ABA Medicaid rates in Rhode Island are defined by one national high. Rhode Island Medicaid pays $219.88 an hour for parent and caregiver training, billed under code T1027 with modifiers TG and HO. That ranks 1st of 43 states on caregiver training and is 131.9% above the national median of $94.80. The rate took effect October 1, 2026.
Rhode Island is less typical on the technician side. This page does not rank the state on 97153, the technician hour, or on 97155, analyst treatment, because no comparable hourly rate for those codes is on file. All rates here are compiled from official Rhode Island Medicaid publications, and each one links to its source document.
Caregiver training under T1027: the highest rate in the country
Rhode Island publishes T1027 at $54.97 per 15-minute unit with modifiers TG and HO, which converts to $219.88 an hour. Most states pay caregiver training under 97156; Rhode Island's T1027 rate is compared against them on the same per-hour basis. The next-highest states, all billing 97156, are Hawaii at $184.80, Alaska at $167.88, Virginia at $157.60 and Utah at $150.04.
For an agency, this rewards structured family training. Federal data for May 2025 puts Rhode Island's median wage for the closest comparable analyst occupation at $31.31 an hour, against $28.53 nationally. Even at that higher wage, it is only 20.2% of the T1027 rate, leaving a margin of $175.38 an hour after a loaded wage.
That margin makes caregiver training the most profitable analyst service on the Rhode Island schedule by a wide distance. It also aligns with clinical practice that relies on caregivers to carry skills into daily routines. Agencies should confirm the exact service definition and modifier requirements in Rhode Island's billing guidance before mapping their own 97156 sessions to T1027.
The 97151 Rhode Island Medicaid rate for assessments
The analyst assessment is the other ABA code Rhode Island ranks on. It pays $24.36 per unit for 97151 with modifier L9, or $97.44 an hour, effective since July 1, 2023. That ranks 31st of 41 states and is 16.4% below the national median of $116.56.
| Service | Code | RI per hour | Rank | vs national median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parent and caregiver training | T1027 (TG, HO) | $219.88 | 1 of 43 | +131.9% |
| Assessment by an analyst | 97151 (L9) | $97.44 | 31 of 41 | -16.4% |
On the assessment, the analyst wage is 45.7% of the rate, leaving a margin of $52.94 an hour. That is still a workable margin, but it is a fraction of what caregiver training earns. The assessment is far behind New Mexico at $450.60, Vermont at $263.20 and Minnesota at $200.44, while staying above the lowest states, Washington at $75.16, New Hampshire at $65.72 and Louisiana at $30.00.
Rhode Island Medicaid ABA reimbursement rules: authorization and limits
Rhode Island's coverage rules differ sharply between the assessment and everything else:
- 97151 (assessment): 12 prior authorization rules and a per-day limit. This is the most heavily controlled ABA code on the schedule.
- 97152, 97153, 97154, 97155, 97156 and 97158: no prior authorization rule on the schedule, but each carries a per-claim-line limit.
- T1027 (caregiver training): no prior authorization rule and no published limit.
For intake teams, that means the assessment is the gate. Getting a complete, authorized assessment on file is where most of the administrative effort sits; treatment codes are then constrained by how many units can appear on each claim line rather than by a separate authorization rule on the schedule.
Technician wages and the missing 97153 comparison
Because Rhode Island is not ranked on 97153, the usual technician margin cannot be computed from this page. The wage data still helps with planning: Rhode Island's median wage for the closest comparable technician occupation was $22.94 an hour in May 2025, against $22.08 nationally. Both wage figures use proxy occupations and are floors rather than market pay for credentialed staff.
For context on the technician hour nationally, see the 97153 rate by state, where the median is $63.44, Alaska leads at $127.80 and New York is lowest on that code at $38.52. For Rhode Island's own technician pricing, the Rhode Island Medicaid rates hub shows every published code and its source document.
Managed care and Rhode Island ABA payment
Rhode Island pays many services through Rhode Island Medicaid fee-for-service, including the state's developmental disabilities services and Early Intervention. For behavioral health, the state's rule is that plans negotiate their own rates, and the published rate applies out of network. An agency contracted with a plan is paid its contract rate; the fee schedule is the benchmark and the default for out-of-network claims. Our data counts 12 plans. See Rhode Island managed care rules.
Rhode Island against the national ABA picture
Rhode Island sits at the very top for caregiver training and below the median for assessments. On Rhode Island's own schedule, caregiver training pays more per hour than the analyst assessment, the reverse of the national medians, where 97151 at $116.56 sits above caregiver training at $94.80. For the full national comparison across all ABA codes, see ABA Medicaid rates by state, and see our methodology for how T1027 and 97156 rates are put on the same hourly basis.
Updated 2026-10-05