Practice requirements for ABA providers in South Dakota
Last researched October 21, 2026
The internal processes a practice in South Dakota has to run before and after a technician starts. A practice, not MeetAllo, remains responsible for compliance.
Requirements for practices
- Facility or agency license
We could not verify this yet - check with the state health or licensing department.
- Background checks
As of 2026-10-21, paraprofessional technicians must submit to a criminal background investigation by means of fingerprint checks by the Division of Criminal Investigation under chapter 36-38 (SDCL 36-38-5(6)). Licensed behavior analyst applicants must not have been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude (as defined in SDCL 22-1-2(25)) during the past five years. Additional provisions in SDCL 36-38-25 and 36-38-26 address the fingerprint-investigation procedure, supervisor-paid costs, and a conviction restriction for assistants and paraprofessionals; the specific terms of those sections were not independently verified here.
- Staff training
We could not verify this yet - check with the state health or licensing department.
- Other requirements
Medicaid records must be kept at least 6 years after the last date a claim was paid or denied. The Medicaid manual lists the following as noncovered: data recording or documentation; services that are primarily educational in nature; services rendered by the parent/guardian; and the provider's time traveling to the individual's home or other community setting. The documentation exclusion should not be read as a blanket rule that all documentation-related time is unreimbursable: the same manual's 97151 description includes non-face-to-face analysis and report/treatment-plan preparation.
Medicaid supervision and enrollment
- Provider enrollment
We could not verify this yet - check with South Dakota Department of Social Services (DSS), Division of Medical Services.
- Supervision requirements
Technicians must be supervised by a licensed and enrolled behavior analyst. Procedure code 97155 appears in the manual's code table in connection with supervision, but its language includes face-to-face service with one patient, so it should not be presented as blanket reimbursement for staff supervision. No numerical BACB-based supervision ratio was identified in this manual; this limited observation does not establish an exemption from other supervision requirements.
National baseline for onboarding a technician
Items below are supported by BACB or regulator sources. Your state may add more.
- Verify RBT status on the BACB Certificant Registry (status, expiration, listed supervisor; red text means may not practice) or via portal verification report / $25 written verification.
- Ensure a qualified BCBA/BCaBA supervisor (with completed supervisor training 2.0) or RBT Requirements Coordinator lists the RBT as supervisee in their BACB portal before the RBT provides services as an RBT.
- Assign a supervisor/Coordinator for every client the RBT serves; no relation, employer-superior or multiple relationship with the RBT.
- Plan supervision: 5% of monthly service hours, at least two real-time contacts per month, one individual, one observation of services; document dates, durations, format, observations; retain 7 years.
- Criminal background check and abuse registry check comparable to those for home health aides/child care/teachers, within 180 days before the application is paid; fingerprinting may be required by state or organization.
- For applicants: have a BCBA/BCaBA Responsible Assessor (with 8-hour supervision training, same organization as applicant and clients, not related/subordinate/employed by the applicant at the time of assessment) complete the ICA after the 40-hour training; keep assessment records 7 years.
- Attesting Certificant for the application attestation must not be related to, subordinate to, or employed by the applicant.
- Correct worker classification (employee vs contractor) for RBTs; BACB may ask for a tax professional's written opinion in an ethics matter.
- For TRICARE ACD enrollment: RBT/ABAT/BCAT or state certification, current BLS/CPR, authorized ABA supervisor named, 10-year federal/state/county criminal and sex-offender history check.
- For Medicaid/commercial payers: confirm state Medicaid or payer definition of technician qualifications, enrollment and credentialing before billing (state-specific).
Verify any certified technician on the BACB certificant registry.
Related guides for South Dakota
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