How to start an ABA practice in Kentucky

Kentucky requires a Licensed Behavior Analyst; Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst (plus temporary licenses) from Kentucky Applied Behavior Analysis Licensing Board (Department of Professional Licensing) to operate an ABA practice. Fee: $400.

License required

Yes

License

Licensed Behavior Analyst; Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst (plus temporary licenses)

Issuing agency

Kentucky Applied Behavior Analysis Licensing Board (Department of Professional Licensing)

Fee

$400

Fee details

LBA: $400 application review and licensure fee for the first two-year period. LABA: $300. Temporary LBA $300, temporary LABA $200. An LABA upgrading to LBA pays $100 for the rest of the period.

Renewal

Every 2 years · Two-year renewal: LBA $300, LABA $200 (temporary one-time renewal $200 / $100). Late renewal within 30 days adds $50. Inactive or retired status $100.

Professional license

board: Kentucky Applied Behavior Analysis Licensing Board; statute: KRS Chapter 319C; 201 KAR Chapter 43 (fees: 201 KAR 43:030, eff. 10-4-2022); behavior analyst: License required (KRS 319C). Fees per 201 KAR 43:030.; assistant behavior analyst: Separate LABA license, with temporary licenses available.; technician: No state technician license. Kentucky Medicaid recognizes 'registered behavior technicians' meeting BACB requirements as practitioners working under supervision, who may provide ABA support services under an LBA, LABA, or trained approved practitioner.; medicaid enrollment: Under 907 KAR 15:010 and 15:020, Medicaid behavioral health ABA services may be provided by an LBA, an LABA, or an approved behavioral health practitioner (or supervised practitioner) with documented ABA training. RBTs under supervision may provide support services. LBAs and LABAs are on the approved behavioral health practitioner lists in 907 KAR 15:005.

Regulation

KRS 319C; 201 KAR 43:030; 907 KAR 15:005, 15:010, 15:020

1. Meet KRS 319C licensure requirements (certifying-entity credential)
2. Apply to the board and pay the application review and licensure fee
3. Renew every two years

Program

Kentucky Medicaid (Department for Medicaid Services)

Enrollment portal

Kentucky Medicaid Partner Portal Application (MPPA)

Fiscal agent

Gainwell Technologies (fiscal agent for KY Medicaid claim processing, KYHealth-Net)

Application fee

Kentucky's MAP-811 checklist tells providers subject to the fee to attach a check payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer; DMS's provider-type summaries say which types owe it. 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.

Full Kentucky Medicaid enrollment guide →

CON program

Yes

Program

Certificate of Need

Agency

Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Office of Inspector General

Services covered

• hospitals
• ambulatory surgical centers
• home health agencies
• hospice (including residential hospice by a non-hospice entity)
• nursing facilities, personal care homes, ICF and ICF/IID
• chemical dependency treatment programs
• psychiatric residential treatment facilities (Level I and II)
• PET, MRI, megavoltage radiation and cardiac catheterization
• open heart surgery and organ transplant programs
• special care neonatal beds
• prescribed pediatric extended care facilities
• ground ambulance providers (unless exempt)
• nonsubstantive review: adult day health, private duty nursing agencies, PACE, hospital-owned off-campus freestanding EDs, industrial ambulance, certain acute bed transfers

Kentucky 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)

178 (as of Sep 13, 2026)

Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)

1,264,449 (as of Jun 1, 2026)

All Kentucky ABA Medicaid rates, ranked →

• Acquired Brain Injury Waiver (1915(c))
• Acquired Brain Injury – Long Term Care Waiver (1915(c))
• Community Health for Improved Lives and Development (CHILD) Waiver (1915(c))
• Home and Community Based Waiver (1915(c))
• Model Waiver II (1915(c))
• Michelle P. Waiver (1915(c))
• Supports for Community Living Waiver (1915(c))

Kentucky waivers and waiting lists →