Telehealth and telesupervision for ABA in New York

Yes.

Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) (license); Certified Behavior Analyst Assistant (CBAA) (separate certification)

New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Applied Behavior Analysis)

N.Y. Education Law Article 167 (Section 8804 for requirements); Commissioner's Regulations Part 79, Subpart 79-17 (LBA) and 79-18 (CBAA)

As of 2026-10-21, the NYSED OP requirements page states the fee for licensure and first registration as an LBA is $300 (graduate permit $10), subject to change. Two pathways to the LBA license: (1) standard (education, experience, exam, child-abuse training) or (2) licensure based on BCBA certification (BACB verification letter, child-abuse training, age 21+, good moral character), available since changes to Education Law effective Nov 22, 2022. Pathway two requires BCBA certification specifically, not merely any BACB credential. BACB certification alone does not allow practice as an LBA in NY; a NY license is still required. The CBAA is a separate certification from the LBA license. The full law took effect July 1, 2014. The graduate permit applies to graduates of acceptable programs performing the described activities in NY who are completing supervised experience under an LBA; Education Law §8807 separately exempts qualifying supervised students/interns. Licensure requirements also have statutory exemptions, so the categorical requirement is subject to those exceptions.

Sometimes. See the detail below.

NY Medicaid's official telehealth provider manual (July 29, 2026, retrieved through NY DOH's alternate official host) lists, among eligible providers, those 'licensed or certified by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to provide Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy.' Per the checker's reading, Section 5 of that manual includes ABA providers and authorizes otherwise-authorized in-person services to be delivered through telehealth when appropriate and within scope, and §4.1 requires that every element of each billed code be met. This is broader than technician supervision, but it does not automatically validate every ABA code or modality via telehealth, so the answer is conditional. The eMedNY ABA manual (updated Oct 1, 2025) separately addresses telehealth for supervision of technicians (synchronous interactive audio and video). MetroPlus policy UM-MP333 is plan-specific: it defines telehealth as including assessment, supervision, parent training and consultation, states in-person services are preferred, and says synchronous telehealth requests are reviewed case by case for medical necessity consistent with BACB ethical standards and DOH telehealth guidelines.

Public Health Law §2999-dd and Insurance Law §§3217-h and 4306-g (commercial coverage parity), including exceptions for facility costs that are not incurred, and a payment-parity sunset of April 1, 2028. Confirm the current text and its application to ABA before relying on it.

Technician supervision needs at least two real-time contacts per month, with observation in at least one; on-site is preferred and synchronous audio-video is acceptable. Telephone, email and text do not satisfy the requirement (eMedNY ABA manual).

Allowed for supervising unlicensed technicians via synchronous interactive audio and video telecommunication (eMedNY ABA manual, updated Oct 1, 2025).