Kentucky was the 17th state in the nation to implement autism insurance reform with the passage of a revised statute in 2010. That legislative reform specifically defines the diagnoses and treatment of autism spectrum disorders as including applied behavior analysis. Significantly, this legislation also excludes reimbursement coverage for unlicensed professionals providing treatment for autism.
This law sets the parameters of insurance reimbursement for board certified behavior analysts (BCBA®s) and other professionals treating those with autism, from infants up to the age of 21:
- A $50,000 annual reimbursement cap is placed on treatments and services for autism for children aged 1-6 years old
- A $12,000 annual reimbursement cap is placed on treatments and services for autism for those aged 7-21 years old
- Treatment by BCBA®s and other autism service providers may be exempt from either of these caps
BCBA®s in Kentucky benefit from the fact that a wide range of insurance plans cover autism evaluations and treatments. The following plans are required by law to finance evaluations and treatments for autism, including work performed by BCBA®s:
- Large group health benefit plans
- Small group market health benefit plans
- Individual market health benefit plans
- State employee health benefit plans
With 10 years of experience in the field, behavior analysts in Kentucky earn an average of $56,873, enjoying an incremental annual salary increase of nearly $1000 per year.
Salaries for Experienced Behavior Analyst in Kentucky’s Major Cities
Shown here are salary figures for BCBA®s with 10-years of experience in Kentucky’s largest cities. Each list provides an overall salary range (from median to 90th-percentile) for behavior analysts with 10-years of experience, followed by the average in each employment sector (December 2016).
Louisville – $59,554 – $78,000
- Company – $62,496
- Private practice – $61,966
- Government – $61,762
- School district – $59,489
- Non-profit – $58,563
Lexington – $57,838 – $76,000
- Company – $61,215
- Private practice – $60,631
- Government – $60,395
- School district – $58,016
- Non-profit – $57,247
Bowling Green – $56,170 – $75,000
- Company – $59,089
- Private practice – $58,242
- Government – $57,887
- School district – $55,079
- Non-profit – $54,852
Owensboro – $55,982 – $77,000
- Company – $60,031
- Private practice – $59,093
- Government – $58,925
- School district – $56,370
- Non-profit – $55,727
Covington – $55,283 – $72,000
- Company – $59,191
- Private practice – $58,421
- Government – $57,967
- School district – $55,117
- Non-profit – $55,134
Richmond – $53,134 – $70,000
- Company – $57,297
- Private practice – $56,473
- Government – $55,937
- Non-profit – $53,164
- School district – $52,890
Hopkinsville – $55,809 – $74,000
- Company – $60,458
- Private practice – $59,634
- Government – $59,172
- School district – $56,195
- Non-profit – $56,180
Florence – $61,215 – $80,000
- Company – $64,143
- Private practice – $63,627
- Government – $63,502
- School district – $61,363
- Non-profit – $60,187
Starting Salaries for Board Certified Behavior Analyst in Kentucky by City
Shown here are entry-level BCBA® salary figures for the largest cities in Kentucky by sector. Each list provides an overall salary range (from median to 90th-percentile) for each city, followed by the average in each employment sector (December 2016).
Louisville – $49,817 – $64,000
- Company – $52,351
- Private practice – $51,928
- Government – $51,675
- School district – $49,904
- Non-profit – $49,189
Lexington – $47,369 – $61,000
- Company – $49,519
- Private practice – $49,065
- Government – $48,813
- School district – $47,020
- Non-profit – $46,441
Bowling Green – $47,091 – $61,000
- Company – $49,417
- Private practice – $48,738
- Government – $48,361
- School district – $46,147
- Non-profit – $46,018
Owensboro – $46,578 – $62,000
- Company – $49,949
- Private practice – $49,203
- Government – $48,950
- School district – $46,920
- Non-profit – $46,520
Covington – $45,377 – $58,000
- Company – $47,835
- Private practice – $47,235
- Government – $46,835
- School district – $44,674
- Non-profit – $44,682
Richmond – $43,938 – $58,000
- Company – $46,620
- Private practice – $45,964
- Government – $45,472
- School district – $42,959
- Non-profit – $43,240
Hopkinsville – $46,953 – $62,000
- Company – $49,154
- Private practice – $48,498
- Government – $48,070
- Non-profit – $45,658
- School district – $45,613
Florence – $51,416 – $68,000
- Company – $52,651
- Private practice – $52,242
- Government – $52,088
- School district – $50,305
- Non-profit – $49,397
Salary data for entry-level and experienced applied behavior analysts was sourced from PayScale.com in December 2016. Using its daily-updated database of over 54 million salary profiles, PayScale’s proprietary algorithms provide access to real-time salary information.
