BACB & Certification
BCBA 2027 Changes: The December 31, 2026 Deadline for the 2022 Rules
On November 6 the BACB was reviewing submissions from October 28. A complete BCBA or BCaBA file must arrive by December 31, 2026 to use the 2022 rules.
ABA News
What changed this week for people heading into applied behavior analysis: BACB deadlines and rule changes, BCBA and RBT exam results, and the Medicaid decisions that decide how many technician jobs there are and what they pay. Written for students and career changers, not clinic owners, and every story says what it means for someone choosing a program or a first ABA job.
Key Takeaways
- 01News for people heading into ABA: BACB rule changes and deadlines, exam pass rates, and Medicaid decisions that affect technician jobs.
- 02Every story is built on the primary document, and trade outlets are used only as leads or for what they reported themselves.
- 03Each story says what it means if you're considering ABA and links the guide that covers the topic in full.
- 04One or two stories a week when something happens, and you can follow by RSS.
Exams & Pass Rates
Only 51% of First-Time BCBA Candidates Passed in 2025
First-time BCBA candidates passed at 51% in 2025, the lowest rate in BACB's five-year table. Here is what's behind it and what to ask programs.
Policy & Funding
New York Cuts Its Fee-for-Service ABA Technician Rate to $9.63
From October 1, 2026, New York fee-for-service Medicaid pays $9.63 per 15-minute unit for technician-delivered ABA, its third cut since October 2025.
Policy & Funding
NC Medicaid Will Require Certified ABA Technicians After a Grace Period
Technicians on NC Medicaid ABA cases will need an RBT or ABAT once a 120-day grace period ends. For current staff that is November 29, 2026, by our count.
Follow along by RSS, or browse the ABA guides for the evergreen version of each topic.
Common questions
About ABA News
01What counts as news here?+
Something that happened on a date and changes the road into ABA: a BACB rule or deadline, a new pass rate report, a state Medicaid decision that moves technician jobs, or a federal data release. Step-by-step guides live in the blog.
02Where do these stories come from?+
Each story is built on the primary document: the BACB page or report, the state Medicaid notice, the policy itself. Trade outlets can point us to a story, but a figure is only used once we have read it at the source.
03Do stories change after they are published?+
Only when a fact changes. Rules that are still moving get a date by which we reread the source, and any change is logged in a dated box at the top of the story with an Updated date beside the byline.
04How often is new ABA news published?+
One or two stories a week, when something worth reporting happens. Quiet weeks get none rather than filler.
Sources
The primary publishers this section reports from. Each story lists its own sources with the date we read them.
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB): news, requirements and examination data
- BACB, University Examination Pass Rates
- Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI): accredited programs
- New York State Medicaid Update (Department of Health)
- NC Medicaid Bulletin (NC Department of Health and Human Services)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics release calendar