CMS-approved state plan amendment – 2017 (PDF), CMS-approved state plan amendment – 2018 update (PDF), CMS-approved state plan amendment – 2019 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 provider agency

2. Have either:

In addition, 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 related fields (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) or a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. (BACB)

3. 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 (see advanced certification section and EIDBI – Treatment modalities)

4. 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

5. Enroll as a level I provider under the provider shortage variance if they meet all of the following requirements:

Note: If you have questions about whether a potential employee meets the required qualifications, contact the EIDBI team through the MN Autism Resource Portal Contact Form.

Provider shortage variance

The provider can include hours worked as a mental health behavioral aide or practitioner, personal care assistance (PCA) worker, level II or level III provider or other experience in a clinic or education setting as required hours of experience for the variance.

If a provider is enrolled under the variance, they will remain under the variance until they meet one of the standard criteria above (i.e., 1-4).

If a provider graduates from a master’s degree program, they will remain enrolled as a level I provider under the variance while they work toward completing their 2,000 hours of supervised clinical experience. If a provider completes the 2,000 hours of supervised clinical experience, they will remain enrolled as a level I provider under the variance until they complete their master’s degree.

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 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 (see MHCP Provider Manual – EIDBI provider enrollment). One credit of completed coursework is equivalent to 45 hours of time. The provider must have completed coursework at a graduate level through an accredited university or college.

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

Effective Feb. 1, 2021, all enrolling EIDBI provider organizations 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, see 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 completing the comprehensive multi-disciplinary evaluation (CMDE), 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, see:

The level I provider must:

For information about how to enroll with Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) as a level I provider, see MHCP Provider Manual – EIDBI provider enrollment.