How Florida Parents Can Weigh In on the Medicaid ABA Task Force

Florida's Applied Behavior Analysis Task Force is writing recommendations that could shape Medicaid ABA for years: how long authorizations last, whether there are caps on months of services, and how providers are overseen. Its report is due December 31, 2026. Families who use Medicaid ABA have first-hand knowledge the task force needs. This guide covers the practical steps: where to find meetings, how public comment works, how to write a comment that gets read, and how to reach your legislators before the 2027 session. For background on what the task force is, see Florida's 2026 ABA Task Force explained.

What is the task force deciding, and when?

Section 40 of HB 5003-E (the 2026E budget implementing bill) created the task force within AHCA. The law tells it to evaluate:

• clinical care models and best practices for therapy at the appropriate ages;
• transitions for enrollees across developmental, educational and community settings;
• quality metrics for ABA;
• limits and utilization controls on how long ABA may be authorized;
• "potential caps on the number of months an enrollee may receive ABA services"; and
• provider enrollment and billing standards.

It must report findings and recommendations to the Governor, the Senate President and the House Speaker by December 31, 2026. AHCA's page says the task force's authority expires July 1, 2027.

The task force has not changed any rules. Any change would come later, through a new law, a rule change or plan contracts. That gives families two windows to be heard: now, while recommendations are being written, and during the 2027 legislative session.

What is on the table so far?

At the September 28, 2026 meeting, the approved minutes say members raised several ideas "as potential recommendations or concepts for further consideration," and that "they were not presented as task force-approved recommendations." They included:

• a Florida licensure framework for behavior analysts, possibly under the Department of Health;
• stronger clinical review of treatment plans, such as blinded peer review audits and independent BCBAs;
• limits on the number of hours approved, with exceptions for high-acuity cases; and
• limits on Medicaid-funded ABA during school hours, while supporting caregiver training across settings.

At the August 31 meeting, a CMS presenter shared recommendations from the federal ABA toolkit, including focusing the service mainly on autism diagnoses and setting "better parameter[s] for use in non-ASD diagnoses." These are ideas under discussion, not policy. If any of them would affect your child, they are exactly what to comment on.

How do I find meetings and materials?

Everything is posted on AHCA's ABA Task Force page (ahca.myflorida.com/aba-task-force.html): the member list, agendas, meeting materials and approved minutes. The law requires meeting notices to be "published in advance" on AHCA's website, and allows meetings by teleconference or other electronic means.

As of October 20, 2026, AHCA lists four meetings held (August 12, August 31, September 28 and October 5, 2026), all at AHCA, 2727 Mahan Drive, Tallahassee. Meeting 5 is listed with the date to be determined. Check the page every week or two, and look at each agenda for remote-access details.

The law also reserves one seat for "one family member of a Medicaid managed care plan enrollee who receives ABA services," appointed by the Governor. AHCA's page shows that seat as appointment pending.

How does public comment work?

Every meeting so far has had a public comment period near the end of the agenda, and the October 5 agenda lists "Public Comment" as item 7. The minutes summarize what speakers raised: support for the task force, best practices, provider terminations and continuity of care (August 12); access to medically necessary care, individualized treatment, services for adolescents and young adults, utilization management and outcomes (August 31); and access to care, treatment-planning requirements, diagnostic evaluations and administrative burden (September 28).

If you plan to speak, check the agenda or ask AHCA in advance how to sign up and whether remote comment is available. Expect a short time limit.

If you cannot attend, write. AHCA lists BACOMMENTS@ahca.myflorida.com for questions about the task force.

How do I write a comment that gets read?

Keep it to one page or two minutes of speaking. A structure that works:

1. Who you are: "I am the parent of a [age]-year-old in [county] who receives Medicaid behavior analysis services."
2. The one issue you care about most, tied to the task force's charge, for example caps on months of ABA, authorization length, school-hours limits or continuity of care when providers leave a network.
3. A specific, real example: what happened, what it meant for your child, what helped. Concrete details (a three-month gap after a provider left the network, a skill your child gained) are more useful than general statements.
4. Your request: one or two clear asks, such as "Please keep exceptions based on individual medical necessity in any limit on hours."

A sample opening: "My name is [name]. My son is 9 and lives in Polk County. He has received Medicaid behavior analysis for two years. I am writing about the proposal to limit hours during the school day."

Protect your child's privacy. Under Florida's public records law, records received by an agency in connection with official business are generally public records (s. 119.011). Leave out your child's full name, Medicaid ID, date of birth and detailed medical information. Describe the situation instead.

How do I reach my legislators before the 2027 session?

Recommendations become law only if the Legislature or AHCA acts on them. Under the Florida Constitution, the regular session in odd-numbered years convenes on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March, so the 2027 session begins in early March 2027.

• Find your legislators: use the Florida Senate's "Find Your Legislators" tool at flsenate.gov or the Florida House's "Find Your Representative" page at myfloridahouse.gov.
• Contact the district office by phone or email with the same short message you sent the task force. Ask for a meeting or a call with staff.
• Follow bills: after the report is released, search flsenate.gov for 2027 bills that mention behavior analysis or Medicaid ABA, and sign up for bill tracking.

A simple plan for the next ten weeks

1. This week: read the latest approved minutes on the AHCA page and note the ideas that would affect your child.
2. Next week: write your one-page comment and send it to BACOMMENTS@ahca.myflorida.com.
3. When meeting 5 is posted: decide whether to speak, and check how public comment will work.
4. December: watch for the report, due December 31, 2026.
5. January to March 2027: contact your state senator and representative before session starts.

Meanwhile, keep your child's Medicaid paperwork current and know your appeal rights if a plan cuts hours. See Medicaid ABA appeals and fair hearings and options if Medicaid ABA ends.

How Hope Center can help

Hope Center for Behavior Change works with commercial plans, including Blue Cross Blue Shield (Florida Blue), Aetna employer plans, Cigna (Evernorth), UMR and Personify Health, plus TRICARE East, with a sliding scale for the family's share. A child who has Medicaid cannot be seen self-pay at Hope Center (center policy), but families can add employer or Marketplace insurance, which we accept. If your family is weighing other coverage while Florida reviews Medicaid ABA, we can run a free benefits check. Contact us or call 561-337-8865.