08/27/2026
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
I need your help. What should take just a few minutes is taking 45 business days (or longer) and, if you rely on Medicaid to cover your child’s ABA therapy, has the potential to negatively impact your learner's access to care.
Before Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) can provide billable ABA services to children with SoonerCare coverage, they must complete a credentialing process through the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA). While appropriate screening and credentialing are essential, delays and unclear communication during this process keep qualified, trained, supervised staff from beginning services as quickly as families need them.
These delays negatively impact provider availability, waitlists, scheduling, and the number of service hours a child may be able to receive, regardless of what has been approved. Our goal is always to provide consistent, high-quality care, and we are continuing to complete every required step and communicate with the appropriate agencies.
Additionally, failure to address this issue may lead to ABA companies reducing the number of SoonerCare clients they serve or closing their doors permanently.
We are asking state leaders to improve transparency in the credentialing process by providing timely updates and a procedure to swiftly resolve delays that impact an individual’s ability to access quality services.
If this issue has impacted or could impact your family, you can help by respectfully sharing your experience with your State Representative, State Senator, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority Board, or the Governor’s State Agency Assistance Team and explain how delays in staffing or starting ABA services have affected or may affect their child’s progress, their family’s schedule, service consistency, or access to care.
You may use the following statement if helpful:
“My learner relies on or would greatly benefit from ABA services, and timely access to qualified RBTs is important to our family. I support appropriate credentialing and safety requirements, but delays and unclear communication can prevent children from receiving services when they need them. I respectfully ask OHCA to provide clear credentialing requirements, transparent status updates, reasonable processing timelines, and a process for resolving delays that affect a child’s ABA services.”
Thank you for your partnership and advocacy. Aligning Hope remains committed to supporting your family by bringing quality services to families across the state.
Naomi
Founder, Aligning Hope
