NYS Legislative UpdatesNYS Annual Prescriber FormPosted 4/7/24; Updated 6/22/24
Chapter 818 of the Laws of 2021 (818) became effective June 30, 2023 and allows Licensed Behavior Analysts to provide ABA services to any person with a diagnosis in the DSM-V, not just autism spectrum disorder. As per this law, the licensed behavior analyst is required to report to the prescribing licensed professional on an annual basis. Failure to report to the prescriber on an annual basis is considered professional misconduct. NYSABA has developed a form that can be used to submit this report to the provider. This one page form has been developed in collaboration with Dr. Dennis Kuo, a developmental pediatrician, and feedback was obtained from other prescribers. The requirement to report to the prescriber is a great opportunity for LBAs to disseminate information regarding the efficacy of ABA services. The form is attached below.
 You can find instructions for the form HERE.
Our newly updated FAQ's regarding this form can be found HERE.
Legislative Action Toolkit Call your Legislator (video modeling) List of Differences Between Clinical Psychologists and Applied Behavior Analysts 2026 NYS Legislative Update Posted 4/03/2026 Dear NYSABA Member,
First, we would like to clarify our last communication, as we have received several inquiries from members who were confused about the wording of that email. In that email, we highlighted that the Senate restored the budget cut. Further down in the email it states that the Governor may still choose to resist the recommended restoration of the cut, which is what occurred. The Governor chose not to take the recommendation of the Senate and moved forward with the intended 4/1/26 budget cut. We apologize for the confusion that wording may have caused. Effective April 1, a second Medicaid ABA rate cut worth 12.5% was implemented. NYSABA’s public policy team has met several times with the Division of Budget, the Governor’s Office, the Legislature, and the Department of Health to fight the Medicaid ABA cut. We have been working on this tirelessly and have not given up. The 2026-2027 fiscal year began on April 1 without a new budget in place. The budget negotiations in Albany are far from over and it is likely that they will stretch out for several more weeks. On March 31, the legislature passed a one-week emergency spending bill to allow state government operations to continue until April 7 while the Governor and Legislature continue to spar over a new budget agreement. Unfortunately, and even though ABA has had the strong support of the Legislature, the Governor has insisted on implementing the second Medicaid rate cut worth 12.5%. The adjusted rate schedule is now displayed on the eMedNY website. Some of you have received communications about this from the Medicaid managed care plans with whom you contract. If you are a Medicaid provider, then you should expect to see rate reductions in the near future and a possible communication from the Medicaid Managed Care Organization(s) with whom you contract. We have already heard from some of you that you will need to discontinue services for your Medicaid patient population. If that is the case, please provide the NYSABA policy team ([email protected]) with details on the numbers of children who will no longer be receiving care from your agency. The Legislature and the Governor need to understand the real-life implications of a Medicaid rate cut. If you must discontinue serving your Medicaid patients, please explain to them that the Governor has decided to cut reimbursement for the service, which will make it difficult for your agency to continue to pay the individuals who deliver their care. You hope that the Governor will reverse course on this in the future, but at this time, the Governor has made the decision to decrease the state’s investment in this service. NYSABA will continue to fight. We continue to meet with members of the legislature to urge them to include a retroactive restoration of the cut in the final budget, which may not come together for several more weeks. While it will be very difficult for the legislature to restore the cut retroactively, it will be more difficult for them to face their constituents as they lose access to a benefit that has just started to make a real difference in their lives. This is not the outcome that we had hoped for, but our advocacy will not rest until there is a final budget agreement. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to: [email protected] or [email protected]. NYSABA Public Policy Committee e
Posted 3/10/2026 Your Assembly and Senate members are making budget decisions this week, and proposed changes could significantly reduce funding for Medicaid‑supported ABA services. Send a letter today to let your voice be heard, and tell them NOT to cut ABA funding by millions of dollars.
This is a NEW campaign, if you have already participated, please SEND a NEW letter today by clicking HERE!
Parents, you can take a short 30 second video explaining how this cut would affect you. Tag NYSABA and YOUR legislatures! In your video, use your voice to speak up, spread awareness and amplify your message of why ABA services matter!
Additional Ways to Help:
Tips for Parents Creating Short Awareness Videos
Here’s a simple, supportive structure families can follow on their own when recording a short video:
Let your voice be heard. Send your letter today! https://actionnetwork.org/letters/reject-cuts-to-medicaid-funded-aba?source=direct_link
Spread the word: Share this post and tag NYSABA so we can help amplify community voices. Your story matters. Your voice matters. Let’s stand together to keep essential ABA services visible and protected. Thank you for standing with families, individuals, and providers across New York. Your participation this week is truly impactful.
Sincerely,
NYSABA Public Policy Committee Posted 2/12/2026 Advocacy Day Recap — Albany, NY | February 10, 2026 On Tuesday, 2/10, NYSABA’s Public Policy Committee, joined by NYSABA Board members, NYSABA members, ABA business owners, New York families, and our partners at CASP, came together in Albany to advocate against Medicaid-funded ABA service cuts. Together, we:
On February 10, 2026, testimony was also delivered on behalf of NYSABA before the Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Health, urging the Legislature to reject the Executive Budget’s second Medicaid cut impacting vulnerable children seeking behavioral health care. Read the testimony here: https://tr.ee/xMFlohwAxo During these meetings, we also learned that additional Medicaid cuts to ABA services may be proposed beyond the initial reductions, making it even more urgent that lawmakers hear from our community right now. Access to Medicaid-funded ABA services is something many families in New York have only recently begun to receive, and further cuts threaten life-changing services for children and adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Legislators need to hear from BOTH service providers and, most importantly, families about how these services impact their lives and how further cuts would affect their communities. Advocacy works — but legislators must hear from us now to protect access to care. |