In 2002 the first support program in the nation for college students on the autism spectrum was opened in Huntington. In 2011 West Virginia became the 25th state in the nation to adopt autism insurance coverage reform into law.
This means that today children have better access to autism screenings and treatments, including evidence-based best-practices like applied behavior analysis (ABA). Professionals who are recognized as being qualified to provide treatment include Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA®s).
The types of insurance plans affected by this new legislation include:
- Insurance plans for state employees – in 2011 this meant coverage for the state’s 51,327 employees and their families
- Insurance plans through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
- Large employer insurance plans
Thanks to insurance reform for autism spectrum disorders, the following stipulations now apply to these types of plans in the state:
- Coverage for autism diagnosis and treatment applies from when the time a child is 18 months old to 18 years old
- Coverage specifically includes ABA treatment, as well as treatments that are medically necessary
- ABA reimbursement coverage is capped at $30,000 per year for the first three years, and then capped at $2,000 per month for the remainder of treatment
Right now the huge demand for professionals who provide ABA treatments is helping to keep salary figures elevated. After a decade of experience the average annual salary for BCBA®s in West Virginia is $55,447. That’s more than a $1,000-per-year increase from the average entry-level salary.
An April 2016 look by West Virginia Public Broadcasting found the demand for BCBA®s has not subsided since the insurance reform. Explaining this, the founder of an ABA center in Hurricane stated, “In West Virginia, even your more populated areas of the state, the families that do have coverage are also still on waiting lists.”
- The sector with the highest median salary is company, followed by private practice and government
- Parkersburg has the highest median salary for entry-level BCBA®s, followed by Beckley and Morgantown
- Parkersburg has the highest median salary for BCBA®s with 10 years of experience, followed by Beckley and Huntington
- BCBA®s in Fairmont were found to have the largest median salary increase for during their first decade of employment
Salaries for Experienced Behavior Analyst in West Virginia’s Major Cities
Shown here are salary figures for BCBA®s with 10-years of experience in West Virginia’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).
Charleston – $54,829 – $75,000
- Company – $59,022
- Private practice – $58,264
- Government – $57,946
- School district – $55,249
- Non-profit – $54,829
Huntington – $55,899 – $76,000
- Company – $60,496
- Private practice – $59,696
- Government – $59,223
- School district – $56,206
- Non-profit – $56,113
Parkersburg – $58,250 – $88,000
- Company – $62,005
- Private practice – $60,939
- Government – $60,776
- School district – $58,376
- Non-profit – $57,134
Morgantown – $55,233 – $74,000
- Company – $59,185
- Private practice – $58,503
- Government – $58,226
- School district – $55,719
- Non-profit – $55,077
Wheeling – $53,186 – $74,000
- Company – $56,823
- Private practice – $55,735
- Government – $55,391
- School district – $52,406
- Non-profit – $52,394
Weirton – $54,602 – $73,000
- Company – $57,780
- Private practice – $57,038
- Government – $56,597
- School district – $53,747
- Non-profit – $53,721
Fairmont – $55,240 – $77,000
- Company – $59,733
- Private practice – $58,650
- Government – $58,270
- School district – $55,213
- Non-profit – $55,104
Beckley – $56,335 – $81,000
- Company – $60,535
- Private practice – $59,477
- Government – $59,190
- School district – $56,391
- Non-profit – $55,853
Starting Salaries for Board Certified Behavior Analyst in West Virginia by City
Shown here are entry-level BCBA® salary figures for the largest cities in West Virginia 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).
Charleston – $44,764 – $62,000
- Company – $47,577
- Private practice – $46,979
- Government – $46,671
- School district – $44,459
- Non-profit – $44,179
Huntington – $44,379 – $60,000
- Company – $48,045
- Private practice – $47,424
- Government – $46,995
- School district – $44,558
- Non-profit – $44,543
Parkersburg – $46,535 – $70,000
- Company – $49,564
- Private practice – $48,725
- Government – $48,535
- School district – $46,574
- Non-profit – $45,656
Morgantown – $45,111 – $61,000
- Company – $48,352
- Private practice – $47,810
- Government – $47,527
- School district – $45,436
- Non-profit – $44,976
Wheeling – $42,450 – $59,000
- Company – $45,991
- Private practice – $45,122
- Government – $44,791
- Non-profit – $42,389
- School district – $42,341
Weirton – $44,014 – 59,000
- Company – $46,454
- Private practice – $45,870
- Government – $45,470
- Non-profit – $43,176
- School district – $43,145
Fairmont – $42,284 – $59,000
- Company – $45,720
- Private practice – $44,900
- Government – $44,581
- School district – $42,212
- Non-profit – $42,161
Beckley – $45,632 – $66,000
- Company – $48,548
- Private practice – $47,714
- Government – $47,432
- School district – $45,142
- Non-profit – $44,769
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.