How to start an ABA practice in New Mexico

New Mexico does not require a state license for an ABA practice, according to None for behavior analyst licensure. Medicaid ABA: New Mexico Health Care Authority, Medical Assistance Division (MAD).. No state behavior analyst license — New Mexico; Medicaid ABA through MAD-approved Autism Provider (AP) agencies.

License required

No

License

Autism Provider (AP) agency approval (Medicaid)

Issuing agency

None for behavior analyst licensure. Medicaid ABA: New Mexico Health Care Authority, Medical Assistance Division (MAD).

Professional license

behavior analyst: New Mexico has no behavior analyst licensure law. No NM Regulation and Licensing Department board licenses behavior analysts. Medicaid qualifies Behavior Analysts by BACB certification (BCBA/BCBA-D) or ABPP board certification for psychologists, and requires them to keep that certification.; assistant behavior analyst: No state license; BACB BCaBA certification for Medicaid.; technician: No state license. Medicaid recognizes RBTs (BACB), BCATs (BICC), and non-certified behavior technicians for up to six months from first billing, all supervised.; agency or clinic license: Medicaid requires ABA Stage 2 and 3 services to be delivered through an Autism Provider (AP) agency approved by MAD. This is a program approval, not a facility license.; medicaid enrollment: 8.321.2 NMAC and MAD Supplement 24-13 (September 17, 2024) set a three-stage ABA model: Stage 1 AEP evaluation, Stage 2 assessment and treatment plan by a BA, Stage 3 implementation by BA/BCaBA/BT. MCOs or MAD's third-party assessor must employ or contract a BCBA for review.

Regulation

8.321.2 NMAC (Specialized Behavioral Health Services — ABA); MAD Supplement 24-13

1. Become a MAD-approved Autism Provider (AP) agency to deliver Stage 2 and 3 ABA services
2. Employ or contract Behavior Analysts (BCBA/BCBA-D or qualifying ABPP psychologists) to assess and write treatment plans
3. Staff Stage 3 with BCaBAs, RBTs, BCATs, or non-certified behavior technicians (non-certified BTs limited to six months from first billing)
4. Complete criminal background registry checks for all practitioners
5. Obtain a Stage 1 Autism Evaluation Practitioner (AEP) evaluation and ISP before ABA

Staffing

• Behavior Analysts must be approved to supervise BCaBAs/RBTs/BCATs/non-certified BTs and give MAD-required supervision
• Non-certified behavior technicians may bill for no more than six months before obtaining RBT or BCAT certification

Program

New Mexico Medicaid / Turquoise Care (New Mexico Health Care Authority, Medical Assistance Division)

Enrollment portal

Provider & PED Enrollment System at YES.NM.GOV

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. HCA's enrollment pages do not list a separate state fee.

Fingerprinting

HCA's Provider Enrollment Matrix flags fingerprints as mandatory for home health agencies, DME/medical supply providers, prosthetists/orthotists, and private and state nursing facilities. 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.

Site visit

HCA's Provider Enrollment Matrix flags a mandatory site visit for some entries of these types: ground ambulance, home health agencies, hospice, clinical and diagnostic laboratories, DME/medical supply providers, physical therapists, LMFTs, and prosthetists/orthotists. 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.

Revalidation

New Mexico revalidates every three years, which is more often than the federal 5-year minimum. Revalidation is rolling and restarted in June 2026. A selected provider gets a 60-day notice, logs in to YES.NM.GOV, updates the record, uploads the documents listed in the Provider Enrollment Matrix, and submits. A provider who does not revalidate can be disenrolled. Expiring licenses and certifications are updated separately through a Recertification application.

Full New Mexico Medicaid enrollment guide →

CON program

No

Agency

New Mexico Health Care Authority, Division of Health Improvement (facility licensing only)

New Mexico certificate of need details →

State minimum wage

$12.00 an hour

Effective

2023-01-01

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)

128 (as of Sep 13, 2026)

Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)

673,265 (as of Jun 1, 2026)

All New Mexico ABA Medicaid rates, ranked →

• NM Developmental Disabilities Waiver Program (1915(c))
• NM Medically Fragile Waiver (1915(c))
• NM Mi Via - ICF/IDD Waiver (1915(c))
• New Mexico Turquoise Care (formerly New Mexico Centennial Care 2.0) (1115)

New Mexico waivers and waiting lists →