ABA Therapy Centers in Florida

Florida Medicaid Behavior Analysis Services

Florida Medicaid covers ABA, which it calls behavior analysis services, for recipients under 21 under Rule 59G-4.125. You need a written order from your doctor and a diagnostic evaluation (a CDE) led by a licensed practitioner. Your provider then requests prior authorization from your child's SMMC plan, or from Acentra if your child is not in managed care. Medicaid charges no copayment for the service.

• Since February 1, 2025, Statewide Medicaid Managed Care plans pay behavior analysis claims.
• The Medicaid helpline answers coverage questions and reports access problems: 1-877-254-1055.
• Medicaid lead analysts must hold a BCBA or FL-CBA credential, or a Chapter 490 or 491 license.
• Adults 21 and older get behavior analysis through the iBudget Waiver.
• In October 2026 the state removed more than 220 providers from Florida Medicaid for fraud, waste or abuse, most of them ABA providers. If your child's provider was removed, your SMMC plan connects you with a new enrolled provider.

The Steven A. Geller Autism Coverage Act

Section 627.6686, Florida Statutes, requires large-group health plans, including the state group insurance program, to cover ABA, speech, occupational and physical therapy for autism. Section 641.31098 applies the same rule to group HMO contracts. Individual-market and small-employer plans are excluded. The law covers a child under 18, or a high school student 18 or older, diagnosed with a developmental disability at age 8 or younger. The base cap is $36,000 a year and $200,000 in total, adjusted each January 1 for medical inflation, so ask your plan for this year's figure. Self-funded employer plans follow federal ERISA rules instead.

iBudget Florida and the pre-enrollment list

iBudget Florida is the Home and Community-Based waiver run by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD). APD serves people age 3 and older with a developmental disability that began before 18, including severe forms of autism, and you apply through your regional APD office. Applicants who qualify for the waiver are placed in a pre-enrollment category. A child under 21 who is not in crisis and does not meet categories 1 through 4 falls in Category 7, ranked by the date APD finds the child eligible. Apply early, and keep Medicaid ABA moving at the same time.

Early Steps from birth to 36 months

Early Steps is Florida's early intervention program, run by the Department of Health. It serves infants and toddlers from birth to 36 months with developmental delays, disabilities and at-risk conditions, at no cost to families. Parents, caregivers and physicians can all submit a referral. Call 1-800-218-0001 or use the referral form on the Early Steps site. A child must be found eligible before enrolling. APD begins serving children at age 3, the age Early Steps ends.

FES-UA: Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities

FES-UA gives families of students with disabilities a personal education savings account under s. 1002.394, Florida Statutes. Your child qualifies at age 3 or 4, or in kindergarten through grade 12, with a listed disability that includes autism spectrum disorder, plus an IEP or a diagnosis from a licensed physician or psychologist. The statute lets families spend funds on applied behavior analysis, speech-language, occupational and physical therapy, and on private school tuition. Apply through Step Up For Students (877-735-7837) or the A.A.A. Scholarship Foundation (888-707-2465).

Who can deliver ABA in Florida

Florida does not license behavior analysts. Florida Medicaid and the Geller Act instead look to credentials: a BCBA, a Florida certified behavior analyst (FL-CBA), or a clinician licensed under Chapter 490 or 491, which covers psychologists and counselors. Assistant behavior analysts (BCaBA) and registered behavior technicians (RBT) work under a BCBA's supervision. Ask a provider for the lead analyst's credential number and whether the agency is enrolled with your child's plan.