Become a Step Up ABA Provider in Florida
ABA therapy is structured behavior therapy, most often used with children on the autism spectrum, and it is delivered by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Families can pay for it with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) scholarship funds, but only through providers Step Up has approved in EMA, its online system. Approval also places you in the provider directory families search inside EMA, which is where FES-UA families find behavior services.
This page covers what approval involves for BCBAs and ABA practices: the scholarship that pays for ABA, the credential routes Step Up recognizes, how a behavior team fits the EMA account structure, and the mistakes that slow applications down. Step Up reviews every application and makes every approval decision.
At a Glance
What Families Can Pay You For
FES-UA covers ABA therapy as one of its specialized services, delivered by a BCBA. A family can pay through Direct Pay in EMA, or pay and request reimbursement from their scholarship account.
A child needs a qualifying diagnosis or an IEP for FES-UA, and FES-UA cannot be used while a child is enrolled full time in a public school. District students receive behavior services through their school at no cost to families, so scholarship-funded ABA serves families outside full-time public school enrollment.
Online and telehealth delivery is eligible in this category, and services may be delivered outside Florida if the provider is credentialed.
What It Takes
Step Up recognizes three credential routes for specialized services:
- A Florida Department of Health license for your specific service, with a clear, easy-to-read license number, or
- Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) provider approval, or
- Specialized Instructional Services (SIS) Provider approval from the Office of Early Learning.
You charge only within your approved specialty area.
The account structure matters more in ABA than in most categories, because ABA is team work. Registered Behavior Technicians and other assistants or interns must work under a fully credentialed supervising therapist. They cannot create Business accounts. Instead, the practice's Business account is approved first, and each team member links as a Personal account holder under it. A Personal account cannot link until the Business account is approved, so the order of applications inside a practice matters.
Mistakes That Slow ABA Applications Down
- Linking team accounts before the Business account is approved. The Business account has to come first; Personal accounts that try to link earlier stall.
- An unclear license number on the upload. Step Up explicitly flags license numbers that are hard to read.
- An expired license, or one with restrictions or disciplinary action.
- Billing outside the approved specialty area, for example charging another discipline's service under a behavior listing.
Questions Providers Ask
Which scholarship pays for ABA therapy?
Unique Abilities (FES-UA). ABA is one of its specialized services, and no other Step Up scholarship has a therapy category.
Who delivers ABA under FES-UA?
A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) delivers ABA therapy. Technicians and assistants work under a fully credentialed supervising therapist.
How do RBTs fit into EMA?
An RBT cannot create a Business account. The practice enrolls with a Business account first; once it is approved, the RBT links as a Personal account holder under the supervising therapist's business.
How do families pay our practice?
Through Direct Pay in EMA, where Step Up pays the practice directly, or the family pays and requests reimbursement from their FES-UA account.
Can ABA be delivered by telehealth?
Yes. Online and telehealth delivery is eligible in this category, and services may be delivered outside Florida if the provider is credentialed.
We are a clinic enrolling several BCBAs and their teams. Where do we start?
With the Business account. Step Up approves the business first, and then each clinician and technician links a Personal account under it. The application asks the business for its tax ID information, legal name, and bank details, and asks each Personal account for its credential. Enrolling the business out of order is the delay this category sees most.
See Your ABA Pathway
The free assessment asks five straightforward questions and shows you a personalized preview of your provider pathway: your credential route, the scholarship programs that fit, and your first steps. The assessment is free. Start with a free personalized assessment. Full personalized plan: $147 one-time.
Enrolling a practice, clinic, or center? The Practice Plan covers 3 pathways for $397 one-time, and additional pathways are $97 each.
Step Up Provider Guide is operated by Pair of Deuces LLC and is not affiliated with Step Up For Students. Step Up reviews every provider application and makes all approval decisions.
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