Telehealth and telesupervision for ABA in South Dakota

Yes.

Licensed Behavior Analyst (licensed by the Board of Social Work Examiners for the practice of applied behavior analysis)

South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners, with its Applied Behavior Analyst (ABA) Advisory Committee

SDCL Chapter 36-38 (enacted SL 2016 ch. 199); ABA-specific administrative rules appear to be in ARSD article 20:85 (the board's ABA Rules link and application cite 20:85:01:09); the generic board sidebar link to article 20:59 is not adequate support for ABA rules. Rule text was not retrieved, so rule-based requirements and fees remain unverified.

As of 2026-10-21, qualifications under SDCL ch. 36-38 (§ 36-38-7) include: a master's or doctoral degree, current BCBA certification from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, no felony or moral-turpitude misdemeanor conviction in the past five years, and no pending complaints or disciplinary proceedings elsewhere unless the board agrees. Application must be notarized (§ 36-38-9). Statutory caps: application fee not to exceed $300 (§ 36-38-8); initial licensure fee not to exceed $350 (§ 36-38-10). The board page labels its charges as a $350 initial application fee plus a $300 annual licensing fee (total $650), which does not line up neatly with the statutory cap labels ($300 application / $350 initial licensure); this labeling discrepancy is unresolved, and actual fee amounts set by board rule were not verified. Out-of-state providers are exempt for up to 20 aggregate days per year (§ 36-38-5(2)) only if they are nonresidents of South Dakota, do not have an established South Dakota office, and are authorized to practice in their jurisdiction of residence; the statute also requires written reporting if practice exceeds twenty consecutive days in a calendar year. Confirm current fees and exemption terms with the board.

Sometimes. See the detail below.

SD Medicaid: As of 2026-10-21, the Telemedicine manual (updated February 2026) states that ABA services may be provided via telemedicine and must be delivered by means of a "real-time" interactive telecommunications system. Behavior Analysts and Board-Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBAs) appear on the Telemedicine manual's distant-site provider list; this does not by itself establish independent enrollment or billing authority for BCaBAs. For code-level eligibility, the Telemedicine manual directs providers to the Procedure Look-Up Tool (with fee-schedule exceptions specifically for CMHC and SUD agencies) and refers to the ABA manual for additional coverage information. No specific ABA procedure code's telemedicine eligibility was verified.

We could not verify this yet - check with the state Medicaid agency or licensing board.

The BCBA must have an in-person face-to-face visit with the patient within the first 30 days and every 90 days thereafter (stated in the Telemedicine manual; the ABA manual repeats the visit requirement).

We could not verify this yet - check with the state Medicaid agency or licensing board.