CMS-approved state plan amendment – 2017 (PDF), CMS-approved state plan amendment – 2018 update (PDF), CMS-approved state plan amendment – 2019 update (PDF), CMS-approved state plan amendment – 2022 update (PDF), Minn. Stat. §256B.0949

To qualify as a level I provider, a person must meet both of the following requirements:

1. Be employed by an EIDBI agency.

2. Complete either:

In addition to the above requirements, a person must meet at least one of the following requirements:

1. Have a doctoral or master’s degree from an accredited college or university in behavioral health, child development or a related field (e.g., mental health, special education, social work, psychology, speech pathology, occupational therapy, health science, education, sociology, nursing, human services, counseling, family studies).

2. Be a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D) through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. (BACB). As of Jan. 1, 2025, behavior analysts must be licensed through Board of Psychology – Applying for licensed behavior analyst to continue to practice applied behavior analysis. For more information, refer to the Oct. 8, 2024, eList announcement.

3. Be a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) through the BACB.

4. Be a Qualified Behavior Analyst as defined by the Qualified Applied Behavior Analysis Credentialing Board. As of Jan. 1, 2025, behavior analysts must be licensed through Board of Psychology – Applying for licensed behavior analyst to continue to practice applied behavior analysis. For more information, refer to the Oct. 8, 2024, eList announcement.

5. Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in behavioral health, child development or a related field (e.g., mental health, special education, social work, psychology, speech pathology, occupational therapy, health science, education, sociology, nursing, human services, counseling, family studies) and advanced certification in one of the DHS-recognized treatment modalities (refer to the advanced certification section on this page and EIDBI – Treatment modalities).

6. Be a Board Certified assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) through the BACB and have 4,000 hours of supervised clinical experience that meets all registration, supervision and continuing education requirements of the certification. As of Jan. 1, 2025, behavior analysts must be licensed through Board of Psychology – Applying for licensed behavior analyst to continue to practice applied behavior analysis. For more information, refer to the Oct. 8, 2024, eList announcement.

7. Meet all of the following requirements for provider shortage variance one:

8. Meet all of the following requirements for provider shortage variance two:

Instructions to enroll under a variance

If a provider enrolls under a variance, they will remain under the variance until they meet one of the standard criteria above (i.e., 1-4). Once they meet the standard criteria, the provider must resubmit the level I assurance statement with proof of their qualifications.

If a provider no longer meets the required provider qualifications, they must adjust their enrollment status accordingly. For more information, refer for MHCP Provider Manual – EIDBI provider enrollment.

For questions about the required qualifications, contact the EIDBI team through the Minnesota Autism Resource Portal Contact Form.

DHS defines equivalent graduate coursework as a combination of:

A level I provider’s experience or training hours must make up at least 25% of the total required amount of experience (i.e., 500 hours). The provider may count coursework toward the remaining 75% (i.e., the other 1,500 hours).

Experience or training

Experience or training includes the examination and/or treatment of people with ASD or a related condition. Experience and training must be in person and can be completed in the following settings:

Coursework

A level I provider must document graduate-level coursework in one or more of the following areas:

The provider must submit a transcript to DHS with enrollment forms to demonstrate proof of completed coursework (refer to MHCP Provider Manual – EIDBI provider enrollment). One credit of completed coursework is equivalent to 45 training hours. The provider must have completed coursework at a graduate level through an accredited university or college.

Advanced certification is specialized credentials beyond foundational training in one of the DHS-recognized treatment modalities. Advanced certification:

All EIDBI services use one of the DHS-recognized treatment modalities listed on EIDBI – Treatment modalities.

An advanced certification provider is a provider who holds advanced certification in the DHS-recognized treatment modality the agency provides. When a level I provider has advanced certification in a modality, they are responsible to oversee fidelity of the modality and training of non-certified staff. If the level I provider with advanced certification leaves the agency (e.g., resigns or disaffiliates their enrollment) or experiences an absence longer than 31 consecutive days, another provider with advanced certification must take over these responsibilities for the agency to continue providing services. An agency cannot operate without an advanced certification provider.

All enrolling EIDBI agencies must have a QSP or level I provider with advanced certification in one of the following treatment modalities:

1. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA):

2. DIR/Floortime:

3. Early Start Denver Model (ESDM):

4. PLAY Project:

5. Relationship Development Intervention (RDI):

6. Early Social Interaction Project (ESI):

7. Other specific modality certifications.

For more information, refer to EIDBI – Treatment modalities – Certified providers.

If a level I provider wants to add mental health practitioner clinical trainee services to their existing EIDBI provider enrollment record to assist with CMDE completion, they must complete and submit the EIDBI Assurance Statement for CMDE Providers, DHS-7120A (PDF). On DHS-7120A, the provider must attest they meet both of the following requirements:

Upon completion of the mental health professional licensure or board certification requirements, the provider must resubmit the EIDBI Assurance Statement for CMDE Providers, DHS-7120A (PDF) and attest to the requirements of a CMDE provider listed on the form.

For additional information, refer to:

The level I provider must:

For information about how to enroll with MHCP as a level I provider, refer to MHCP Provider Manual – EIDBI provider enrollment.