Telehealth and telesupervision for ABA in North Carolina
Last researched October 21, 2026
Can a BCBA in North Carolina deliver or supervise ABA by video, and what licensure applies? Answers below say exactly how sure we are.
BCBA licensure
- State license required for BCBAs
It depends.
- License title
Licensed Behavior Analyst (per NC Behavior Analyst Licensure Board)
- Board
North Carolina Behavior Analyst Licensure Board (NCBALB)
- Board website
- https://ncbehavioranalystboard.org/
- Statute or rule
Senate Bill 103 (S.L. 2021-22), signed by the Governor May 17, 2021; codified in N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 90, Article 43, particularly §§ 90-732, 90-737, 90-745 and 90-746. The licensure requirement is subject to statutory exceptions (G.S. 90-746: 'Except as permitted in G.S. 90-745'), including specified psychologist-supervised ancillary services.
- Fees and timeline
As of 2026-10-21, North Carolina enacted a behavior analyst licensure law in 2021 (BACB's table lists 2021 as the year the licensure law was enacted; it does not establish the implementation or enforcement date). The Board's site references fingerprint/background check instructions, application checklists, and an online portal; fees and processing times were not verified. Before the law, behavior analysts were required to practice under the supervision of a Licensed Psychologist, per the Board's site.
Telehealth and telesupervision
- ABA delivered by telehealth
Sometimes. See the detail below.
- Detail
As of 2026-10-21, per the NC Medicaid August 31, 2026 RB-BHT service-delivery bulletin (which supersedes the August 5 bulletin), telehealth was removed for paraprofessional RB-BHT services (CPT 97152-97154) under NC Medicaid CCP 8F. Professional telehealth remains code-, qualification- and clinical-condition-specific under CCPs 8F and 1H. Per CCP 8F Attachment A, telehealth 97155 billing is limited to 50% of total 97155 billing per beneficiary per 180-calendar-day period; additional telehealth units may be allowed with clinical justification in the beneficiary's Treatment Plan, so the 50% figure is not an absolute ceiling. Exact scope and the effective date of the update should be confirmed in the current policy text.
- Telehealth parity law
We could not verify this yet - check with the state Medicaid agency or licensing board.
- In-person requirements
Under NC Medicaid, paraprofessional (technician) direct services billed as CPT 97152-97154 may no longer be delivered via telehealth, so they must be delivered in person. Telehealth for professional services depends on the specific code, provider qualification and the beneficiary's clinical condition under CCPs 8F and 1H.
- Supervision by telehealth
conditional
National baseline: BACB telesupervision
Handbook: in-person on-site observation is preferred, but observation 'may be conducted via web cameras, video-conferencing, or similar means'; internet-based supervision must comply with all applicable laws; video monitoring alone without real-time interaction/feedback may not count. Phone or email contacts do not count as the face-to-face contacts. Payer/state rules can be stricter (CMS toolkit says telehealth should be a limited adjunct and 'generally avoided' for routine technician supervision; that is CMS guidance to states, not a BACB rule).
This is the BACB's certification rule for RBT supervision. State, Medicaid or payer rules can be stricter. High confidence for the BACB text as of 2026-10-21.
Related guides for North Carolina
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