ABA services do not move with you from one state to another the way a phone number does. Your child's current authorization belongs to your current provider and plan, and a Florida provider has to start its own process. With planning, though, you can shorten the gap between your last session at home and your first session in Florida. This guide explains what has to happen, what insurers commonly ask for, and a step-by-step plan, as of October 2026.
Why can't ABA services simply transfer?
- Authorizations are provider-specific. An insurer approves a set number of hours for a specific provider and treatment plan, for a set period. A new provider needs its own approval.
- Your plan may change. A new job, a Marketplace plan or a different TRICARE region can mean new rules. Florida's autism insurance law (Fla. Stat. 627.6686) covers ABA in large-group fully insured plans and group HMOs from Florida-licensed insurers, but not self-funded, small-group or individual plans. See fully insured vs self-funded.
- A new assessment is usually needed. The Florida provider must assess your child, write its own plan and submit it.
- Staff do not move with you. Your child will get a new BCBA and new Registered Behavior Technicians. The good news is that BCBA and RBT credentials come from the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board, and Florida recognizes that certification rather than issuing its own behavior analyst license, so the credentials you know will look the same in Florida.
What will a Florida provider and insurer ask for?
Each plan sets its own rules, but published payer policies show common threads.
| Plan type | Example rule | Why it matters when you move |
|---|---|---|
| Florida fully insured plans | Coverage is limited to treatment prescribed by the treating physician under a treatment plan (627.6686) | You may need a Florida physician's prescription or referral |
| Cigna / Evernorth (EN0499) | Assessment within 60 days before treatment starts; a new standardized assessment after any treatment break longer than 60 days | A long gap can mean starting assessments over |
| Aetna (ABA medical necessity guide) | Impairment shown on a standardized scale within the past 12 months; progress reviewed every six months | Bring recent scores; old ones may not count |
| UMR (UMF0035) | IEPs and school evaluations are not acceptable as the only proof of diagnosis; reports over 4 years old need current documentation | Bring the full diagnostic report |
| TRICARE (ACD) | Referral and pre-authorization required; each authorization is 6 months; a new referral every 2 years | Line up the referral early; see PCS to Florida |
These are examples from published policies, not a full list. Your plan document controls, so call member services and ask what a new ABA provider must submit.
Step-by-step: how to avoid a long gap
- Two to three months before the move: confirm your Florida health plan and ask for a list of in-network ABA providers serving your new ZIP code. Ask whether a new prescription or referral is needed.
- Ask your current provider for a transition packet: the diagnostic report, current treatment plan, latest progress report with graphs, standardized assessment scores, behavior and safety plans, and a short summary of what works for your child (reinforcers, communication system, triggers, calming strategies).
- Six to eight weeks before: contact Florida providers. Ask whether they can start intake paperwork and a benefits check before you arrive, and whether there is a waitlist.
- Book the Florida assessment for soon after arrival, so the break in services stays short. If your plan follows a 60-day rule like the Evernorth policy above, a shorter break may avoid repeating assessments.
- Keep sessions going at home as close to moving day as your current provider and plan allow.
- Plan the in-between weeks. Ask your current BCBA for a simple home routine you can keep running: a visual schedule, a few practiced skills, and a plan for behaviors that worry you. Parent training before you leave helps you carry it through.
- Ask about telehealth carefully. If your current provider offers to keep coaching you by video after you move, ask them to confirm that Florida law and your plan allow it. Florida's telehealth law (Fla. Stat. 456.47) has registration rules for out-of-state providers.
- After the Florida plan is approved, share the transition packet with your new BCBA and agree on how goals carry over.
Switching providers inside Florida follows similar steps. See how to switch ABA providers without losing your authorization.
Checklist: documents for your new Florida provider
- Full autism diagnostic evaluation report, with diagnostician name, credentials and date
- Physician prescription or referral for ABA, if your plan requires it
- Current ABA treatment plan and the latest progress report
- Most recent standardized assessments (for example, an adaptive behavior scale)
- Behavior intervention plan and any safety or crisis plan
- IEP or 504 plan and school evaluations
- Insurance cards (front and back) and any recent denial or approval letters
- A one-page "about my child" summary
See also our documents to start ABA checklist.
What about school and other services?
Therapy is only one part of the move. If your child has an IEP, Florida's Rule 6A-6.0334 requires the new district to provide services comparable to the out-of-state IEP until it writes a new one. Speech and occupational therapy providers will have their own intake steps too. Our moving to Florida checklist covers school, state programs and safety.
How Hope Center can help with a transfer
If you are moving to an area we serve, we can begin intake paperwork and a free benefits check before you arrive. Our steps are: documents and intake, benefits verification, an initial assessment once your insurer approves the assessment request (2 to 4 hours, in one or two sessions, at home or at a center), up to two weeks to write the plan, your signature, and submission to your insurer. Services usually start 3 to 5 business days after approval; the full process can take as little as three weeks from the first call, though delays with paperwork can stretch it to months. We have no waitlist.
Every plan is written by a BCBA and reviewed by our clinical director before it goes to insurance, and parents are trained weekly. We work with Florida Blue, Aetna, Cigna (Evernorth), UMR, Personify Health and TRICARE East, and offer self-pay with a sliding scale. Contact us or call 561-337-8865 to get started, or see our insurance page.