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Committee questions support and staffing for Behavior Analyst Licensing Board tied to insurance billing
Summary
Legislators raised concerns that inadequate administrative support is hindering the Behavior Analyst Licensing Board’s operations and that lack of staffing threatens providers’ ability to bill insurers for autism-related services.
Legislators on the Joint Interim Committees questioned whether the Behavior Analyst Licensing Board is adequately staffed and whether it is receiving the shared resources it was promised from the Department of Mental Health.
Miss Thomas reported that the board—created in 2014—has seven governor-appointed members, does not receive compensation (only travel), reported 717 licensees, and had 13 complaints in the two-year rollover period (8 resolved and several pending awaiting information). She said a 2024 sunset law added requirements that the Department of Mental Health provide certain services and office space to the board, and the board had one administrative support assistant shared with the Department of Mental Health.
Senator Givin (transcript spelling) asked why the board remains an independent entity if it lacks staff and support. A legislator who had previously proposed sunsetting the board told the committee that without the board’s certification, providers could not bill insurance for behavioral-autism therapy. The legislator asked the Department of Mental Health to appear at the next hearing to explain whether the additional support required by statute had been provided and how the department is implementing that mandate.
Committee members also flagged repeated administrative problems in the board’s record-keeping, minutes, executive sessions and vacancy postings—issues that have recurred across multiple review periods. Miss Thomas said two of six prior findings were resolved, while the remainder persisted.
Ending — Next steps: The committee asked the Department of Mental Health to appear at the next hearing to explain how it is supporting the board, and requested documentation of staffing and the statutory provisions that describe shared responsibilities.
