How to Start An ABA Practice in Montana (2026): License, Medicaid Enrollment & Rates

Licensing

Montana aba provider license

Montana requires a Licensed Behavior Analyst; Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst from Montana Board of Psychologists (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) to operate an ABA practice. Fee: $450.

License required: Yes
License: Licensed Behavior Analyst; Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst
Issuing agency: Montana Board of Psychologists (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division)
Fee: $450
Fee details: Behavior analyst application $450. Assistant behavior analyst $250. $25 initial supervision fee per behavior technician, student intern or assistant supervised. $30 DOJ fingerprint/background fee for assistant applicants.
Renewal: Renewal fees reported in board rule notices as indexed: behavior analyst $600, assistant $200. Renewal cycle not confirmed.
Professional license: board: Montana Board of Psychologists; statute: Title 37, ch. 17 MCA (incl. 37-17-403); ARM 24.189 (incl. 24.189.901, .910); behavior analyst: License requires BACB certification, a passed BCBA exam, background check, good moral character, and ethics attestation.; assistant behavior analyst: Separate license ($250) with a licensed behavior analyst supervisor, who files the supervision form and fee.; technician: No individual technician license, but supervising behavior analysts must file a supervision form and pay a $25 fee for each behavior technician they supervise. Montana Medicaid requires technicians to hold BACB RBT certification.; medicaid enrollment: Montana Medicaid covers EPSDT ABA under 42 CFR 440.60(a) (SPA MT-21-0020, effective August 1, 2021). Licensed BCBA/BCBA-D practitioners deliver and supervise services. BCaBAs (BACB-certified and state-licensed) and RBTs work as unlicensed practitioners under BCBA supervision.
Regulation: 37-17-403 MCA; ARM 24.189; Montana State Plan TN 21-0020

How to apply

Steps to get licensed in Montana

In order, as the licensing agency describes the process.

Hold current BACB certification and have passed the BCBA (or BCaBA) exam
Submit the application with fees
Complete a Montana-approved background check (DOJ fingerprints) with the Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Rights form
Have the BACB send a letter of good standing directly to the board
Supervisors: file supervision forms and fees for each assistant, behavior technician or intern supervised

Documents

What you need to submit

5 documents listed by the licensing agency.

Document
Application
BACB letter of good standing (sent directly)
Background check results from Montana DOJ

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Staffing

Staffing and training requirements

Staffing: A behavior analyst supervising a behavior technician or assistant may supervise only one student intern, or up to seven if not supervising technicians or assistants (37-17-403(3c) MCA; ARM 24.189.910)

Medicaid

Enrolling as a Montana Medicaid provider

Program: Montana Healthcare Programs (Montana Medicaid, HELP/Medicaid expansion, Healthy Montana Kids Plus)
Enrollment portal: MPATH Provider Services Portal
Fiscal agent: Conduent (Montana Provider Relations handles enrollment and claims); DPHHS says claims move to Gainwell Technologies' new Montana Healthcare Claims System in 2027
Application fee: 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. Montana's own pages do not list a separate state enrollment fee.
Fingerprinting: Under federal rules (42 CFR 455.434 and 455.450), the state places provider types in 'limited', 'moderate' or 'high' risk levels. High-risk providers, and anyone who owns 5% or more of one, must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check. Montana's screening and enrollment disclosure form restates these federal rules; it does not list which provider types are high risk.
Site visit: Under federal rule (42 CFR 455.432), the state must visit moderate- and high-risk providers before and after enrollment. Every enrolled provider must allow unannounced on-site inspections. Montana's screening and enrollment disclosure form restates these federal rules.
Revalidation: Federal rule (42 CFR 455.414) requires the state to revalidate every enrolled provider at least once every 5 years. Montana's enrollment page says sole-proprietor revalidations filed under a tax ID shared with another provider are denied.

Full Montana Medicaid enrollment guide →

Certificate of need

Does Montana require a certificate of need?

CON program: Yes
Program: Certificate of Need (long-term care)
Agency: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
Services covered: long-term care facilities (skilled nursing, intermediate nursing and intermediate developmental disability care to 2+ individuals): new or replacement facilities, bed increases or relocations above 10 beds / 10%, acquisitions of 50%+ ownership
new long-term care health services adding $150,000+ in annual operating and amortization expense
hospital use of more than five beds for nursing-level care and hospital long-term care services

Montana certificate of need details →

Labor

Montana wage floor

State minimum wage: $10.85 an hour
Effective: 2026-01-01
Scheduled increases: Adjusted each January 1 for inflation (calculated by September 30); the 2027 rate was not found in the 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.

Market

Montana 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): 30 (as of Sep 13, 2026)
Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month): 205,414 (as of Jun 1, 2026)

Rates

What Montana Medicaid pays

Applied behavior analysis (ABA): published Montana fee-for-service rates, each linked to its source.

Service	Code	Montana rate	Per hour	Rank
One-on-one ABA therapy by a technicianBehavior technician	97153	$11.36per 15 min	$45.44	36 of 42
ABA therapy with plan changes by an analystBehavior analyst	97155	$20.46per 15 min	$81.84	33 of 41
ABA assessment by a behavior analystBehavior analyst	97151	$40.41per 15 min	$161.64	8 of 41
ABA assessment support by a technicianBehavior technician	97152	$11.36per 15 min	$45.44	26 of 29
ABA parent and caregiver trainingBehavior analyst	97156	$20.46per 15 min	$81.84	31 of 43

All Montana ABA Medicaid rates, ranked →

Waivers

Montana HCBS waivers

Medicaid home and community-based services programs that may pay for this service.

MT Big Sky Waiver (BSW) (1915(c))
MT Home and Community Based Waiver for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities (1915(c))
MT Severe and Disabling Mental Illness Home and Community Based Services Waiver (1915(c))

Montana waivers and waiting lists →

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a license to start an ABA practice in Montana?

Montana requires a Licensed Behavior Analyst; Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst from Montana Board of Psychologists (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) to operate an ABA practice. Fee: $450.

How much does an ABA practice license cost in Montana?

$450 Renewal: Renewal fees reported in board rule notices as indexed: behavior analyst $600, assistant $200. Renewal cycle not confirmed..

Does Montana require a certificate of need for an ABA practice?

Montana has a certificate of need program covering: long-term care facilities (skilled nursing, intermediate nursing and intermediate developmental disability care to 2+ individuals): new or replacement facilities, bed increases or relocations above 10 beds / 10%, acquisitions of 50%+ ownership, new long-term care health services adding $150,000+ in annual operating and amortization expense, hospital use of more than five beds for nursing-level care and hospital long-term care services. Check whether your service is on that list.

How do you become a Medicaid provider in Montana?

Enroll through MPATH Provider Services Portal (https://portal.mt.healthinteractive.net/icapPortal/), run by Conduent (Montana Provider Relations handles enrollment and claims); DPHHS says claims move to Gainwell Technologies' new Montana Healthcare Claims System in 2027.

What does Montana Medicaid pay a ABA practice?

Montana Medicaid pays $11.36 per 15 min for one-on-one aba therapy by a technician, effective Jul 1, 2025, ranking 36 of 42 states.

How to start an ABA practice in Montana