How to start an ABA practice in District of Columbia
District of Columbia requires a Licensed Behavior Analyst from DC Board of Psychology (DC Health) to operate an ABA practice.
- License required
- YesLicensed Behavior Analyst
- Application fee
- —
- Processing time
- —
- One-on-one ABA therapy by a technician
- $27.50per 15 min · $110.00/hr
- Organizations in the state
- 34NPPES, Sep 13, 2026
On this page
District of Columbia aba provider license
District of Columbia requires a Licensed Behavior Analyst from DC Board of Psychology (DC Health) to operate an ABA practice.
- License required
- Yes
- License
- Licensed Behavior Analyst
- Issuing agency
- DC Board of Psychology (DC Health)
- Professional license
- board: DC Board of Psychology (regulates psychology, psychology associates and behavior analysis — D.C. Code 3-1202.11); statute: D.C. Code § 3-1207.71 (added by D.C. Law 25-191, eff. July 19, 2024); § 3-1201.02 (definition of practice of behavior analysis); behavior analyst: License requires a criminal background check, current BACB certification, and a BACB-accredited master's or higher (education waived for those BACB-certified by July 19, 2024). The law directed the Mayor to issue implementing rules covering ethics, training, exam and CE.; medicaid enrollment: DHCF covers autism spectrum disorder services, including ABA, under 29 DCMR Chapter 110, which matches a State Plan amendment effective October 1, 2023. The rule names the eligible provider types, including new BACB-certified types who may deliver ABA. Enrollment detail was not reviewed.
- Regulation
- D.C. Code § 3-1207.71; 29 DCMR Chapter 110 (Medicaid ASD services)
Steps to get licensed in District of Columbia
In order, as the licensing agency describes the process.
- Hold current BACB certification (BCBA)
- Hold a master's degree or higher from a BACB-accredited behavior analysis program (waived for anyone certified on or before July 19, 2024)
- Complete a criminal background check
- Apply to the DC Board of Psychology and meet the general licensure requirements of D.C. Code ch. 12 subch. V and any rules the Mayor adopts
Enrolling as a District of Columbia Medicaid provider
- Program
- DC Medicaid (Department of Health Care Finance)
- Enrollment portal
- DC Medicaid Provider Data Management System (PDMS)
- Fiscal agent
- Gainwell Technologies (fiscal agent and claims vendor since March 2, 2026, replacing Conduent)
- Application fee
- DHCF has collected the institutional application fee at enrollment and re-enrollment since May 1, 2015, under the District's Medicaid provider screening, enrollment and termination rule. 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
- 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
- Federal rule (42 CFR 455.414): every enrolled provider must be revalidated at least once every 5 years.
Does District of Columbia require a certificate of need?
- CON program
- Yes
- Program
- Certificate of Need
- Services covered
- hospitals (general, psychiatric, rehabilitation, specialty)
- skilled nursing facilities
- intermediate care facilities
- ambulatory care centers / clinics
- ambulatory surgical facilities
- kidney disease treatment / freestanding hemodialysis
- diagnostic health care facilities
- home health agencies
- hospice
- new health services by facilities with operating budgets of $500,000+
- capital expenditures of $6M+ (hospitals) or $3.5M+ (other facilities)
- major medical equipment ($3.5M hospitals / $2M other facilities / $350,000 single physician-owned unit)
- bed relocations and redistribution
- Moratoria
- SHPDA may impose a moratorium of up to 120 days on CONs for a specific service while it develops review standards; the same service cannot be placed under moratorium more than once in 12 months (D.C. Code §44-418). No standing moratorium identified.
District of Columbia wage floor
- State minimum wage
- $18.40 an hour
- Effective
- 2026-07-01
- Scheduled increases
- Adjusted each July 1 by formula (US DOL); the July 2027 rate was not yet published in the sources reviewed.
- Direct-care wage floor
- For FY2026, DC must pay direct care service providers a rate that supports direct care professional pay at the highest of: 117.6% of the DC living wage in effect on 2025-07-01, the current DC minimum wage, or the current DC living wage. DHCF's supplemental payment program requires eligible HCBS providers to pay their direct care workforce, on average, at or above the target wage.
- Rate pass-through
- Supplemental payments must fund wages, salaries and benefits of direct care professionals (DHCF Transmittal 25-03).
- 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.
District of Columbia market size
Counts from federal public files: NPPES (active organization NPIs), CMS Care Compare and CMS Medicaid enrollment.
- Applied behavior analysis organizations — active organization NPIs (NPPES)
- 34 (as of Sep 13, 2026)
- Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)
- 237,170 (as of Jun 1, 2026)
What District of Columbia Medicaid pays
Applied behavior analysis (ABA): published District of Columbia fee-for-service rates, each linked to its source.
| Service | Code | District of Columbia rate | Per hour | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-on-one ABA therapy by a technicianBehavior technician | 97153 | $27.50per 15 min | $110.00 | 4 of 42 |
| ABA therapy with plan changes by an analystBehavior analyst | 97155 | $31.25per 15 min | $125.00 | 14 of 41 |
| ABA parent and caregiver trainingBehavior analyst | T1027 | $18.43 | — | — |
| Group ABA therapy led by a technicianBehavior technician | 97154 | $18.43per 15 min | $73.72 | 3 of 37 |
District of Columbia HCBS waivers
Medicaid home and community-based services programs that may pay for this service.
- Adult Day Health Program (ADHP) (1915(i))
- Elderly and Persons with Physical Disabilities Waiver (1915(c))
- People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Waiver (1915(c))
- Individual and Family Support (IFS) Waiver (1915(c))
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license to start an ABA practice in District of Columbia?
District of Columbia requires a Licensed Behavior Analyst from DC Board of Psychology (DC Health) to operate an ABA practice.
Does District of Columbia require a certificate of need for an ABA practice?
District of Columbia has a certificate of need program covering: hospitals (general, psychiatric, rehabilitation, specialty), skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, ambulatory care centers / clinics, ambulatory surgical facilities, kidney disease treatment / freestanding hemodialysis, diagnostic health care facilities, home health agencies, hospice, new health services by facilities with operating budgets of $500,000+, capital expenditures of $6M+ (hospitals) or $3.5M+ (other facilities), major medical equipment ($3.5M hospitals / $2M other facilities / $350,000 single physician-owned unit), bed relocations and redistribution. Check whether your service is on that list.
How do you become a Medicaid provider in District of Columbia?
Enroll through DC Medicaid Provider Data Management System (PDMS) (https://www.dcpdms.com/), run by Gainwell Technologies (fiscal agent and claims vendor since March 2, 2026, replacing Conduent).
What does District of Columbia Medicaid pay a ABA practice?
District of Columbia Medicaid pays $27.50 per 15 min for one-on-one aba therapy by a technician, effective Jan 1, 2019, ranking 4 of 42 states.