How to start an ABA practice in Oklahoma

Oklahoma requires a Licensed Behavior Analyst; Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst from Oklahoma Licensed Behavior Analyst Board, administered by Oklahoma Human Services (DHS). Effective November 1, 2026, SB 1557 moves regulation to the Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. to operate an ABA practice. Fee: Not confirmed; under SB 1557 the Board of Examiners of Psychologists will set rules and fees.

License required

Yes

License

Licensed Behavior Analyst; Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst

Issuing agency

Oklahoma Licensed Behavior Analyst Board, administered by Oklahoma Human Services (DHS). Effective November 1, 2026, SB 1557 moves regulation to the Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists.

Fee

Not confirmed; under SB 1557 the Board of Examiners of Psychologists will set rules and fees.

Professional license

board: Oklahoma Licensed Behavior Analyst Board (DHS) until Nov 1, 2026; then Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists; statute: Oklahoma behavior analyst licensing statutes as amended by SB 1557 (2026); behavior analyst: State license required for BCBAs practicing in Oklahoma. Licensing, renewals, background checks, rules and fees move to the psychology board effective November 1, 2026.; assistant behavior analyst: BCaBAs are also licensed or certified by the state.; medicaid enrollment: Under OAC 317:30-3-65.12 (effective July 1, 2019), BCBAs serving SoonerCare members 21 and under must hold an OHCA provider contract. BCaBAs enroll too but bill only through a supervisor or a contracted group or agency.

Regulation

OAC 317:30-3-65.12 (SoonerCare ABA); SB 1557 (2026)

1. Hold BACB certification (BCBA or BCaBA)
2. Obtain the Oklahoma license or certificate (issued by DHS on behalf of the Licensed Behavior Analyst Board until the November 1, 2026 transfer; afterward by the Board of Examiners of Psychologists)
3. For SoonerCare: apply through the OHCA provider portal as provider type 'Applied Behavior Analyst', specialty BCBA or BCaBA, uploading national certification and the state license

Staffing

• SoonerCare: BCaBAs must be employed by a SoonerCare-contracted group or agency; payment for BCaBA or other supervised practitioners goes only to the supervisor or employing entity

Program

SoonerCare (Oklahoma Health Care Authority, OHCA), including SoonerSelect managed care

Enrollment portal

OHCA Provider Portal (ohcaprovider.com) — online provider contracting

Application fee

OAC 317:30-3-19.4 sets the fee at the CMS amount, adjusted for inflation, for provider types listed in OHCA's appendix. Individual physicians and non-physician practitioners are exempt, as are providers who already paid the fee to Medicare or another state's Medicaid/CHIP program. The fee is not refunded if screening leads to denial. Under the federal rule (42 CFR 455.460), institutional providers pay the CMS application fee when they first enroll, re-enroll or revalidate. The fee is $750 for calendar year 2026. Individual physicians and non-physician practitioners do not pay it. A fee already paid to Medicare or to another state's Medicaid program counts.

Fingerprinting

Under OAC 317:30-3-19.4, high-risk screening adds a fingerprint-based criminal background check of the provider and of anyone owning 5% or more. OHCA's enrollment sheet lists DME and home health as high-risk provider types and says providers enrolled with Medicare may be exempt. Limited- or moderate-risk providers move to high risk after a fraud-based payment suspension, an overpayment, or an exclusion.

Site visit

Moderate-risk screening includes pre- and post-enrollment site visits by OHCA Provider Enrollment staff. OHCA lists these moderate-risk types: ambulance services, behavioral health agencies and groups, individual behavioral health providers, hospice, independent diagnostic testing facilities, laboratories, and physical therapy groups and physical therapists. High-risk types also get site visits.

Revalidation

OHCA screens and enrolls providers and revalidates them periodically, as federal rules require. Existing providers handle this through 'renewal contracts' in the OHCA provider portal. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.414) requires the state to revalidate every enrolled provider at least once every 5 years.

Full Oklahoma Medicaid enrollment guide →

CON program

Yes

Program

Certificate of Need (Long-term Care CON Act; Psychiatric and Chemical Dependency Facility CON Act)

Agency

Oklahoma State Department of Health, Health Facility Systems

Services covered

• long-term care facilities as defined in 63 O.S. §1-851.1 (licensed nursing facility beds)
• ICF/IID beds
• psychiatric or chemical dependency facilities, services or units in hospitals or related institutions
• acquisitions of covered health care facilities

Oklahoma certificate of need details →

State minimum wage

$7.25 an hour

Effective

2009-07-24

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)

155 (as of Sep 13, 2026)

Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)

992,735 (as of Jun 1, 2026)

All Oklahoma ABA Medicaid rates, ranked →

• OK Advantage Waiver (1915(c))
• OK Community Waiver (1915(c))
• OK Homeward Bound Waiver (1915(c))
• OK In-Home Supports Waiver for Adults (1915(c))
• OK In-Home Supports Waiver for Children (1915(c))
• OK Medically Fragile Waiver (1915(c))

Oklahoma waivers and waiting lists →