABA Treatment for ASD
• Sept. 4, 2012. APBA Update - Addressing Concerns About TRICARE Coverage of ABA Services
• Aug. 28, 2012. FREE Webinar! Health Insurance 104: Dealing with and Avoiding Claim Denials
• Aug. 2, 2012. FREE Webinar! Health Insurance 103 for Behavior Analysts: Billing and Claims
• July 17, 2012. CalAHIP is online! - insurance education/support for ABA practitioners.
• July 12, 2012. FREE Webinar! Health Insurance 102 for Behavior Analysts.
• June 28, 2012. Affordable Care Act upheld - what it means for CA and SB 946.
• June 28, 2012. BACB to develop new RBT technician credential.
• June 8, 2012. FREE Webinar! Health Insurance 101 for Behavior Analysts.
• May 25, 2012. Dr. Bryan Davey named Public Policy Vice-Chair.
• Nov. 14, 2011. In Memory of Dr. Jerry Shook, BACB Founder and CEO.
• Oct. 19, 2011. Please participate in our CalABA survey of the California ABA provider pool.
• Oct. 9, 2011. Gov. Brown signs SB 946 - health plans to cover ABA Tx provided by BCBAs!
• Sept. 19, 2011. Health plans lobbying heavily for veto of SB 946 - use link to contact Gov. office today.
• Sept. 11, 2011. Formation of CalABA Insurance Work Group - a resource for navigating coverage of ABA Tx.
• Sept. 11, 2011. SB 946 passed both Assembly and Senate 9/9 - let's make sure Governor Brown signs it!
• Sept. 8, 2011. SB 946 gaining momentum - next hearing TODAY 9/8 - keep the pressure on!
• Sept. 7, 2011. Immediate action needed to support SB 946: CA coverage mandate for ASD.
• Aug. 30, 2011. 9th Circuit Opinion on CA Mental Health Parity Act: MHPA is a mandate for full coverage.
• Aug. 22, 2011. CalABA letter in support of SB 770 - CA health insurance reform for PDD and autism.
• Aug. 17, 2011. Update on health plans and behavior analysts in CA.
• July 19, 2011. Report on 7/13 CA Senate hearing on health plan coverage.
• June 9, 2011. AB 1205 no longer in play, but stay tuned!
• May 25, 2011. 24 hrs left to get AB 1205 off suspend calendar.
• May 20, 2011. Only 3 days left to get AB 1205 out of Committee.
• May 11, 2011. Ask your Assembly Member to contact Appropriations Chair Fuentes TODAY!
• May 7, 2011. Come to an AB 1205 Advocacy Training this May - several events available!
• May 5, 2011. AB 1205 DID NOT pass out of the Appropriations Committee - we have 2 weeks to change that!
• May 2, 2011. Next AB 1205 committee hearing Wed., May 4 - 24 hrs to call/fax/email!
• Apr. 24, 2011. New alerts/contact list for family supporters of ABA services.
• Apr. 12, 2011. We did it! AB 1205 successfully passed out of its first committee hearing.
• Mar. 29, 2011. First AB 1205 hearing scheduled for Tuesday, April 12. More letters needed!
• Mar. 17, 2011. AB 1205 advocacy packet UPDATED with corrected contact info.
• Mar. 15, 2011. STEP 2: 100 PRACTITIONER letters needed in support of AB 1205 by MARCH 23.
• Mar. 9, 2011. Urgent: 100 parent letters needed in support of AB 1205 by MARCH 23.
• Feb. 23, 2011. AB 1205 introduced to create CA licensure for behavior analysts.
• Feb. 12, 2011. DDS service standards online survey. DEADLINE 2/15.
• Feb. 12, 2011. CalABA task force: Suggested service standards for ABA treatment.
• Feb. 9, 2011. Senate hearing alert & call to action to save ABA treatment for children.
• Feb. 4, 2011. CalABA statement on insurance mandate bill AB 171.
• Jan. 12, 2011. State budget cuts WILL affect your practice. Brown's new budget includes a $750M cut to DDS
• Jan. 7, 2011. CalABA-BACB joint statement regarding Consumer Watchdog lawsuit & CA practice issues
  
  
• Jan. 4, 2011. Consumer Watchdog lawsuit against CA Dept. of Managed Health Care
  California health plans have made multiple excuses for their long standing pattern of denying coverage of ABA services to those who need them. One excuse given is that behavior analysts are not licensed by the State of California. CalABA, its advocates, allies and consumers of behavior analytic services have long fought this argument. Finally, a consumer advocacy non-profit, Consumer Watchdog filed suit against California's Department of Managed Care for siding with insurance companies on this issue. In response to this lawsuit, the State of California's Department of Managed Health Care charged that behavior analysts were illegally engaged in the practice of medicine without a license (DMHC response memo). Consumer Watchdog responded vigorously to this and other charges (CWD reply). CalABA and the BACB also responded to this ridiculous claim (CalABA-BACB response) by CalABA's lobbyist, Jim Gross.
  
  The Court issued its ruling on January 4, 2011. And although it found the Department of Managed Health Care guilty of changing state policy without a public hearing, it failed to clarify its position with regard to the issue of licensure vs. certification. (court ruling). Stay tuned.
  
  
• Dec. 2010. CalABA Public Policy Committee:
  We are proud to honor Dr. Greg Wagner with our 2011 Leadership in Advocacy Award!
• Nov. 2010. Focal Point (CalABA newsletter):
  Public Policy Committee update
• July 8, 2010. CalABA Public Policy Committee:
  The politics of Behavior Analysis - A request from the organizers of the Alamo Town Hall Meeting
• June 7, 2010. CalABA Public Policy Committee:
  First Annual Town Hall Meeting on Behavior Analysis
• June 2, 2010. CalABA Public Policy Committee:
  Public policy update
• Nov. 16, 2009. California Healthline:
  State regulators might require health plans to cover autism therapy
• Oct. 27, 2009. LATimes.com:
  Ruling deals a blow to denials of autism treatment
• Oct. 15, 2009:
  Proposed changes to Title 5 NPS/NPA regulations regarding behavior intervention
• June 19, 2009. PRNewswire.com:
  Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan forced to pay for autism care in landmark case

California State Laws, Regulations, and Legislation

• Join CalABA's Legislation Alerts list. To receive alerts and news from our Public Policy Committee, subscribe/unsubscribe here to the CalABA-LegislationAlerts list.
• Laws and Regulations
  • Department of Developmental Services
    • Regional Center vendor categories. Scroll down to "Associate Behavior Analyst" and "Behavior Analyst." (In particular, refer to sections 8, 11, and 12.)
    • ABA training requirements for Behavior Management Consultants.
  • State Board of Education
  • State Department of Education: Special Education Division
    • Education Code Part 30, Section 56525. BCBAs are eligible to serve as behavioral intervention case managers (a.k.a. "The La Suer Bill," A.B. 2845).
    • CA Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 3052. Behavioral Intervention Plans (a.k.a. "The Hughes Bill," A.B. 2586). (Describes regulations for implementing behavior change programs in public school settings. Does not require that the work be performed by a BCBA as currently worded.)
  • California codes. Searchable database of all 29 state codes.
• Legislation
  • State Capitol Today. A daily summary of capitol press conferences, top political stories from major California newspapers, and scheduled legislative hearings.
  • California legislative rosters with email addresses
    • State Assembly
    • State Senate
  • Legislative district search. Find your California legislative representatives using this zip code search engine.