How to start an ABA practice in Arkansas

Arkansas requires a Registered Behavior Analyst (state registration) from Arkansas Psychology Board (Arkansas Department of Health) to operate an ABA practice. Fee: $200. Processing time: Applications are reviewed only at monthly board meetings; materials are due by the first of the month to make that month's agenda.

License required

Yes

License

Registered Behavior Analyst (state registration)

Issuing agency

Arkansas Psychology Board (Arkansas Department of Health)

Fee

$200

Fee details

Application fee up to $200 by rule. The board's application process charges $200, payable as a $50 deposit plus a $150 balance. A state and federal background check is separate.

Renewal

Every 2 years · Renewal fee may not exceed $150 per two-year registration (17 CAR § 95-407).

Processing time

Applications are reviewed only at monthly board meetings; materials are due by the first of the month to make that month's agenda.

Professional license

board: Arkansas Psychology Board; statute: 17 CAR Part 95 (incl. § 95-407); Behavior Analyst Registration Act (2025); behavior analyst: State registration (not called a license) for independent practitioners holding BCBA, BCBA-D or QBA. Granted for two years; renewal requires proof of current certification. No extra state training or CE beyond the certifying body's.; assistant behavior analyst: No state assistant registration. The board's process covers independent BCBA/QBA practitioners only.; technician: No state ABA technician registration was found. The board's 'technician' registry is for psychology technicians under psychologists, not RBTs. Medicaid requires RBTs to hold BACB certification in good standing.; medicaid enrollment: Under the Arkansas Medicaid ABA therapy program (state plan amendment AR-24-0015, effective January 1, 2025), ABA must be performed by a BCBA, BCaBA or RBT, each with BACB certification in good standing, with BCBA supervision. Providers enroll under the Medicaid manual's general participation rules (section 140.000) and must meet the ABA qualification rules (section 202.000).

Regulation

17 CAR § 95-407; Arkansas Medicaid State Plan TN AR-24-0015

1. Hold current BCBA/BCBA-D (BACB) or QBA (QABA) certification
2. Email the application request form to receive an applicant/registration number
3. Pay the application fee online
4. Mail the full registration application packet with a cover letter describing services and ages served
5. Complete a state and federal criminal background check (fingerprint card)
6. Board reviews at its monthly meeting and issues a two-year registration

Program

Arkansas Medicaid

Enrollment portal

Arkansas Medicaid Health Care Provider Portal (MMIS provider enrollment)

Fiscal agent

Gainwell Technologies (Medicaid Provider Enrollment Unit for the Division of Medical Services)

Application fee

Arkansas collects the fee only from the provider types on its ACA-fee list; it is payable once every five years. Individual practitioners and groups of individual practitioners (physician, dental, therapy groups) do not pay, nor do providers that already paid Medicare or another state's Medicaid. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.460): the state must collect the CMS application fee from institutional providers that are newly enrolling or re-enrolling; individual physicians and non-physician practitioners are exempt, as are providers already enrolled in (or that already paid the fee to) Medicare or another state's Medicaid/CHIP. CMS set the fee at $750 for calendar year 2026.

Fingerprinting

Arkansas requires fingerprint checks for all high-risk providers and their 5%+ owners (provider manual section 141.103) and notifies applicants by letter with instructions. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.434, 455.450(c)): providers the state places in the 'high' categorical risk level, and anyone owning 5% or more of such a provider, must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check.

Site visit

Federal rule (42 CFR 455.432, 455.450(b)-(c)): the state must do site visits before and after enrollment for providers in the 'moderate' or 'high' risk levels, and any enrolled provider must allow unannounced on-site inspections.

Revalidation

Arkansas requires all providers to revalidate every five years; the portal mails notices ahead of the due date and the state asks for revalidations at least 60 days early. Licenses and certifications must also be resubmitted each year. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.414): every enrolled provider must be revalidated at least once every 5 years.

Full Arkansas Medicaid enrollment guide →

CON program

Yes

Program

Permit of Approval (POA)

Agency

Arkansas Health Services Permit Agency (under the Arkansas Department of Health), directed by the Health Services Permit Commission

Services covered

• nursing facilities
• assisted living facilities
• residential care facilities
• home health agencies
• hospice agencies and hospice facilities
• ICF/IID
• psychiatric residential treatment facilities

Moratoria

New permits are under moratorium for ICF/IID (since 1987; data table dates it to 03/1994), residential care facilities (since 2005, except replacement RCFs of 16 beds or fewer) and psychiatric residential treatment facilities (since 2008), per the agency's SFY 2024 annual report.

Arkansas certificate of need details →

State minimum wage

$11.00 an hour

Effective

2021-01-01

Scheduled increases

No scheduled change found in the official sources reviewed.

HCBS 80/20 rule

Federal baseline: 42 CFR 441.302(k) requires the state to show that each provider spends at least 80% of Medicaid payments for homemaker, home health aide and personal care services under 1915(c) waivers on direct care worker pay and benefits. Compliance starts 2030-07-09 (for managed care, the first rating period starting on or after that date); annual payment-adequacy reporting under 441.311(e) starts 2028-07-09. A state may set a lower share for state-defined small providers and exempt providers facing hardship, each only through a public notice-and-comment process. The eCFR text has not changed since 2024-07-09. No state-published 80/20 implementation step (small-provider criteria, hardship exemption or reporting guidance) was found for this state in the official sources reviewed.

Applied behavior analysis organizations — active organization NPIs (NPPES)

119 (as of Sep 13, 2026)

Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)

773,838 (as of Jun 1, 2026)

All Arkansas ABA Medicaid rates, ranked →

• Choices in Homecare Waiver (1915(c))
• Autism Waiver (1915(c))
• Community and Employment Support Waiver (1915(c))
• Living Choices Assisted Living Waiver (1915(c))

Arkansas waivers and waiting lists →