We, the members of the Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis (VABA) Public Policy Committee sincerely urge you to add Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as a covered service under Medicaid.  Currently, ABA is covered by EPSDT under the Behavioral Therapy umbrella, however, the constraints that program places do not allow Virginia Medicaid recipients to fully benefit. 

ABA is not a treatment directed solely at children or a specific diagnosis.  Rather it is the application of the science of behavior, which encompasses all ages and transcends diagnosis.  ABA has a large body of research under the heading Applied Behavior Analysis, but also using names of treatment modalities, such as contingency management, positive reinforcement, stimulus equivalence, and shaping, just to name a few.  For more information on behavior analysis, research, and application, see https://www.bacb.com/about-behavior-analysis/ and https://www.bacb.com/about-behavior-analysis/applied-behavior-analysis/. 

The American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) have recognized the rigor of ABA as treatment and the AMA recently (2019) released Category 1 CPT codes for ABA that apply regardless of diagnosis.

In Virginia, there are currently over 1200 persons licensed in behavior analysis and the field is growing.  Adding ABA as a covered service would increase the qualified and professional workforce available to serve Virginians with Medicaid at a time when some have difficult finding treatment in a timely manner.