BT vs RBT: what a behavior technician needs in North Dakota

Only in some situations. See the detail below.

As of 2026-10-21: Under ND Medicaid, a person with an accepted bachelor's/master's degree may enroll as a skills trainer without an RBT but must become an RBT or BCAT within six months of enrollment. Skills training must be supervised by a qualified Service Oversight practitioner. Separately, state licensure rules (NDCC 43-64) require licensure to practice ABA, but N.D. Admin. Code 112-05-01-14(7) expressly exempts behavior technicians who deliver applied behavior analysis services under the extended authority and direction of a licensed behavior analyst or a licensed assistant behavior analyst; the exemption also requires a title indicating nonprofessional status. This licensure exemption is separate from Medicaid eligibility: the qualifying-degree/certification route and qualified Service Oversight requirements still apply, and direction by a licensed assistant behavior analyst permitted under the licensure exemption does not itself establish eligibility to provide Medicaid Service Oversight.

• Enroll with ND Medicaid before billing: providers must apply electronically through the ND Health Enterprise MMIS portal (processed by Noridian Healthcare Solutions); supporting documents must also be submitted, so the online application alone is not sufficient
• Enrolled providers may not bill for services under a supervising or peer provider's NPI
• Agencies/schools must have a training process on children in unsafe, crisis, or unstable situations (ND Medicaid ABA policy)

Only providers actively enrolled in ND Medicaid, including public schools delivering Autism ABA through the IEP. Service oversight must be a licensed BCBA, a licensed BCBA-D, a registered behavior analyst, or a licensed clinical psychologist. Skills trainers must be an RBT, a board certified autism technician (BCAT), a registered behavior analyst (RBA), a BCaBA, a BCBA, a BCBA-D, an LBSW, an LCSW, an LMSW, an LPCC, an LMFT, a speech and language pathologist, a licensed occupational therapist, or a licensed physical therapist. A bachelor's or master's degree in social work, psychology, counseling, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, child development, communication disorders, special education, sociology, elementary education, early childhood education, applied behavioral sciences, or human development and family sciences allows enrollment as a skills trainer only if the person becomes an RBT or BCAT within six months; other bachelor's or master's degrees may be approved case by case by the Autism Services Administrator and then carry the same six-month RBT or BCAT deadline. ABA groups enroll as provider type 026 (Ambulatory Health Care Facilities), specialty 026 (Adolescent and Children Mental Health), taxonomy 261QM0855X, through the ND Health Enterprise MMIS portal, with documents sent to Noridian (ABA group application, revision 11-2025). A group cannot bill until a rendering provider is affiliated.

It depends. See the condition below.

RBT is an accepted skills-trainer credential, not the only one. BCAT is an explicit alternative, and a BCaBA, BCBA, BCBA-D, RBA, or the listed licensed clinicians may deliver skills training without an RBT credential. A person enrolled on a specified bachelor's or master's degree must become an RBT or a board certified autism technician within six months of enrollment. The care plan must state hours per week by service code, with justification of units, and the policy requires that the majority of requested units be provided by an RBT. Separately, NDCC 43-64-02 (effective Jan. 1, 2020) requires a license from the State Board of Integrative Health Care to practice applied behavior analysis, but NDAC 112-05-01-14(7) (effective Jan. 1, 2021) exempts behavior technicians who deliver ABA under the extended authority and direction of a licensed behavior analyst or licensed assistant behavior analyst and who use a nonprofessional title such as ABA technician, behavior technician, registered behavior technician, or tutor. The exemption does not itself require BACB RBT certification.